Laura Brunnen

Laura founded Threadneedle Law in 2021 following a stellar 20 year legal career in the City.

Training and qualifying at Slaughter and May in 2002, she moved to Kirkland & Ellis in 2007 where she specialised in private equity deals and honed her commercial risk analysis skills before joining New York firm Fried Frank and latterly international law firm Reed Smith.

A corporate M&A partner in US and international law firms for the second decade of her career, she has become known for her pragmatic, commercial and user-friendly legal advice.

Laura’s experience ranges from advising on sub-£1 million UK deals to complex cross-border transactions valued in the £billions.

At Threadneedle, Laura acts on a range of matters for sophisticated corporate clients and UHNW individuals and often partners up with other boutique law firms and professional services to provide high-end seamless advice without the red tape or fluff.

No matter the size of transaction, Laura brings the same responsive service, sharp instincts and personable, practical manner to the table.

When not rolling up her sleeves on deals or running her women in M&A community March Women, Laura likes to spend time with her husband and sons.

She also enjoys dabbling in baking, boxing, cross-stitch, glamping, photography, reading, running and painting (not necessarily all at the same time).

Executive exits

Working alongside boutique employment law firms to advise numerous senior executives on the equity aspects of their negotiated exits (MIPs, carry, LP positions and more) including most recently the co-founder of an asset manager, the CFO of a PE portfolio company, a senior partner at a consulting firm and the CEO of an asset manager portfolio company.

Employee ownership trusts

Working with a number of businesses to transition them into employee ownership, including businesses in financial services graphics, record distribution and communications services. Laura also advises on post-EOT corporate structuring and shareholder arrangements.

M&A

Laura has worked with global and national corporates, private equity houses and their portfolio company and family offices on a wide range of transactions, including:

• A global US headquartered entertainment business on its UK acquisitions
• UK investors on their buy and build strategic acquisitions
• UK, European, Asian and US PE houses on buy-outs and disposals in a wide range of businesses including health-care, automotive, financial services, data centres, food manufacturing, tech security, managed services, e-commerce, packaging, supply chain logistics, energy
• A global corporate on the carve-out acquisition of a European agricultural business
• A UK media company on the sale of its 50% JV stake to a US television network
• A UK media company on the disposal of a carved-out media business to an international broadcaster
  

Shareholder and investment matters:

• The suite of joint venture documents for legal/tech AI JV
• Various share buy-back transactions
• Buy-out of minority shareholder in a fashion business
• Buy-out of a minority shareholder in a recruitment consulting business
• The suite of shareholder documents for the founders of a clinical sciences recruitment business
• The suite of shareholder documents for an established graphic design consultancy
• Ongoing equity arrangements for the selling founder of a clinical sciences recruitment business
• A global commodities trader on various joint ventures
• Numerous PE houses on equity rollover and management incentive plans
• A European investor on its acquisition of a minority stake in an English wine maker
• A Chinese consortium in respect of joint venture arrangements relating to a global data centre business
• A US luxury brands company on its European joint venture with a UK heritage brand (and the subsequent buy-out)
• A Chinese investor on its joint venture investment in Moscow real estate alongside European and US PE houses
• Investment and shareholder arrangements for an independent merchant bank
• A consortium of US PE houses on their consortium investments in European telecoms businesses
  

General corporate:

• A European family office on the analysis of investment opportunities in publicly traded securities
• Various clients on solvent reorganisations
• A US hedge fund on the terms of bonds issued by various European banks and its participation in a class suit for non-payment of coupons