ELEANOR SHANKS is an experienced private equity partner and is highly regarded for her work in the cross-border transactional market.
Eleanor advises clients on complex business transactions, including domestic and cross-border acquisitions and disposals, infrastructure, real estate, and life sciences transactions, and joint ventures. In addition, she advises clients in shareholder arrangements and managed equity plans, co-investments, corporate governance and general corporate matters. Her clients include leading private equity sponsors, investors and funds, financial institutions, corporates and management teams.
She also has extensive experience advising on regulatory matters, including securities and financial services regulatory matters, in particular in transactions with a U.S. or other cross-border dimension, as well as ongoing corporate governance, public company and regulatory compliance matters.
Eleanor has advised leading private equity sponsors, other investors and funds (including family offices and sovereign wealth funds), financial institutions, corporates and management teams. Amongst the private equity houses and other investors she has acted for are: Arcapita, The Blackstone Group, Cerberus European Capital, Colony Capital, CVC, EQT, First Reserve, GIC, Goldman Sachs, Hamilton Lane, Investcorp, L1 Energy, L1 Health, Oaktree Capital Management, Olympia, Round Hill Capital, Partners Group, Pamplona Capital Management, Schroders Real Estate Investment Trust and Third Point.
As in the previous edition (2022), Eleanor is recognized for Private Equity in The Legal 500 UK 2023, where clients comment: “Eleanor is not only one of the best technical lawyers in the City but also the kind of lawyer you want captaining your ship in a storm. She knows exactly what she is doing, is graceful under (often) immense pressure and always delivers her deals on time and above expectations.” In 2016, Eleanor was named in the Financial News “Top 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Legal Services.” She was also named the “Most Distinguished Winner” and awarded “Best Private Equity Lawyer” at the Women in Private Equity Awards 2015. Eleanor is a member of the London Private Equity practice that was honored as “Private Equity Team of the Year” in the 2021 Legal Business Awards and the Global Private Equity practice that was honored as a 2022 “Practice Group of the Year” by Law360.
Eleanor was the youngest woman ever to join the Court of the City of London Solicitors Company, the lawyers Livery company, and served an extended term on the Court before, during and after the pandemic. She continues to serve on the City of London Solicitors Company’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group.
Prior to joining Sidley in 2019, Eleanor was a partner in the corporate practice of another international law firm.