Morgan Lewis lands Goodwin’s former London co-head to lead European PE

Morgan Lewis has hired Goodwin private equity partner and former London office co-chair Gemma Roberts as it continues to add senior talent in London.

Roberts joins the US firm after more than a decade at Goodwin, where she built a leading private equity practice advising sponsors and portfolio companies on buyouts, growth investments and cross-border M&A transactions.

She will serve as Morgan Lewis's European private equity practice lead.

Roberts joined Goodwin in 2014 from Kirkland & Ellis and was promoted to partner in 2016. She trained at Clifford Chance and advised private equity firms including Accel-KKR and TA Associates on a range of mandates during her time at Goodwin.

London expansion

The hire follows Morgan Lewis's recruitment of former Covington & Burling partner Phil Cheveley as European M&A practice lead in May.

Roberts’ arrival continues a steady run of senior lateral hires in London for Morgan Lewis.

The firm recently recruited Brown Rudnick's UK white collar chief Paul Feldberg and, earlier this year, hired employment partner Kat Gibson from DLA Piper.

Towards the end of last year, Morgan Lewis also added disputes lawyer Christian Tuddenham from Jenner & Block and life sciences regulatory specialist Jackie Mulryne from Arnold & Porter.

The firm has around 43 partners in London.

Roberts is the latest London private equity partner to depart Goodwin this year. In March, it was announced that private equity partners Ian Keefe, Michael Miranda and George Weavil would be joining Ashurst as part of a team move.

Goodwin has also been active on the recruitment front. At the end of last year, the firm hired a three-partner private equity team from Paul Hastings led by Anu Balasubramanian.

What they said

Christina Melendi, leader of Morgan Lewis's global corporate and business transactions practice, said Roberts and Cheveley’s hires “bring together two key pillars of our European transactional strategy and further strengthens our leadership bench in London and across Europe as we continue to expand our private equity and M&A presence across the region.”

London managing partner Nick Bolter added that the hire reflected the firm's continued investment in London as "a cornerstone" of its European corporate platform.