King & Wood Mallesons has scooped the award for Funds Team of the Year at The Lawyer magazine’s annual awards, held in London on 29 June 2016.
Over 1,300 senior legal professionals gathered to celebrate the finalists and winners at The Lawyer Awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Dara O'Brain. The 22nd annual awards programme included 27 categories judged by 43 top lawyers, ranging from general counsel at public and private companies to senior private practice lawyers and silks.
The International Funds team, led by London partners Ed Hall and Warren Allan, won the award for a highly complex transaction advising Palamon Capital Partners on a GP-led secondary transaction, which provided investors in two existing Palamon-managed funds with a liquidity option. The buyers, comprising a group of five institutional investors, acquired interests in the existing funds and made a primary commitment to a new vehicle managed by Palamon. According to industry comments, this transaction marked the evolution of the private equity industry's secondary market.
Warren Allan, International Funds partner, said, “We are delighted to have won this prestigious award. As a firm, we have been at the forefront of the secondaries market since its inception and have advised on many of the largest and most complex secondary transactions. This transaction is testament to the strength, quality and continued expertise of the team to create successful outcomes for our clients and drive change in the market.”
This award swiftly follows the International Funds group winning a string of awards, including ‘Legal Advisor of the Year - Funds’ at the Private Equity Africa Awards; and ‘Law Firm of the Year in Europe (Fund Formation)’ for a stunning fifteenth consecutive year at Private Equity International’s annual awards.
The full King & Wood Mallesons team included lead partners Ed Hall and Warren Allan, with Munich partner Martin Brockhausen, New York partner George Pinkham, managing associate Brendan Gallen, associates Jordan Hurwitz and Adriana Wild-Taylor and trainee Ben Shem-Tov.