About Us

OUR STORY

Between us, we have over 65 years’ experience of structuring and advising on UK and international M&A and Private Equity transactions, working in some of the world’s leading law firms.

Our time in the industry working for so many different Private Equity Houses, Portfolio Companies, Founders, Senior Managers and Independent Non-Executive Directors and with so many different specialist lawyers and other advisers has helped us to become widely-known, highly-regarded and extremely well-connected.

Over the years, we have developed particular expertise in Management Representation work: advising Senior Management teams when their businesses are being bought, sold or restructured by Private Equity Houses. No other team of lawyers in the City of London (or anywhere else in the world) can match our skill-set, knowledge base or network of contacts.

We have worked together for more than 20 years, not only doing deals but also helping to develop the offices and the Tax and Private Equity practices of our firms: proving our ability to build successful businesses time and time again.

Both of us have long been recognised in the legal directories as leaders in our field.

Private Equity is our passion. PriestleySoundy is all about doing interesting deals for clients we like and who truly value what we have to offer – and becoming the go-to law firm for Founders, Senior Managers and Independent Non-Executive Directors.

Sarah Priestley

PARTNER

SARAH PRIESTLEY

I have been a Tax lawyer for over 30 years: with Allen & Overy, Weil (Head of London Tax), Shearman & Sterling (Head of European Tax) and Goodwin (Head of European Tax).

T: +44 20 3923 9898

M: +44 7789 723 148

E: sarah.priestley@priestleysoundy.com

  • Read Sarah’s CV

    My practice focuses on complex UK, multi-jurisdictional, pan-European and international M&A and Private Equity transactions.

    I advise on the UK corporation tax, VAT and stamp duty aspects of a wide variety of commercial transactions, including take-privates, Private Equity investments and disposals, private and public company takeovers, corporate restructurings and spinoffs.  I also have particular expertise advising on management packages, employment taxation and share incentive schemes.

    I am recognised as a leading individual in Tax by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe and Chambers UK.  Among many awards, my team has twice won the British Venture Capital Association’s award for Private Equity Law Firm of the Year and I have been named as one of the UK’s “Hot 100” lawyers by The Lawyer magazine.

    I have advised many leading European and international Private Equity and Private Capital investors including  Apax, Apse, Arle, Bregal Sagemount, Bridgepoint, Business Growth Fund, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Capital D, Charlesbank, Corten, DLJ Merchant Banking, ECI, Epiris (formerly Electra), GMT Communications, Graphite, HgCapital, Inflexion, Investcorp, LeapFrog, Morgan Stanley, Partners Group, Peacock/NBC Universal, RBS Global Restructuring, Risk Capital, Silver Lake, Spice, Symphony Technology, TA Associates, Triton, Veronis Suhler, VKR and Vitruvian.

    I also advise portfolio companies backed by Private Equity houses and senior management teams, founders and independent non-executive directors when their businesses are being bought, sold or restructured by Private Equity houses.  Clients have included Acuris (previously Mergermarket), All3Media, Amcor, Amplify Snack Brands, Anemka Resources, Barantz, Belron/Autoglass, BerryWorld, Buddi, Castle Hill Asset Management, CAS Services, Core Computers, Decora, DOCUgroup, Dometic, Education and Media Publishing Group, Equiom, Esure, EurotaxGlass’s, Eva Automation, Forterro, Get/UPC Norway, Global Blue (previously Global Refund), GTT Communications, Hastings Insurance, Hermes, HiT Entertainment, Inseec U, Instinctif (previously College Group), iLoq, Intelsat, James Hay, KCA Deutag, Keys Childcare Group, Land Securities Trillium, MeetingZone, Melita, Memrise, Moneycorp, Permira Debt Managers, Pharmaspectra, Pillarstone, Practice Plus Group (previously Care UK Health Care), Primesight, Qioptiq, Quilter Cheviot, reassured, Refinitiv (previously Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk), Roots Group, So Television, Tomorrow Partners, Travelex, Ultima, Waterstones, Wisdom Tree, Workfront and World Directories.

    Throughout my career, I have been actively involved in Graduate Recruitment and have championed Pro Bono and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives.

    I am also a former member of the Tax Committee of the British Venture Capital Association.

    Qualification
    01/12/94
    Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales

    Career
    1992-1997
    Allen & Overy, London (Trainee, Associate)
    1997-2013
    Weil, London (Associate, Partner)
    2013-2016
    Shearman & Sterling, London (Partner)
    2016-2018
    Goodwin, London (Partner)
    2018-Today
    PriestleySoundy, London (Partner)

Mark-Soundy

PARTNER

MARK SOUNDY

I have been a Corporate lawyer for over 35 years: previously with Travers Smith, Weil, Shearman & Sterling (Global Co-Head of Private Equity) and Goodwin and now with PriestleySoundy.

T: +44 20 3923 9897

M: +44 7901 558 368

E: mark.soundy@priestleysoundy.com

  • Read Mark’s CV

    My practice focuses on UK and international M&A, specializing in Private Equity.

    For over 35 years, I have advised leading institutional investors, international businesses, senior management teams, founders and independent non-executive directors.  I have particular expertise in the Business Services, Consumer/Retail, Financial Services, Manufacturing & Industrials and Media & Technology sectors.

    I have long been recognised as a leading individual in Private Equity by all the legal directories, including Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK, IFLR1000 UK, the World’s Leading Lawyers Expert Guide and Euromoney’s Banking, Finance and Transactional Law Expert Guide.  Among numerous awards, my team has twice won the British Venture Capital Association’s award for Private Equity Law Firm of the Year and I have been named as one of the UK’s “Hot 100” lawyers by The Lawyer magazine.

    My Private Equity and Private Capital investor clients have included Apax, Apse, Arle, Bridgepoint, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Capital D, Corten, DLJ Merchant Banking, ECI, Epiris (formerly Electra), GMT Communications, GrowthGate, HgCapital, Investcorp, Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO), LeapFrog, Morgan Stanley, Partners Group, Peacock/NBC Universal, RBS Global Restructuring, Silver Lake, Symphony Technology, Triton, Veronis Suhler and Vitruvian.

    The international businesses, senior management teams, founders and independent non-executive directors that I have advised include Acuris (previously Mergermarket), All3Media, Anemka Resources, Barantz, Belron/Autoglass, BerryWorld, Buddi, Castle Hill Asset Management, CAS Services, Decora, DOCUgroup, Dometic, Education Media and Publishing Group, Equiom, Esure, EurotaxGlass’s, Forterro, Get/UPC Norway, Global Blue (previously Global Refund), Hamleys, Hastings Insurance, Hermes, HiT Entertainment, HMV Media, Inseec U, Instinctif (previously College Group), iLoq, Intelsat, James Hay, KCA Deutag, Land Securities Trillium, MeetingZone, Melita, Moneycorp, NCP, NTL (now Virgin Media), Permira Debt Managers, Pharmaspectra, Pillarstone, Practice Plus Group (previously Care UK Health Care ), Primesight, PrintMovers, Qioptiq, Quilter Cheviot, Reassured, Refinitiv (previously Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk), Roots Group, So Television, Tetley Tea, Thomson Directories, Tomorrow Partners, Travelex, Ultima, Waterstones and World Directories.

    Throughout my career, I have been actively involved in Graduate Recruitment, and have championed Pro Bono and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives.

    I am a former member of the Legal & Technical Committee of the British Venture Capital Association and a consultant editor of A Practitioner’s Guide to Private Equity.  I speak and write regularly on issues relating to international M&A and Private Equity.

    I’m admitted to practice in England & Wales, as well as in New York.

    I have been, and remain, involved in a number of charitable and not-for-profit activities.  I was the Founder Chairman of the Trinity College (Cambridge) Alumni Advisory Board, the Chairman of the Maclaren Foundation of Summer Fields School, a Trustee on the Radley College Foundation and the Co-Founder of Radley For Life.  My pro bono clients have included The Hawn Foundation UK and We Are Family Foundation UK.

    Qualifications
    01/11/89
    Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales
    19/05/92
    State Bar, New York, USA

    Career
    1989-2004
    Travers Smith, London (Trainee, Associate, Partner)
    2004-2013
    Weil, London & Dubai (Partner)
    2013-2016
    Shearman & Sterling, London (Partner)
    2016-2018
    Goodwin, London (Partner)
    2018-Today
    PriestleySoundy, London (Partner)