William Yates

William Yates

Head of Private Equity & Financial Sponsors

Will is Head of the Private Equity & Financial Sponsors Group.

Will is a corporate partner, specialising in international and domestic private equity and M&A transactions. His clients include corporates, institutional investors, alternative asset managers, senior management teams, founders and investee companies.

Will advises on a full range of transactions including leveraged buyouts, consortium deals, bolt-on acquisitions, carve-outs, co-investments, minority deals, recapitalisations, divestments, distressed M&A, public-to-privates, joint ventures, reorganisations and restructurings together with advising on general corporate matters.

Will also advises the firm's global asset management clients on GP-stake transactions, GP succession planning (including restructuring ownership and governance arrangements) and structured secondary market liquidity solutions (including GP-led and LP-led secondary transactions).

Industry recognition

  • Will is recommended for private equity in the UK by The Legal 500 2018.

  • Will has been recognised as a Private Equity "Rising Star" and one of "the next generation of City private equity talent" by Law.com.

Selected deals

  • Livingbridge on its investment in CitNOW Group
  • Inflexion on its investment in SteriPack Group
  • Silverfleet Capital on the cross-border sale of CARE Fertility to Nordic Capital.
  • Inflexion and other shareholders on £535m sale of Marley Group plc to Marshalls plc.
  • Inflexion on its acquisition of cloud specialist, ANS.
  • Inflexion on the takeover of Infront ASA, a public company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
  • August Equity Partners and the selling shareholders on the disposal of specialist care business Berkeley Home Health.
  • Silverfleet Capital on its cross-border investment in Collectia A/S.
  • Livingbridge on the disposal of its investment management business of the Baronsmead VCTs and the Livingbridge Equity Funds to Gresham House PLC.
  • Inflexion on its minority investment in Huws Gray.
  • Horizon Capital on its investment in Churchesfire.
  • Equistone Partners Europe on its investment in Willerby.
  • Lothbury Investment Management Group on the cross-border investment by Nomura Real Estate.
  • Darwin Private Equity and other selling shareholders on the sale of Esendex to Hg Capital.
  • Silverfleet Capital on the cross-border sale of Cimbria A/S to Agco International.
  • Livingbridge on its acquisition of the Coversure Group.
  • Elliott on its investment in TotallyMoney.
  • Bridgepoint Development Capital on its acquisition of the Construction Claims division of Hill International (now known as HKA Global).
  • August Equity on its acquisition of Charterhouse Voice & Data from its founders.
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