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Private capital trio joins Freshfields in London
Global law firm Freshfields has today announced the appointment of leading private capital lawyers Paul Stewart, Mark Davis and Nick Fortune as partners to its Global Transactions practice in London. Stewart will serve as Global Co-Head of Private Credit & Capital Solutions alongside New York-based partner Damian Ridealgh.
Stewart and Davis will join Freshfields from US firm Weil Gotshal & Manges, where Fortune was also based until recently. Stewart advises credit funds, financial institutions and other investors across a range of leveraged finance loan products, with a focus on the private credit and capital solutions spaces.
Davis acts for credit funds, financial institutions and other investors in a wide range of transactions, including cross-border capital solutions financings, high-yield financings, restructurings and other complex matters.
Fortune has acted on a wide range of international restructurings and insolvency transactions with a strong focus on creditor and ad hoc group representations. His clients include many of the leading private capital and credit funds.
All three partners will work closely with partners Damian Ridealgh, Global Co-Head of Private Credit & Capital Solutions (New York) and Ken Baird, Global Head of Restructuring (London) in further strengthening Freshfields’ Private Capital and Capital Solutions offering, and the firm’s market leading global Private Capital practice.
In a joint statement, partners Ken Baird and Damian Ridealgh commented: “We are delighted to welcome Paul, Mark and Nick to our global Private Capital and Restructuring practices. They bring a skillset which, on top of their client base and product expertise, will complement and build out our existing product offering and which aligns with our clients’ needs in this rapidly evolving market. Our asset manager clients deploy multi-asset investment strategies across equity and credit, and the addition of this three-partner team in London further bolsters Freshfields’ position as a go-to advisor for our fund clients and on a global level.”
Over the past two years, Freshfields has expanded its private capital offering with a number of strategic appointments globally. In 2024, the firm appointed Mary Lavelle as Global Co-Head of Private Funds and Secondaries (PFS) in London followed by fellow PFS partner Ivet Bell in New York. Also in the US, private capital partners Eva Mak and Claire James joined in Silicon Valley and New York respectively.
