Osborne Clarke makes second Private Equity Partner appointment in four months

International legal practice Osborne Clarke announces it has hired a second Private Equity Partner in the last four months. Alistair Francis joins Osborne Clarke’s London team today.

His recruitment closely follows the appointment of former Squire Patton Boggs UK Head of Private Equity, Tim Hewens, who joined in October 2017.

Alistair is a  well-recognised M&A and private equity practitioner, with a broad client base and experience across a variety of sectors including industrials, technology, retail, media and entertainment.

He will work closely with Tim Hewens and the rest of the London Team including Mark Spinner, Russell Van Praagh and Greg Leyshon along with the other seven Private Equity Partners practising in Osborne Clarke’s other UK offices.

Mark Spinner, Senior Partner and Private Equity Team Leader at Osborne Clarke in London, said:

“Al is an experienced and ambitious PE practitioner, with a strong track record of deals and good relationships that we are keen to capitalise on. Having worked with Tim and Alistair on the other side of a number of deals, I know they are an outstanding team and we are really happy to have them both on board.”

Greg Leyshon, Senior Partner and Head of Osborne Clarke’s Business Transactions Group, said:

“During the past year we’ve invested heavily in the private equity space by strategically recruiting new Partners and promoting our star colleagues. Alistair’s appointment today, as well as Tim’s appointment and the promotions of Simon Jones and Helen Parsonage in 2017, reflects our on-going investment in, and commitment to, the private equity space.”

Osborne Clarke’s Private Equity Team is led by Alisdair Livingstone and is a leading practice in the UK and across Europe. It is ranked in both Chambers and Legal 500 and the Team has seen revenues nearly quadruple over the last five years. Now comprising 12 Partners across three UK offices, they work closely with Osborne Clarke’s international sector specialists exploiting opportunities and doing deals in tech, media and comms, financial services/fintech, energy, real estate and retail/consumer.