PEI Awards: law firms of the year revealed

Kirkland & Ellis and Clifford Chance were big winners in sister title Private Equity International’s 2016 awards, taking home four awards each.

Kirkland & Ellis was named Secondaries Law Firm of the Year across all three geographical regions considered, having received numerous nominations from its clients. In the Americas, the firm represented American Capital in connection with the divestiture of a large portfolio of collateralized loan obligation interests through the formation of a special purpose acquisition vehicle and the related sale of these interests.

In Europe it represented Partners Group (together with the US team) in numerous transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of €1 billion, while the Asia practice represented HarbourVest Partners on its acquisition of a portfolio of Australian and New Zealand assets from Rand Merchant Bank and management team rollup into RMB Capital Partners.

Proving it’s not a one-trick pony, the firm also picked up the Law Firm of the Year in North America (Transactions). Bain Capital selected the firm to advise on the $1.28 billion sale of Physio-Control International to Stryker Corporation, having also represented the firm when it acquired the company in 2011.

The other multi-award winner, Clifford Chance, was named Law Firm of the Year in Asia in both the Fund Formation and Transactions categories. It was involved in the formation of numerous high profile funds in the region, including Columbia Pacific Management on formation of a fund and co-investment structure investing in healthcare assets in China, while it advised CVC Capital Partners on its $1.1 billion privatization of Hong Kong-listed Nirvana Asia.

Proving its expertise really does have a global reach, the firm also scooped the Law Firm of the Year in Europe for the Fund Formation and Transactions categories. 

Elsewhere, Proskauer was named Law Firm of the Year in North America (Fund Formation). The firm has represented Ridgemont Equity Partners II, a buyout fund with total capital commitments of $995 million.

Full coverage of the award winners can be found here.