News & Events | News

Tuesday 18th December 2007

European law firm SJ Berwin’s senior partner Jonathan Blake has received two major accolades for his achievements as a pioneer of the private equity industry.

Jonathan has been included in the 2008 edition of Who’s Who, the leading reference book, which contains biographies of noteworthy and influential individuals.

And leading weekly legal newspaper The Lawyer included Jonathan in its 'Hall of Fame' saying:

"Jonathan Blake arguably created the discipline of private equity funds lawyering. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s at SJ Berwin he made his name on a series of fundraisings that defined the industry. Even today there are few lawyers who can rival him."

Jonathan qualified joined the firm in 1982, the year of the its foundation and has been a partner at SJ Berwin since 1983. He was instrumental in the development of limited partnerships as vehicles for venture capital investment funds, and has most recently advised clients including Apax, Macquarie and Intermediate Capital Group.

Jonathan leads the UK's market leading private equity fund formation team whose other clients include 3i, Amadeus, Abingworth, Cheyne Capital, Cognetas, Deutsche, Dresdner, Dunedin, Electra, Graphite, Henderson, HG Capital, Industri Kapital, Lion Capital, PAI, PPM Capital and Triton Partners.

View Jonathan Blake's profile here.

For further information please contact:

Richard Gerrard, Head of Marketing Communications, on 020 7111 5099 or by emailing richard.gerrard@sjberwin.com

Aurelia Spivey, Marketing Manager, on 020 7111 2060 or by emailing aurelia.spivey@sjberwin.com

To view other press releases click here.

• Who's Who, published annually since 1849 by A&C Black is among the world's most recognised and respected works of reference. It contains over 32,000 short biographies, continually updated, of living noteworthy and influential individuals, from all walks of life, worldwide. The editor of the 1897 edition wrote in his preface that Who's Who seeks to recognise people whose "prominence is inherited, or depending on office, or the result of ability which singles them out from their fellows".  This remains the publisher's policy today, and biographees are always selected because they fall into one of these three categories.
  
  
• Jonathan Blake is a former Council member of the British Venture Capital Association. He was responsible for negotiating with the Inland Revenue and Department of Trade and Industry on the agreed statement and guidelines on the use of limited partnerships as venture capital investment funds. He is also a former Chairman of the Tax and Legal Committee of the (European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association) in which capacity he produced and edited several publications on venture capital related matters across Europe.
  
  
• In April 2004 Jonathan was admitted to the BVCA "Hall of Fame" in recognition of his contribution to the private equity industry over the past two decades. This was a nomination by the whole of the private equity industry under the auspices of the BVCA and was voted on by 500 of the most prominent people in the UK private equity industry, and Jonathan is the first adviser ever to be given this tribute. The Hall of Fame numbers only five people.
  
  
• In April 2005, Jonathan was named global lawyer of the year for Private Funds by The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers.
  
  
• In October 2006, Jonathan was named as one of the "30 most influential lawyers in global private equity" by the highly regarded industry journal Private Equity International.
  
  
• SJ Berwin is at the core of the European private equity industry, and our fund formation team is consistently rated number one. The team is the largest in Europe, with 25 partners assisted by over 50 associates.
  
  
• SJ Berwin has a reputation for innovation. Our extensive knowledge and history in the private equity industry means that we lead the European market on fund terms and conditions and are at the cutting edge of fund structuring.
  
  
• SJ Berwin are the recognised market leader in fund structuring and are ranked in the tier in both Chambers and Legal 500. In addition the private equity team has won a number of recent awards including:
  
  
   "UK Firm of the Year" 2007 at the Chambers Global Awards
  
   "Private Equity Team of the Year" 2007 at the Financial News Legal Awards
  
   "Mid Market Law Firm of the Year" 2007 at The Lawyer Awards
  
   "Fund Formation Team of the Year" 2006 and 2007 at the Financial News Awards for Excellence in Private Equity Advisory Services
  
  "European Law Firm of the Year" 2004-2006 at the EVCA/Real Deals - European Private Equity Awards,
  
  "European Law Firm of the Year" (fund formation) 2001-2007 by subscribers to PrivateEquityOnline and Private Equity International
  
  "Private Equity Law Firm of the Year" 2004-2007 at the European Venture Capital journal awards 2004
  
  "LBO Firm of the Year" 2004 at the Finance and Law Awards in Paris
  
  
• On 1 June 2005, SJ Berwin became SJ Berwin LLP, a limited liability partnership.  www.sjberwin.com. SJ Berwin LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Turin.