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Eleanor Shanks is an experienced partner in our Financial Sponsors Group and Head of International Private Equity in London.

Eleanor advises clients on complex private equity transactions, including domestic and cross-border acquisitions and disposals and joint ventures, across sectors which include infrastructure, real estate, and life sciences transactions. In addition, she advises clients on shareholder arrangements and managed equity plans, co-investments, corporate governance and general corporate matters. Her clients include leading private equity sponsors, investors and funds (including sovereign wealth and family offices), financial institutions, corporates and management teams.
 
She also has extensive experience advising on regulatory matters, including securities and financial services regulatory matters, in particular in transactions with a U.S. or other cross-border dimension, as well as ongoing corporate governance, and regulatory compliance matters.
 
Eleanor is recognized for Private Equity in The Legal 500 UK 2023, where clients comment: "Eleanor is not only one of the best technical lawyers in the City but also the kind of lawyer you want captaining your ship in a storm. She knows exactly what she is doing, is graceful under (often) immense pressure and always delivers her deals on time and above expectations."
  
Eleanor was the youngest woman ever to join the Court of the City of London Solicitors Company, the lawyers Livery company, and served an extended term on the Court before, during and after the pandemic. She continues to serve on the City of London Solicitors Company’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

  • EQT and Icon Group on its acquisition of the Pharmaxo Group
  • Blackstone and Round Hill Capital: Advised on the acquisition of a facilities management operating company and large privately owned rental residential real estate company.
  • EQT: Advised on various investments in an education buy and build strategy. 
  • GIC: Advised on its investment in Rothesay and the acquisition of a stake from Goldman Sachs alongside Blackstone and Massachusetts Mutual.
  • GIC: Advised on various infrastructure investments.
  • Goldman Sachs: Advised on its investment in tech platform LumApps.
  • Goldman Sachs: Advised on its investment in Wolt, a Finnish headquartered food-delivery platform.
  • Investcorp: Advised on various transactions, including the sale of Hilding Anders to Candover and the acquisition of Icopal AS.
  • Partners Group: Advised on a major buy-and-build platform and related acquisitions.
  • Partners Group: Advised on a major joint venture investment in Switzerland with Rockspring Property Investment Managers and acquisition of a controlling stake in a real estate holding company.
  • Partners Group: Advised on Partners Group's Brexit restructuring of its AIFM and broader asset management group in Europe.
  • Partners Group: Advised on the establishment, build out, and expansion of the shareholder base of International Schools Partnership, a leading international group of K-12 schools.
  • Partners Group: Advised on its investment in a UK utility company.

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