Simon Firth has joined the London-based law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) as a partner in the investment funds team.
Firth, an investment funds/financial servi
Simon Firth has joined the London-based law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) as a partner in the investment funds team.
Firth, an investment funds/financial services specialist and a regular contributor to Hedgeweek, is well known in the UK hedge funds community. He joins BLP from Wilmer, Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP where he was a partner. Prior to that, he was a partner in the financial services team at Landwell from 1997 – 2001, which resulted from the merger into Landwell of his prior firm, M W Cornish & Co, in 1997. He was a partner at M W Cornish for two years before the merger.
His experience covers funds structuring, formation and promotion, principally of hedge funds and establishing closed end country funds, property funds and private equity funds. He is also experienced in the regulated funds sector.
Over the last three years, BLP has been expanding its position in the investment funds area covering a range of asset classes. The firm has also enjoyed rapid success in the very competitive hedge fund sector. Recent client wins have included panel appointments to Gulf International Bank and Schroders plc.
Commenting on the appointment, John Bennett, Head of Corporate, said:
"Simon’s hedge fund experience dovetails with our growing practice in this area. The firms which will gain market share in the hedge fund market are those which demonstrate an understanding of the businesses they serve and which add depth to the practice in terms of the quality and number of lawyers dedicated to this area."
The funds group at BLP, comprising lawyers specialising in corporate, finance, taxation, regulatory and property law, is one of the market leaders in real estate funds and has a growing hedge funds and private equity client base.Â
Simon is the 12th lateral hire partner to join BLP this year.
Berwin Leighton Paisner is a top 15 City law firm with offices in London and Brussels and alliance offices in New York, Paris, Milan and Rome. Clients include FTSE 100 companies and financial institutions, major multinationals, the public sector, entrepreneurial private businesses and individuals.
Berwin Leighton Paisner’s Funds Group advises companies and institutions investing and operating in the real estate investment sector in relation to both new and existing funds in the UK. The group also advises on corporate, partnership and trust structures for hedge funds and the formation, structuring and negotiation of private equity and venture capital funds.
