Goodwin’s practices and partners ranked highly in the recently released Chambers and Legal 500 2019 guides for the UK. The rankings reflect the firm’s continuing growth in the city across both transactional and fund formation practices in private equity, real estate and life sciences industries.
The Real Estate Industry practice placed in the top band across both transactional and fund formation and management categories in both guides.
“The team is phenomenal – having them on our side gives us an inordinate amount of assurance,” comments one client in Chambers’ “Real Estate – Mainly Mid-Market” category, in which Goodwin ranked in Band 1. “They are able to react fast and still provide a high level of service, which is key to our success on transactions.”
Legal 500 called Goodwin a “market leader” with “good knowledge of the way the industry works and a commercial way of thinking” in the “Investment Fund Formation and Management – Real Estate Funds” category, in which the firm is also ranked in Tier 1.
Samantha Lake Coghlan, partner and Co-Chair of Goodwin’s London office, was noted as the guide’s leading individual in the same category. Her “abilities in the funds space are second-to-none,” noted Legal 500.
Similarly, the firm ranked highly for its transactional work in the Private Equity and Life Sciences space.
“Goodwin, which is equally strong in mid-cap and large-cap deals, delivers advice which is ‘good, pragmatic and quick, and not filled with caveats,’” notes Legal 500 in its Tier 2 “Private Equity Transactions: Mid-Cap” ranking. “Private equity is a core area of focus for the firm, which particularly stands out for its work in the technology, life sciences and healthcare, financial services and real estate sectors.”
Goodwin’s Life Sciences partner, Graham Defries is also recommended by Chambers for being “well versed in a range of transactions in the sector, including M&A and private securities financings on behalf of pharmaceutical and healthcare clients.”
“They are very efficient and they always find the right solution for you,” notes one client in the Chambers private investment funds feedback. The comments in the Legal 500 guide echo this sentiment with one client praising the firm’s Private Investment Funds team for its “pragmatism and ability to generate a number of options for a problem that initially appears to not have an easy answer.”
In Chambers, Michael Halford, Head of the Private Investment Practice for Europe and Asia, is commended by one client who states that Halford is "extremely knowledgeable about fund formation and what works best." Another praises him because "he speaks in a language you understand as a non-lawyer.” Funds partner Ed Hall is praised for his “excellent technical and academic ability, and is very user-friendly from a business perspective, exceptionally hard-working and good value for money."
Goodwin’s full Chambers and Legal 500 UK rankings for 2019 are available on the directories’ websites.