Brodies expands private equity and funds teams with three new corporate partner appointments

Mr Crawford, one of Scotland’s best known corporate lawyers with 25 years’ experience of deal delivery in mergers and acquisitions and UK mid-market private equity transactions, is ranked as a leading individual in the independent legal directory Chambers & Partners.

While Ms Machin, ranked as an “up-and-coming individual” in Chambers, is praised by clients for her diligence and pragmatism, and has substantial experience in M&A, the UK private equity market, venture capital transactions and management buy-outs and buy-ins.

The pair, often working as a team, have been particularly active in the oil and gas, engineering and technology sectors over the past decade.

Mr Crawford will take up the role of head of Brodies’ private equity team and will spend much of his time working from Brodies’ Aberdeen office, where Ms Machin will be based.

Ms Fountain, meanwhile, joins the firm’s funds group having been a key partner in Freshfields’ city funds team for 12 years, from which she retired in April in order to return to Scotland. She has extensive experience in funds establishment, joint ventures, investor and management arrangements and regulatory issues. She will be based in Edinburgh.

The appointment follows the elevation of Brodies’ corporate & commercial team to Band 1 in the 2016 edition of Chambers & Partners. In the past year the team has advised clients including Clyde Blowers Capital, Abellio, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and, most recently, INEOS on its recent North Sea gas field investments. Brodies’ oil & gas practice is also ranked top tier in the Legal 500 directory.

Bill Drummond, managing partner of Brodies, said: “At a time when the role of private equity and funds in stimulating a return to economic growth in Scotland and the wider UK is ever more important, we are very pleased to be looking forward to welcoming Doug, Helen and Karen to Brodies. Their expertise will be of value to many clients looking to make investments and establish new vehicles to take advantage of that growth and help stimulate more economic activity. We are delighted we can secure this talent for our clients and the Scottish market for the critical period ahead.”