Investment Funds: Investor Representation
UK Guide 2025 : UK-wide
Band 1
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
02073 490 296Chambers Review
DLA Piper provides a sophisticated offering in the investor representation space, including extensive guidance and counselling to sovereign wealth funds, banks, family offices, pension schemes and others. The funds group has experience advising clients on cornerstone investments in a variety of areas, including green technologies, regional development and real estate.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"An excellent client-centric firm providing readily usable and commercially relevant advice and support."
"The team offers expert knowledge of market best practice, an extremely keen eye for detail and thorough analysis of documentation."
"The team are incredibly client-savvy and amenable to discussing ways to approach complex matters."
"The team have strong experience and the ability to handle complex situations, a great attitude and a willingness to help."
"Fantastic customer service and consistency of product across numerous deal teams."
"An excellent client-centric firm providing readily usable and commercially relevant advice and support."
"The team offers expert knowledge of market best practice, an extremely keen eye for detail and thorough analysis of documentation."
"The team are incredibly client-savvy and amenable to discussing ways to approach complex matters."
"The team have strong experience and the ability to handle complex situations, a great attitude and a willingness to help."
"Fantastic customer service and consistency of product across numerous deal teams."
Notable Practitioners
James O'Donnell advises investors on investment structures and cornerstone investing. He regularly advises sovereign wealth funds and family offices. He has acted on a number of LP-led restructurings, representing both limited partners and replacement general partners.
"James O'Donnell is absolutely top of the class, top in his field. He is very receptive to clients' needs and is really good at problem solving."
"James is a shining star of the funds sector, providing best-in-class advice and support so clients can get the job done efficiently and effectively."
"James is an absolute pleasure to work with. He is astute, aware of client demands and how to navigate those to exceed expectations, and open to creative problem solving."
"James is undoubtedly an industry leader when it comes to representing impact investors."
"James is a dedicated, diligent, extremely hard-working and personable lawyer who knows his subject inside out and is genuinely in the trenches with his clients until the deal is done."
Real asset funds are the heart of Kate Binedell's practice, and she is comfortable advising clients on a full range of matters in that space. Of particular note is her work handling fund formations and restructurings.
"Kate has a deep experience of real estate funds, with extensive market knowledge. She is adept at handling any complex matters, but equally provides an efficient service on smaller matters."
"Kate is an excellent lawyer and pleasure to work with."
Hannah Watson Fanin is a senior associate in DLA Piper's London investment funds team. She possesses notable expertise representing a broad host of institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds and development banks.
"Hannah knows the market very, very well. She picked up on points that others just don't pick up on."
"Hannah is a superb support for any asset manager or investor. She has excellent knowledge and is very responsive."
"Hannah is diligent counsel, with experience that allows her to speak to her clients in their language. This, together with her wealth of knowledge, makes her exquisite investor-representing counsel."
"Hannah is a superb support for any asset manager or investor, with a specialism in emerging markets funds. Excellent knowledge and very responsive."
"Hannah is a fantastic lawyer. She has grown in prominence and consistently provides expert advice, leads negotiations and represents our interests with aplomb."
Samuel Whittaker is an up-and-coming partner in the investment funds space, with notable experience advising venture capital clients.
"Sam is a rising star in the real estate legal industry. He is able to comprehend complicated deal points and distil them into legal language for our documents."
"Samuel is a fantastic lawyer with a strong commercial sense. He is an excellent transaction manager."
"Sam is outstanding."
"Sam is an excellent partner who understands the bigger picture of what we are trying to achieve and works hard to provide solutions that ensure our core objectives are met."
"Sam had impressive commercial awareness and great ability to explain the world of funds in a very clear and easy manner. I have found him a pleasure to work with."