Mayer Brown is a leading international legal adviser to private equity funds, management teams, banks and other financial institutions that provide capital to private equity transactions. Our private equity lawyers work collaboratively across our various offices with other Mayer Brown lawyers who have extensive experience in finance, tax, ERISA, real estate, securitization, environmental law and other practice areas. Mayer Brown helps clients structure innovative, market-sensitive solutions. In the private equity community, we pride ourselves on forging long-term relationships that begin with fund formation and continue throughout a client’s investment and realization periods. We make the effort to understand our private equity clients’ businesses and investment objectives so that we can tailor pragmatic solutions to complex problems.

Mayer Brown’s breadth and depth of experience with private equity transactions in the Americas, Asia and Europe sets the firm apart from most other law firms. We act for all types of private equity funds and their sponsors, regardless of the geographic or industry focus, including infrastructure funds, pledge funds, venture capital funds, funds of funds, secondary funds and debt and mezzanine funds. We also advise lenders and other financial institutions involved in private equity transactions, as well as management teams and portfolio companies. Our practice experience includes a broad array of transactions, including management and leveraged buyouts, public-to-private transactions, private investments in public companies, seed and venture capital investments, follow-on acquisitions and all forms of exit transactions, including auction sales, recapitalizations and IPOs.

Practice at a Glance

• “Mayer Brown is undoubtedly one of the success stories of the Parisian buyout scene and is one of the rare firms able to cover all the vital components of a buyout - from the management package to acquisition financing, tax and restructuring.” - Chambers Global 2008

• “Mayer Brown enjoys particular expertise in fund formation and advises investment banks, pensions funds, and corporates on international transactions.” - UK Legal 500 2007

• In both 2007 and 2009, Mayer Brown was named “Law Firm of the Year” by the French publication Private Equity Magazine for being the most proactive capital investment professionals operating within France and the rest of Europe during the preceding year.

• Chambers Global 2007 noted “This is a ‘smartly run and capable’ outfit packed with ‘sensible, down-to-earth lawyers.’”