Travers grabs major new client as Apollo reviews UK roster

US private equity house Apollo has carried out a review of its UK legal advisers, with Travers Smith on the roster for the first time alongside Slaughter and May, Ashurst and the London arm of Sullivan & Cromwell.

While Apollo has no formal panel, it carries out regular reviews of the firms it uses. The buyout house's global chief counsel John Suydam was in London last month to carry out the review.

Travers' mandate will see the City firm act as Apollo's primary regulatory adviser in the UK. The firm will also do some transactional work for the private equity house, while Ashurst has retained its position as a key adviser on insolvency work.

In the US, Apollo's core legal relationships are with Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis and Morgan Lewis for antitrust/competition matters. It also works with a small clutch of speciality firms, including Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

Sources close to Apollo said that it takes advice from its US advisers on which law firms to use in the UK and globally.

Both Apollo and Travers Smith declined to comment.

The private equity giant made headlines recently when it raised $17.5bn of new funding – the single largest fundraising since the financial crisis hit.

In Europe, it is thought to be focusing on opportunities outside the UK, looking in particular at Germany, Portugal, Austria and Ireland.

Former O'Melveny & Myers private equity partner Paul Loynes became Apollo's first-ever European head of legal in 2011. Among the UK firms to have previously acted for Apollo include Clifford Chance and Linklaters.

Last year CMS Cameron McKenna, SJ Berwin and Ashurst acted on Apollo's takeover of Mappin & Webb owner Aurum Holdings.

The deal was worth around £180m and saw Apollo take over UK jeweller Aurum, which in addition to Mappin & Webb owns Goldsmiths and Watches of Switzerland.

This article was originally published in unquote" sister title Legal Week

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