Earlier this year we launched our search for the rising stars of the private funds legal world. Trusted contacts, industry participants and the law firms themselves nominated both colleagues and peers, and in total we were sent 129 profiles of high- achieving lawyers under the age of 40 based around the world. Competition was stiff, which made the judging process challenging, but nominees were whittled down to a final list of 30 based on their career progress, their client base, notable work to date and their X Factor – many of those on the list today are engaged in good-will work outside of their funds practice. The list follows and, we’re sure you’ll agree, each and every one of them deserves to be there. PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHA THEINER Jonathan Adler, 37 Amy Beckingham, 36 Siew Kam Boon, 36 Debevoise & Plimpton Latham & Watkins Dechert New York Hong Kong Singapore Partner, fund formation Partner, M&A Partner, M&A Recommended Recognized for her commercial Clients who have by clients for acumen, technical skills and worked with his judgment entrepreneurial drive, Amy Siew Kam Boon and tireless Beckingham has been hands-on are always full of work ethic, in developing Latham & Watkins’ glowing reviews Jonathan Adler private equity practice in Asia and and praise, has advised has become a mentor to junior according to her large, multi- lawyers in the year since she joined manager, and asset managers the firm after more than 10 years the Dechert team including at Freshfields. Beckingham has in Singapore the Carlyle recently led a number of deals, had been trying to recruit her for Group and KKR and firms like including Warburg Pincus and KKR’s two years, enticed by her extensive Clayton, Dubilier & Rice across Series D investment in GO-JEK, experience and expertise in private geographies. Since becoming Indonesia’s leading on-demand equity transactions. She now leads a partner in 2014, Adler has led mobile platform for transport, food, the firm’s South-East Asia M&A and or co-led the formation of more logistics and payment. She supports private equity transactions practice. than eight funds with aggregate the firm’s diversity initiatives and Boon is recommended as a foreign commitments of almost $19 is the Asia representative on the expert for corporate and M&A, and billion. In the first quarter of this global steering committee for has been involved in some of the year, he has led final closings on Women Enriching largest M&A, private equity and three private funds with aggregate Business, a venture capital deals in Asia Pacific. commitments of around $6 billion, firm committee She has worked for Baring Private including advising Crescent designed Equity Asia, Everstone Capital and Capital Group on the formation to address Sequoia Capital India among others. of its latest mezzanine fund. Adler the business Prior to joining Dechert in May 2017, is also a highly-valued member of challenges and Boon served as a partner in the the firm’s Latin America practice opportunities private equity and emerging growth group. unique to women. practice at K&L Gates. Marie-Laure Bruneel, 39 Ellen Ching, 35 Goodwin Paul Weiss Paris New York Head of tax practice Corporate partner Known for her willingness to fully immerse herself in the Ellen Ching has been a leading matters she handles, Marie-Laure Bruneel advises on member of the team representing the tax aspects of structuring and financing mergers a number of high profile clients and acquisitions, private equity acquisitions and including General Atlantic and fund formation. She also works with real estate firms Oaktree Capital Management. This on investments and restructurings. Bruneel was an year she has been co-lead counsel associate at the age of 21 and on GA’s investments in Grupo made partner by 32, and she has Axo, Torchy’s Tacos and General been a key driver in the growth Information Services. Ching also represented GA in of Goodwin’s private equity healthcare transactions including the sale of portfolio practice. Recent client work company MedExpress to Optum and is representing includes representing investment Virtu Financial on its $1.4 billion acquisition of KCG funds such as listed firm Eurazeo Holdings. She serves on the board of Lawyers Alliance and Equistone. She has also co- for New York and was also co-lead advisor to the authored several publications International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a including the first book in the pro-bono client, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for French market on REITs. its work on the Panama Papers. October 2017 • Issue 155 • privatefundsmanagement.net 25 Paul Cicero, 39 Ted Craig, 37 Goodwin MJ Hudson New York London Partner, private equity Head of secondaries Paul Cicero’s It took Ted Craig all of 10 months practice after joining MJ Hudson in 2013 to has been make partner. He now oversees the described fastest-growing practice area within as unique in Craig Cordle, 35 MJ Hudson, the New York Ogier and is currently market in that Guernsey implementing he represents Partner, asset management an innovative investors transparent across each Extremely capable, experienced and legal fee stage of the investment lifecycle, knowledgeable of the listed fund pricing model ranging from leveraged buyouts space: these are some of the ways for indirect to growth equity all the way down brokers describe Craig Cordle. An secondary to seed investments. His current asset management lawyer with a transactions. client base includes three of Bain background in advising private equity In addition Capital’s proprietary funds. He fund of funds investment trusts and to secondaries, Craig also has focuses on representing socially real estate investment trusts, Cordle a broad private fund formation conscious investors with funds specializes in Guernsey structures. practice acting for GPs and LPs in such as Environmental Capital Highlights include advising Lloyds relation to the establishment of, Partners which focus on investing in Banking Group on the asset and investment into, private equity, environmentally friendly platforms. management arrangements for its venture capital, infrastructure Last year he helped Goodwin portfolio of more than £100 billion and other closed-ended funds, launch its Impact & Responsible ($132 billion; €110 billion) transferred funds of funds and co-investment investing incubator dedicated to to Aberdeen Asset Management structures. Craig’s clients value his advising clients on social impact after the sale of Scottish Widows industry expertise, pragmatism investing relating to ESG and Investment Partnership and advising and perseverance, resulting in him sustainability certifications and HarbourVest’s listed private equity having the highest client retention much more. offering. rate at the firm. Eamon Devlin, 39 Alexandra Davidson, 33 MJ Hudson Clifford Chance London London Managing partner Partner, funds and investments Since helping to found MJ Described by clients as a “role model and a star,” Hudson in 2011 – and re- Alexandra Davidson made one of the fastest tracks to mortgaging his house in the partnership at a Magic Circle firm in 2016 at the age of process — Eamon Devlin has 32. Davidson has strong relationships with blue-chip held two roles: one being clients including Actis, Bridgepoint and Permira and responsible for the firm’s law business and the works with funds based in Luxembourg, Ireland, the second managing his practice made up exclusively Channel Islands and the UK. She has been a key driver of of private equity clients. These include Aberdeen Clifford Chance’s thought leadership Asset Management, one of Europe’s biggest on Brexit implications for UK asset managers, and several of the world’s largest sponsors, and has been involved in investors in finance including Adams Street Capital developing the group’s participation and LGT Capital Partners. Clearly trusted by limited in industry initiatives and nurturing partners, Devlin is also one of only two European junior talent. She has experience lawyers on the Institutional Limited Partners across multiple asset classes, Association committee created in 2017 with the including private equity, real estate goal of simplifying fund documents. and infrastructure. 26 private funds management • Issue 155 • October 2017 Sally Gibson, 38 Peter Gilman, 38 Debevoise & Plimpton Simpson Thacher & Bartlett London New York Partner, investment management Partner, private investment funds A regulatory and fundraising In addition to funds work, Peter Gilman provides expert, Sally Gibson has strategic advice and long-term planning to founders established herself as one of and senior partners of a number of private equity firms private equity’s most trusted regarding succession arrangements and leadership advisors during a period of much transitions, and his experience spans asset classes. regulatory change. Her clients include Deutsche He has a particularly long-standing relationship with Bank, EQT and DH Private Equity Partners. Among her Blackstone, and has assisted the key fundraisings is the $1.65 billion Deutsche Bank firm in establishing and structuring secondaries fund, which completed its fundraising in a variety of its new initiatives and 2014 with a single close. As a complement to her strong funds. He has also advised financial fund formation practice, she also leads the firm’s funds sponsors on some of the industry’s practice in relation to the implementation of the AIFMD, most recent noteworthy minority and has established a private funds-specific regulatory stakes transactions including sales practice which is relied upon by Debevoise’s fund of interests to third parties by sponsor clients including the Carlyle Group, EQT and Silver Lake, Lexington Partners and Oaktree Capital Management. Riverstone. Ana González-Linares, 35 Jarrod Huffman, 37 DLA Piper Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Madrid Silicon Valley Legal Director, corporate group Partner Since joining Fund sponsors and institutional DLA Piper investors turn to Jarrod Huffman in 2014, Ana for critical advice in connection González- with the formation and operation Linares has led of private investment funds, Michael Lampshire, 35 some of the joint ventures and managed Actis most prominent accounts.