Paul Foote

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is continuing to strengthen its private equity and M&A practice in London hiring a partner from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. According to two people with knowledge of the move, Paul Weiss has hired partner Paul Foote, who joined Simpson Thacher in 2020 from Clifford Chance, and spent a year on secondment at asset management firm Blackstone in 2021 and 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. Paul Weiss posted one of the highest ten year annualized growth rates in London at 23% as the firm's numbers have swelled since its major build-out in 2023. The hire builds on a busy 2025 of lateral hiring for the firm, when it brought in, among others, Francesca Stoney-Harris from Kirkland & Ellis in November and launched a litigation practice in April, hiring Richard Hornshaw from Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld. The firm promoted eight partners in December, bringing London lawyer numbers to around 250, including over 40 partners, a stark comparison to two years ago when the london office was viewed as a small outpost to its New York headquarters. Foote's move was first reported by Financial News. Neel Sachdev, co-head of the London office, told Law.com in September that the focus had shifted to the pipeline of talent within the firm rather than depending on laterals. Simpson Thacher strengthened its own private equity offering in October hiring Nick Appleton from Kirkland & Ellis. The firm regularly acts for private equity giant Blackstone, including a $20 billion partnership between Blackstone and Legal & General. A spokesperson for Simpson Thacher said: “We thank Paul for his contribution to the firm and wish him well for the future.”

Jan 22

1 min

Simpson Thacher advised EQT Infrastructure VI (“EQT Infrastructure”) in connection with its agreement to acquire Statera Energy Limited from InfraRed Capital Partners Limited.~~Established in 2015 and headquartered in London, Statera is a prominent player in the UK's battery storage and flexible energy generation sector, with a robust development track record. In addition to being an early entrant in the battery space, it recognized the importance of other key flexible technologies, namely pumped hydro and green hydrogen production, which are expected to aid the UK's transition to a predominantly intermittent renewable energy supply. Statera has 1GW of flexible generation in operation and under construction, enough to power around 750,000 homes, and a total project pipeline of over 16GW, with plans to deliver 7.5GW of flexibility assets by 2030.~~EQT Infrastructure will support the Statera management team and platform by providing access to growth capital to accelerate the deployment of flexible generation across the UK.~~The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals. It is expected to close around the end of 2023.~~The Simpson Thacher team included Amy Mahon, Alex Wilson, Paul Foote, Antony Freeman, Fran Towers and Simone Chua (Corporate); Ross Ferguson, Antonio Bavasso and Sandeep Mahandru (Regulatory); Claire Williams and Kwasi Mills-Bampoe (Banking & Credit); Sarah Lindley and Sefia Jivraj (Tax); and Jonathan Lindabury and Jakarri Hamlin (Hedging).

Jun 11

1 min

The Firm is serving as co-counsel, alongside Bredin Prat, to Blackstone in connection with its agreement to make a significant investment in Lazeo, the number one provider of aesthetic medicine services in France. The partnership will support Lazeo’s continued growth and help meaningfully scale its operations and ongoing expansion. The transaction is conditional on customary regulatory clearances. Headquartered in Paris, Lazeo is a founder-led, family-owned provider of non-invasive aesthetic medicine services including laser hair removal, injectables, body contouring and medical-grade facials. Founded in 2010 by Dr. Bernard and Dimitri Sillam with a single location in Paris, Lazeo has grown to become the number one provider in France with 135 locations, five in Belgium and significant runway for further expansion in both existing and new markets. In 2023, Lazeo entered Germany with the acquisition of Munich-based Cleanskin. The Simpson Thacher team includes Geoff Bailhache and Paul Foote (Corporate); and Étienne Renaudeau and Pauline Patat (Antitrust).

Jun 7

1 min

The Firm is representing Bourne Leisure, a portfolio company of Blackstone, in connection with its agreement to sell Butlin’s, the British chain of seaside resorts, to a newly formed company backed by the Harris family. Blackstone acquired Bourne Leisure from the founding Harris, Cook and Allen families in January 2021, who together hold a minority stake in the business. Upon completion of the transaction, the Harris family will buy back Butlin’s operating business. Bourne Leisure will continue to operate its two heritage brands, Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels.~~Established in 1964, Bourne Leisure is the largest provider of holidays and holiday home ownership in the U.K. Each year, Bourne Leisure welcomes 4.5 million guests and 25,000 owners to its holiday parks, resorts and hotels and employs over 19,500 team members.~~The Simpson Thacher team includes Geoff Bailhache, Antony Freeman, Paul Foote, Tara Gibbons and Adam Ismail (Corporate); Wheatly MacNamara (Real Estate); Yash Rupal, Sarah Lindley, Caleb McConnell and Ellie Verran (Tax); Antti Pesonen and Toni Prskalo (Banking and Credit); and Joshua Price (Regulatory).

Sep 20

1 min

Simpson Thacher is advising private equity funds affiliated with Blackstone Energy Transition Partners in connection with its definitive agreement to acquire SEVES Group S.à r.l, the parent company of SEDIVER Group (“SEDIVER”), a provider of specialized electrical insulator solutions for the high-voltage transmission grid, from Triton Partners.~~SEDIVER is a leading manufacturer of toughened glass insulators, supplying a mission-critical element of the electric transmission grid. SEDIVER is a global business with over 600 million insulators worldwide, having pioneered the technology for over 70 years. The Company supports the energy transition by enabling the reliable and sustainable transmission of electricity, whilst facilitating the global electrification megatrend.~~The Simpson Thacher team includes Geoff Bailhache, Paul Foote, Ciaran Cronin, Jewel Zhu, Oliver Heighton, Fran Towers and Hadley Nagel (Corporate); Antonio Bavasso and Sandeep Mahandru (Antitrust); Sarah Lindley and Tim Wells (Tax); Matt Feehily and Carina Heidrich (ESG); and Andrew Bechtel, Charley Xu and Emma Lynam (Banking and Credit).

Jun 6

1 min