City of London law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has hired hedge, mutual, private equity and real estate funds expert Simon Firth to its funds practice group.
Firth’s experience covers funds structuring, formation and promotion, principally of hedge funds and establishing closed end country funds, property funds and private equity funds.
He is also experienced in the regulated funds sector.
Over the last three years, BLP has been expanding its position in the funds area over a range of asset classes. The firm has enjoyed some success in the hedge fund sector. Recent client wins have included panel appointments to Gulf International Bank and Schroders.
“Simon’s hedge fund experience dovetails with our growing practice in this area,” says John Bennett, Head of Corporate at BLP. “The firms which will gain market share in the hedge fund market are those which demonstrate an understanding of the businesses they serve and which add depth to the practice in terms of the quality and number of lawyers dedicated to this area.”
The funds group at BLP, consisting of lawyers specialising in corporate, finance, taxation, regulatory and property law, has experience of real estate funds as well as growing hedge and private equity funds.
Firth joins BLP from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP where he was a partner. Prior to that, he was a partner in the financial services team at Landwell from 1997 – 2001, which resulted from the merger into Landwell of his prior firm, M W Cornish & Co, in 1997. He was a partner at M W Cornish for two years before the merger. He qualified in 1987.