King & Spalding has hired private funds partner Stephen Sims to the firm’s Corporate, Finance and Investments (CFI) practice group in London. Sims was previously a partner and the European Head of Investment Management at Skadden and more recently a fund formation partner at MJ Hudson.
Sims, who joins the Private Funds and Alternative Capital Team, has more than 20 years of experience advising in the funds sector. He has a broad fund formation practice covering private equity, real assets, infrastructure and energy funds as well as capital raising, fund-related M&A at manager/group level and ongoing ‘house’ work and secondary transactions in fund interests.
“Stephen’s extensive fund formation experience and excellent reputation in the market make him a strong addition to our growing private credit and private equity platform,” said Todd Holleman, head of the firm’s CFI practice. “Stephen’s fund formation capabilities add a new dimension to our European private equity practice, complementing our transactional and lender capabilities, and his growth orientation and enterprising nature will help fuel our continued growth in this area.”
A graduate of The London School of Economics, Sims is a past chair of the IBA Private Funds Committee, served as contributing editor of the ICLG Guide to Alternative Investment Funds and has received numerous industry accolades over the years including Financial News’ 40 Under 40 in Legal Services.
“King & Spalding’s European expansion has been exciting to watch, and I am looking forward to helping further it by developing the fund formation practice here,” Sims commented. “The firm, both in London and internationally, boasts many talented and motivated individuals and I am thrilled to be joining such a high-performing and growth-oriented team.”
Sims is the latest partner to join King & Spalding’s European CFI practice in 2022. Recent additions include private equity partner Paul Barron, M&A and private equity partner Amit Kataria, energy partner Nina Howell and finance partners Richard Kitchen and Amin Doulai in London; corporate and private equity partner Peter Memminger in Frankfurt; and tax partner Olivier Goldstein, finance partner Fernand Arsanios and employment partner Alice Mony in Paris.
