I'm a director in the Corporate group, specialising in private equity transactions. Having worked at a private equity house over a number of years, seeing the industry change and evolve, has given me the ability to work closely with all private equity houses.

Tel: +44 (0)121 685 2955

Email: catherine_clarke@wragge.com

Best Brains in...

Advising private equity houses on a range of matters including large institutional buyouts, equity releases, corporate restructurings and portfolio changes. Working in private equity means being adaptable and on hand to advise on the big and the small matters.

What are the highlights of your career so far?

Acting for 3i on the scheme of arrangement to acquire Interflora. It involved lots of technical challenges, lots of late nights and lots of florist shareholders!

The most challenging job you've ever done?

I have been involved in numerous major corporate restructurings for different private equity houses on their respective portfolio companies. None of these ever make the headlines as they are confidential to the equity provider, management and the banks invested. Each restructuring involves a major project management of all aspects of the interrelationship between the equity and bank documentation. It also requires an ability to think laterally, making sure all of the stakeholders achieve their aims and keeping a cool head during some of the most furious debates imaginable.

What about outside the UK?

I've acted for an entrepreneur who invested alongside a major private equity house, to set up a new hedge fund administration business incorporated in the Cayman Islands and operating out of the US and Canada.

What's your definition of going the extra mile?

It is difficult to know where to draw the line! All lawyers in corporate regularly give up their evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, the school play, sports day etc - it is part of the job. However I did once have to start negotiating equity terms immediately after a friend's funeral which took things to a new level. The client was extremely appreciative of the effort and oddly enough some of the points being negotiated didn't seem that major after an event like that.

Best example of a creative solution?

Telling the client not to worry about a hideously complicated clause which at the time no one could understand but kept arguing about. Instead I told the client to write a letter setting out commercially what it wanted because if it ever had to go back to the clause in court, the court would interpret what this meant by looking at what the parties thought they had agreed.

How do you get under the skin of a clients business?

It is imperative to understand what your client wants to achieve. The only way to do this is to get to know the people in the business, how they think and how they like to do things. A client won't feel truly comfortable in letting you advise them until they feel confident in you, not only in your technical ability, but more importantly your ability to listen. Listening to the client is a major skill for a lawyer.

What's been written or said about you that you're most proud of?

There is a definite pattern that emerges from clients who feed back to me and the words often used are 'supportive', 'patient', 'cool-headed', 'resilient' and 'pragmatic'. Our job is difficult at the best of times but we can make it more bearable if we have a sensible and non-confrontational approach.