Ravi Chopra is a partner in the Private Investment Funds team and is a co-leader of Goodwin’s Secondaries practice, a practice bringing together an international team of lawyers with extensive experience in domestic and global cross-border secondaries transactions. Mr. Chopra specializes in structuring private capital vehicles across real assets, private equity, and technology and life sciences.
Mr. Chopra deals extensively with international fundraising, co-investment platforms, and house incentivization and equity arrangements. He has particular expertise in advising on preferred equity arrangements, GP-led transactions, longer-term capital and multicurrency solutions.
Prior to joining Goodwin in 2017, Mr. Chopra practiced at King & Wood Mallesons (SJ Berwin).
Experience
Mr. Chopra has a transatlantic client base and regularly negotiates with European insurance and pension fund investors, U.S. state pension plans, sovereign wealth plans, and supranational bodies, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Fund (EIF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Finance Corp. (IFC).
He has joined the impact investment initiative at Goodwin and commonly advises first-time and second-time fund managers on seed capital, joint ventures, and team arrangements.
Representative matters include:
- Abingworth on its $465 million 13th life sciences fund, as well as on its $582 million dedicated clinical co-development fund and the sale of Abingworth to Carlyle in August 2022
- Ares Management on the structuring and establishment of its €1.78 billion European Real Estate Fund V and the establishment of several European co-investment vehicles
- BentallGreenOak on its €695 million European core-plus logistics real estate fund, as well as on its recent European real estate debt fundraisings
- BNP Paribas on high-net-worth feeder investments into blue-chip private equity and real estate funds
- Capital Dynamics on its funds of funds, secondaries funds, direct co-investment funds, energy and infrastructure funds, managed accounts, secondary transactions, and carry/co-investment arrangements
- Confidential general partners (GPs) on c. $2 billion of fundraising in the healthcare space
- First State Investments on its €2 billion+ European Diversified Infrastructure Fund
- Growthpoint Investec African Properties on its target $500 million pan-African permanent capital vehicle, cornerstoned by the IFC*
- ICG on a number of its European fundraisings, including its €8.1 billion eighth European Corporate fund
- LGT on the acquisition of the Indian impact investment platform Aspada from Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) as well as on fundraising and structuring matters across their various strategies
- Palamon Capital Partners on its €400 million+ third European private equity fund, its €105 million preferred equity transaction and on the acquisition of IDH Group from Carlyle
- Pension fund of a major European bank on its staff pension scheme investments and managed interest rate and inflation exposures
- Phoenix Equity Partners on its latest £415 million fundraising
- The Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) on the promote arrangements for its A$2.35 billion global infrastructure fund*
- Willis Towers Watson on fund investments and direct co-investments into European and U.S. private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and credit
Mr. Chopra also has broad experience of listing and secondary transactions on the London Stock Exchange, the Channel Islands Stock Exchange, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, including acting on ICG-Longbow Senior Secured UK Property Debt Investments Ltd. (main market IPO, secondary, change of investment policy)* and the public reverse takeover of Wichford PLC by Redefine International PLC (now RDI REIT PLC).*
* Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.
Professional Activities
Mr. Chopra delivers an annual seminar for Invest Europe introducing fund executives to fund structuring considerations.
Professional Experience
Mr. Chopra spent six months working in the UK Parliament from Q3 2009 to Q1 2010.
Credentials
Education
MA2013
BPP Law School
BA2007
Oxford University
Keble College
Admissions
Bars
- Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
Recognition & Awards
Mr. Chopra is recognized by Financial News as a 2021 Rising Star in European Private Equity and by U.K. Legal Week as a 2020 Private Equity Rising Star.
Mr. Chopra has recently been recognized in Legal 500 across Real Estate Funds and Private Funds, where client testimonials have noted his “outstanding technical skillset,” “sound commercial advice” and “solutions-oriented approach.”
Publications
Mr. Chopra is frequently quoted in respect of the European legal market, the impact of Brexit and secondaries markets. He has written extensively in relation to permanent capital vehicles and emerging markets, including contributing a chapter to Private Equity in Sub-Saharan Africa (PEI 2016), as well as an article for an EMPEA technical bulletin and an article for African Business Review.
Mr. Chopra’s recent publications include:
-
Quoted, “GP Workshop: How to Assess Whether to Exit to PE or Trade,” Real Deals, April 7, 2021
- Quoted, “Added Complexity For PE Firms as UK Funds Fall Outside of EU Regulation,” S&P Global Market Intelligence, March 1, 2021
- Quoted, “Don’t Forget Brexit,” Private Equity International, December 3, 2020
- Quoted, “Smooth Sailing,” Real Deals, November 26, 2020
Mr. Chopra’s recent speaking engagements include:
- He was a panelist, “Planning the Future for UK Managers,” Goodwin Webinar, November 17, 2020