Tom Richards

His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on a wide range of multi-jurisdictional leveraged financings and other complex financing transactions.

Tom has worked for extended periods on secondment at Goldman Sachs and HSBC in their leveraged finance teams.

Tom was recently named among The Lawyer’s Hot 100 for 2021, a list of the most accomplished and impactful lawyers in the U.K. He is also ranked as a leading lawyer for Banking & Finance by Chambers UK with clients describing him as “one of the best sponsor lawyers there is”, "a very good operator and prolific at the high end of the market" with “brilliant client care skills” as well as being "a great lawyer; very client-focused, yet also very strong technically and focused on detail" with one source stating: “Tom is a superstar. He is very quick, commercial and works well with a range of people…he’s one of our absolute go-tos. He has the ability to be constructive, build consensus, and has good common sense and judgement.” Additionally, Tom is listed as a Leading Individual for Acquisition Finance in Legal 500 UK and is Highly Regarded for Banking in IFLR1000 UK.

Tom has also been recognised in a number of Awards, including being highly commended in the Legal Business Finance awards 2018 for his work advising Advent International on the take private of Brammer plc and subsequent reverse bolt-on acquisition of IPH S.A; and for leading the team that won the IFLR Europe Awards 2019 for advising Advent International on the financing of its take private of Laird plc.

• Advent International on the financing of various acquisitions as well as refinancings, recapitalisations and bids including the take privates of Cobham plc, Laird PLC and Brammer plc and take private bid for Sobi; carve out acquisitions of Evonik’s methacrylate’s business (Roehm) and GE’s Distributed Power business (Innio); acquisitions of Caldic, Hoist and Planet Payment, Encora, Mediq, Xplor, Circet, Rubix, Williams Lea Tag, KMD, Allnex/Nuplex, Ammeraal Beltech and Crompton Greaves Electrical and IPO financings for InPost, DFS and Equiniti
• Bain Capital on the financing of its acquisition of the Kantar business from WPP plc and follow on acquisition of Numerator as well as its acquisitions of Deltatre, Valeo Foods and Inetum and various bids including for CARE Fertility and Keraben
• Permira on the financing of its acquisitions of Hana Group and Safti
• CVC on the financing of its acquisitions of a stake in the French Football league, Panzani and the run-off insurance business RiverStone Europe and its bids for Circet, Curium, Lumenis, Baltic Confidentials and Kersia
• PAI on the financing of its acquisition of HKA
• Ardian and Neuberger Bergman on the financing of their acquisition of Neopharmed and Ardian on the financing of its acquisition of Envision Pharma
• SumUp, the payment solutions fintech, on several debt finance raises
• Novalpina Capital on the financing of its acquisitions of NSO, X.O. and MaxBet and bids for PharmaZell and AR Packaging
• Bain Capital and Advent International on the financing of their acquisition of Concardis
• Hellman & Friedman and Advent International on the financing of their bid for Allegro
• Permira and Advent International on the financing of their bid for STADA Arzneimittel
• JC Flowers on the financing of their acquisition of UK General
• Charterhouse on the financing of its acquisition of Armacell
• Oaktree on the financing of its acquisition of Evac