Private equity lawyers

Get expert legal advice on private equity

Our multi-disciplinary national team of private equity and venture capital lawyers, provide a comprehensive range of services to support fund formation and transactions.

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How our private equity lawyers can help you

In an increasingly competitive market, we are focused on providing commercial and pragmatic advice, strong project management and proactive service delivery to ensure transactions are completed efficiently and to budget.

We advise at every stage of the lifecycle from fund formation and early-stage investment, development capital and follow-on rounds, to management and institutional buyouts. Our national reach, combined with strong local connections, helps our clients and contacts identify attractive investment opportunities, adding real value.

Our clients are diverse and include private equity and venture capital funds, including venture capital trusts, business angels, family offices, high net worth individuals, providers of acquisition finance and management teams.

Testimonials

Superb collaboration between the teams making selling a business far more cohesive.
Legal 500, 2026
Who we have dealt with on the sale of our business have been exceptional they support you every step of the way, they always make themselves available to speak with you and fully support you in all areas to make sure it runs smoothly.
Legal 500, 2026
I have been impressed with all staff I have dealt with at Weightmans. Above all they are humans and treat other professionals and more importantly clients as individuals sharing their personal experience to guide clients through usually very tricky times.
Legal 500, 2026
They are extremely adept and can manage nuances around early stage finance deals. They don't just deal with the issue, they take hold of the full legal aspect when required.
Chambers & Partners 2026
Their strengths are their knowledge, research and attention to detail. They left absolutely no stone unturned.
Chambers & Partners 2026
They go above and beyond in making sure that the clients know what's going on and they retain a very good relationship with them.
Chambers & Partners 2026
Worked with the Corporate team at Weightmans for a long time now, and they continue to support us in all aspects of our business. They have a great ethos that is pragmatic and deal focused. What has set them apart for me is their understanding of the business as a whole, they are interested in our business and how it operates which allows them to give us far more valuable advice.’
Legal 500 2026
The firm really understands our business so our engagements with the team are seamless. We work with a really super team with excellent experience and different approaches.
Chambers 2025
The team provides great technical ability whilst importantly seeing things from a very practical and commercial viewpoint, seeking solutions rather than just highlighting risks.
Legal 500 2026
They take a commercial and pragmatic approach whilst having the technical knowledge expected of a high-quality law firm.Nothing was too much trouble for the Weightmans team and they made the complicated process simple and seamless.Weightmans offers transparency, constant updates and the feeling of a one-to-one service.The Weightmans team is technically excellent, easy to deal with and very responsive.They offer pragmatism and approachability, understanding the requirements and challenges at hand.
Chambers & Partners 2026
The team at Weightmans offers pragmatic and commercially sound advice. They ensure the deal outcome meets the objectives of all parties. It's a commercially savvy and wise team.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans understands how we work and has adapted to our way of working.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans understands the potential challenges that arise and explains them in simple terms. They offer solutions that are simple and executable and have very strong knowledge and experience.
Chambers 2025
The Weightmans team took a pragmatic approach, focusing on the commercial risk and ensuring that the client was protected appropriately.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans do a great job. They look after clients and always deliver. They're a proactive firm with good communication. The whole team is strong.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans brought a pragmatic, commercial approach supported by high technical ability.
Chambers 2025
Weightmans has a well-resourced team. They give quick responses and are good with clients - I can't fault their client service.
Chambers 2025
Their support and guidance through the process was excellent, including their knowledge of our business.
Chambers 2025

Why choose our private equity lawyers?

Our private equity and venture capital lawyers can support with:

Fund establishment: We advise on the establishment, regulation and dissolution of investment funds.
Fund structuring and constitution: we have specialist expertise in advising fund managers and limited partners on structuring and negotiating documentation for equity funds, as well as advising fund managers and limited partners on structuring and negotiating documentation for venture capital funds.
Acquiring and selling companies: advising private equity funds on acquisitions and the legal issues that may develop during their ownership, including further acquisitions and exit events.
Investments: advising venture capital funds on investments and the legal issues that may develop during their ownership, including further acquisitions and exit events.
Debt finance: advising on arrangements for working capital and acquisition finance, including bilateral and syndicated loan agreements, on private equity deals, including advising on the terms offered by lending institutions, security requirements and on the inter-creditor arrangements.
Due diligence: carrying out commercially relevant and user-friendly legal due diligence for private equity and venture capital funds and banks.
Dissolution: winding up venture capital funds.

As a full service law firm, we are also able to provide the full range of legal services that investee companies may require through the lifetime of their private equity or venture capital investment. This includes commercial advice, including intellectual property and data protection, cybersecurity through CyXcel, employment, disputes, regulatory and real estate.

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We serve clients across the UK and internationally from our offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Nottingham

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Our private equity clients

Our clients include:

LDC- advising LDC on multiple investments in fast-growing companies across a variety of sectors, including managing subsequent exit events.
BGF- advising on multiple BGF investments including Gaist, Hicomply, My Property Box, Hedgehog Labs and subsequently advising on successful exits including Arcinova, Broadband Satellite Services, Datum360 and J&B Recycling Limited.
Perwyn Advisors (UK)- advising Perwyn on its investments into fast-growing companies.
Maven Capital Partners- advising on investments made via Maven’s regional, EIS and VCT funds.
NorthStar Ventures- advising on early-stage investments made within the North East of England, including Advanced Electric Machines, Nunabio and Zerolight.
Bloc Ventures- advising on early stage, deep-tech investments within sectors such as defence, cyber security and fintech.
DSW Ventures- advising on SEIS and EIS investments, including One Utility Bill, RoxFit, 4D Biomaterials and InvenireX.
Foresight- acted for Foresight on their investment into RS Industrial Services.
Growth Partner - acted for Additional Lengths on their investment from Growth Partner
North Edge - acted for RaMarketing and Oak Engage on their investments from North Edge
River Capital North West Equity Fund- in respect of their investments in Barons Furniture and Infinium Group

We have also advised a number of private equity funds that invest in the healthcare and energy sectors and have dedicated teams that are able, in particular, to provide the due diligence support on large private equity deals.

Over the last 12 months we have advised on over 50 private equity and venture capital transactions, with a deal size ranging from £100,000 to £40 million.

What sectors we work in

Whilst we work across all sectors, we have particular strengths in the technology, life sciences, healthcare, financial services, digital marketing, transport & logistics and retail & leisure sectors.

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Our private equity lawyers

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Michael Murphy

Partner

Email Michael +44 (0)151 242 6988

About Michael:

Michael advises on a range of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and general corporate governance matters.

Michael’s experience includes advising listed companies, private companies, private equity houses, management teams and entrepreneurs.

Michael is ranked as a Rising Star in The Legal 500, Corporate and Commercial: Liverpool.

Michael’s recent work highlights include:

Advising the shareholders of Ventcroft Limited in their sale to NKT Group.
Acting on behalf of the Management Team of Vivify Venues Limited on their receipt of investment from Arete Capital Partners
Advising the shareholders of MD Insurance Services Limited in their sale to HSB Engineering Insurance Limited, a subsidiary of Munich Re
Acting on behalf of Orange Property Services (Liverpool) Limited in its acquisition of Fit Property Lettings and Management Limited
Advising the shareholders of Tuffx Processed Glass Limited on their sale to and receipt of investment from Alcuin Capital Partners
Advising the shareholders of Design Reality Limited on their sale to Full Support Healthcare Limited
Advising the shareholders of EDP Engineering on their sale to RSK Group

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Kirsty Adamson

Partner

Email Kirsty +44 (0)191 244 4232

About Kirsty:

Kirsty has experience in acquisitions and disposals of private companies with both local and national presence.

Kirsty also advises on private equity investment, including dealing with early stage investment or subsequent supplementary funding, advising both venture capital funds and companies. Kirsty has further demonstrated her business acumen within the Financial Services sector, advising on a number of mergers and acquisitions.

Kirsty has contributed content for two publications aimed at the Financial Services sector, How are advisers adapting to a changing environment? and, more recently, Fintech — Embracing the future, adapting to innovation.

Demonstrating a mature commercial awareness, Kirsty understands the environmental pressures facing the legal industry and is aware of the changing needs of the client. Delivering above and beyond the level of service the client expects, Kirsty's pride in her work ensures she goes that extra mile to understand the needs of the client and their business and enables her to deliver a service that is truly supportive of the client's objectives and the desired outcome.

It is testimony to Kirsty's legal ability that the sectors she has advised so early in her career make up an enviable list and include banking and financial services, education, utilities and energy, leisure, technology, healthcare and construction.

Kirsty's growing reputation within the market was recognised when she was named the North East's Emerging Dealmaker of the Year for 2019 at the Insider Dealmakers Awards and enhanced further by Legal 500 in which she was cited as “definitely one to watch.”

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