Ashurst Perkins Coie goes sponsor-side for latest PE hire

Ashurst Perkins Coie has hired Oaktree managing director Tom Jaggers as a private equity partner in London, bringing a senior sponsor-side executive back into private practice after 16 years.

Jaggers was an investment committee member for Oaktree's European private equity strategy and led its internal legal and transaction execution function, reporting directly to the portfolio manager.

He joined the alternative asset manager in 2010 after nine years at Linklaters, where he specialised in private equity and M&A and rose to managing associate.

Sponsor experience

There have been a handful of comparable moves as firms look to add partners with first-hand experience inside major private capital houses.

Latham hired Samantha McGonigle from Hg as an M&A and private equity partner earlier this year. McGonigle had served as general counsel at the technology investor.

Clifford Chance also recruited Patrick Scott from KKR and Annie Lewis from Blackstone last year, where she led the European legal function for Blackstone Capital Partners. Lewis has since advised Blackstone-owned Clarion on its £2.2 billion sale to Informa.

Ropes & Gray hired Paul Dali, former EQT managing director and M&A general counsel, as a private equity and M&A partner in London at the start of this year.

Alongside leading Oaktree’s internal legal and transaction execution function, Jaggers sat on portfolio company boards and worked on strategic planning around financing, M&A and exits

"Tom's unique sponsor-side skill set, and broad depth of board experience make him a very valuable addition for our clients," said James Fletcher, Ashurst Perkins Coie's co-head of corporate for EMEA.

“As the market enters a new phase of growth, with mid-market activity holding firm and large-cap sponsors deploying capital into increasingly sophisticated transactions, the ability to offer genuine insight from the principal's perspective is a powerful differentiator,” he added.

PE build-out

The appointment continues Ashurst Perkins Coie's expansion of its London private equity practice.

Before completing its merger with Perkins Coie over the summer, Ashurst hired private equity partners Ian Keefe, Michael Miranda and George Weavil from Goodwin in March.

Jason Radford, global co-head of corporate at Ashurst Perkins Coie, said Jaggers' investment committee, board, commercial and origination experience would complement a team that has "expanded significantly in recent months".