News | Private Equity

Wednesday 2nd May 2001

J Berwin & Co added another two Private Equity houses to its growing client list of newly independent Private Equity firms.

The law firm acted for the management team in connection with their buyout of F&C Ventures Limited, the private equity arm of Foreign & Colonial. F&C Ventures (now renamed Graphite Capital Management Limited) is a leading player in the UK mid-market and typically makes investments in companies valued at between £10 million and £100 million.

The second buyout involved Phoenix Equity Partners in connection with their buy-out from Credit Suisse First Boston. Phoenix's focus is mid market companies valued at between £20 million to £200 million.

These transactions followed a number of earlier transactions in this sector undertaken by S J Berwin & Co, which include advising the management team of Natwest Equity Partners on their MBO from the Natwest Group to form Bridgepoint Capital and Mercury Private Equity in connection with their separation from Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.

The SJ Berwin team advising F&C Ventures was led by corporate partner Andrew Harris assisted by Andrew Clarke and Aliboo Taylor and the team advising Phoenix Equity Partners was led by corporate partners Josyane Gold and Graham White assisted by Raymond McKeeve.