A ‘very responsive firm’ with considerable experience representing corporate investors, angel investors, and venture debt funds, the team at Bird & Bird LLP routinely assists clients in follow-on fundraisings and convertible loan note financings. Regularly handling early stage and growth financing rounds, the team stands out for its broad cross-sector focus, deploying specialists which cover financial services, healthtech, and sustainability spheres. Practice head Struan Penwarden chiefly focuses on complex venture debt transactions and equity investments, while Mark Rundall is a ’quick communicator’ who concentrates on the financing and disposal of high-growth organisations. Other key figures include James Baillieu, an expert in the life sciences and tech sectors, and Adam Meisels, who assists both start-ups and scale-ups.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
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Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Very responsive firm, flexible and adaptable to our needs and financial constraints.’
‘Strong ethics, very reactive, true commercial mindset, very innovative in solutions provided, real sparring partner in the deal.’
‘Great bench of high-quality partners.’
‘Mark Rundall is an excellent and quick communicator, and dedicated to the cause. Struan Penwarden has a wealth of experience. Hannah Fletcher is very responsive and understanding of client needs.’
‘The team are really responsive, knowledgeable and uniquely set up for venture/growth stage companies like us. Their expertise is very deep in this area.’
‘We work most with Mark Rundall and Francesca Mansell. They are fantastic and they always make themselves available for us. They're also not afraid to give us sound commercial advice.’
‘Wide diverse team, super professional partner, who can pull on the full diverse skills of the wider team.’
‘Adam Meisels is the best start-up lawyer I met. Combines depth of knowledge, sharp wit, and deep professionalism, with an incredibly down to earth and pragmatic approach.'
Key clients
- Five Seasons Ventures
- Griffin Gaming Partners
- Paladin Capital Group
- GetHarley
- Standard Investments (venture arm of Standard Industries)
- Rated Labs
- LifeArc
- Dementia Discovery Fund
- Plant Meat
- ReGen Ventures
Work highlights
- Advised Five Seasons Ventures, a European investor which invests in food brands, on various investments, including an investment into a cat food brand and a follow-on investment into Dash Water, structured as a primary and secondary investment.
- Advised Griffin Gaming Partners on various investments, including its $10m Seed Round of ForthStar, a start-up mobile free-to-play game studio led by Playdemic founders Paul Gouge and Alex Rigby.
- Advised Paladin Capital Group in connection with its participation in Hack The Box's $55m Series B fundraising led by Carlyle.
Lawyers
Hall of fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
James Baillieu
Adam Meisels
Mark Rundall
Practice head
Struan Penwarden
Other key lawyers
James Baillieu; Mark Rundall; Adam Meisels; Francesca Mansell; Mark Penwarden; Albert Mennen; William Alms; Benjamin Simon