Skadden has bolstered its secondaries offering with the hire of a trio of lawyers in London from US rival Debevoise & Plimpton.  

The team is led by Delphine Jaugey, who will serve as Skadden’s head of secondaries, Europe. She joins as a counsel alongside associates Laurence Hanesworth and Aaron McPherson.  

The team will add secondaries expertise to Skadden’s London investment management group and work closely with its corporate M&A team and financial institutions group, the firm said.  

Jaugey has joined Skadden after nearly seven years at Debevoise, having earlier been senior counsel at Aviva Investors and practised at King & Wood Mallesons, Linklaters and Clifford Chance.  

She advises secondaries investors on all types of GP-led and LP-led secondary transactions, including LP portfolio sales, continuation funds, preferred equity transactions, GP-led LP tender offers, strip sales, stapled transactions, late-stage investments, spin-outs backed by secondaries investors and bespoke liquidity solutions. She also acts for sponsors and investors on matters including private fund formation, co-investments, carried interest arrangements and internal reorganisations.  

Greg Norman, a partner in Skadden’s investment management group and head of the European investment management group, said the team “will strengthen our group and in particular our secondaries offering, working in tandem with our private M&A practice and financial institutions group”.  

He added: “Delphine is recognised as a leader in her field. Her practice, experience and skillset complement how we assist clients in this space, helping them navigate their most complex and high-profile matters.” 

The team’s arrival marks a boost to Skadden’s European investment management group, which alongside Norman includes tax partner James Anderson and a trio of associates, all of whom are based in London. The group has worked with clients including BlackRock and Crosstree Real Estate Partners on acquisitions and fund formations.  

Jaugey commented: “The synergies between my team’s offering in the secondaries market and Skadden’s M&A practice is an exciting prospect for both my team and for clients.  

“Laurence, Aaron and I have worked together for years and our expertise in secondary transactions and liquidity solutions will bolster Skadden’s already premier offering. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”

Simpson Thacher swooped on top UK independent Travers Smith last year for a trio of partners as it positioned itself to exploit the increasingly lucrative secondaries deals market, while in the summer Latham & Watkins bolstered its secondaries offering with the hire of partner Mateja Maher from Sidley Austin.  

Funds specialist Peter Chapman, whose practice covers secondaries transactions and GP-stake deals as well as fund formation, also exited Sidley in September to join Macfarlanes as a partner. His hire followed Macfarlanes securing partner Stephen Ross from Sidley at the start of the year to lead its investment management group.