Ropes & Gray Adds Kiran Sharma to PE Practice

Law firm Ropes & Gray has added Kiran Sharma as a partner in the firm’s London private equity practice. Sharma joins from DLA Piper, where she was a partner in the corporate group. She worked previously as a senior associate at Allen & Overy.

PRESS RELEASE
Ropes & Gray today announced that Kiran Sharma is joining the firm’s private equity practice as a partner in London. Sharma is the latest in a series of high-level appointments since the firm launched its London office a year ago.

Sharma joins Ropes & Gray from DLA Piper in London where she was a partner in the corporate group and prior to that was a senior associate at Allen & Overy. The Times recognized Sharma as one of its “Future Stars of the City” in 2008.

“Kiran’s experience with private equity transactions and her knowledge of the London market are tremendous assets that will enhance the services we can provide to clients doing business in the UK,” said Al Rose, leader of the firm’s private equity practice. “Her addition reinforces Ropes & Gray’s strong commitment to growing our capabilities in London and around the world.”

Representing private equity firms, management teams and companies across a variety of sectors, Sharma focuses on private equity, M&A and public takeovers. She has considerable experience acting for private equity houses on primary and secondary buyouts and exits, public-to-private transactions and manager exits, and representing bidders and targets in hostile and friendly takeovers.

She has advised clients on a number of significant deals including Vision Capital on its acquisition of Nordax Finans, Cheung Kong Infrastructure on its acquisition of EDF’s electricity distribution assets and CPA Global on the sale of a significant stake to ICG.

Sharma studied law at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge University and completed her legal studies at the College of Law, Guildford.

Ropes & Gray has a broad client base that includes seven of the 10 largest global funds (based on Private Equity International’s The PEI 300, 2010) and is ranked third in the number of private equity deals by Dow Jones 2010: Private Equity Analyst.

The firm has handled recent high-profile transactions, including representing:

• Bain Capital on Dunkin’ Brands US$1.9 billion recapitalisation;
• TPG Capital on its proposed US$3 billion acquisition of J. Crew Group, Inc. and its US$1.6 billion acquisition of Ontex N.V.;
• Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe on its US$2.1 billion sale of U.S. Oncology Inc. and its US$1.3 billion sale of AGA Medical Holdings Inc.;
• In London, Liberty Group and its group of companies on four successful high yield offerings since November 2009, and Telenet Finance Luxembourg S.C.A. in connection with its €500 million high yield offering;
• Berkshire Partner’s US$1.7 billion sale of Bare Escentuals to Shiseido of Japan;
• Bain Capital on its US$1.1 billion acquisition of Bellsystem24, the leading call center operator in Japan, in a transaction named “Technology, Media and Telecommunications Deal of the Year” by Asian Legal Business; and
• In China, TPG Capital on its investment in China Vogue Casual wear and Bain Capital on its US$489 million sale of Feixiang Chemicals.

Ropes & Gray, a global law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers and professionals, has been recognized as having one of the world’s leading private equity practices. The opening of Ropes & Gray’s London office marked the firm’s fourth recent move into key geographic markets, following openings in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Chicago, which allows the firm to serve clients from bases in major world private equity and finance centers and to provide global execution of transactions.