William Robert, a partner in Goodwin’s Private Equity and Life Sciences groups, focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, including multi-jurisdictional transactions. He advises sponsors and management on leveraged buyouts and other private equity transactions. He also counsels corporate groups regarding acquisitions, divestments, joint-ventures, and general corporate matters, with a concentration on Life Sciences and Technologies.
Prior to joining Goodwin in 2016, William was a partner at King & Wood Mallesons (formerly SJ Berwin) in Paris. Previously, he practiced at Clifford Chance (Paris and London).
He is fluent in French and English.
Experience
William’s recent work include advising:
- Alpha Private Equity on the acquisition of the Vervent Audio Group (Focal JMLab and Naim Audio), a leading player in the luxury/high-end acoustics and electronics audio solutions
- Astorg Partners on the sale of Kerneos, the world-leading manufacturer and supplier of calcium-aluminate based products, to Imerys, the world leader in mineral-based specialties for industry
- Bpifrance on its investment in Talentsoft, an HR-management software solutions provider
- Cerba Healthcare, an International network of medical biology laboratories
- on the acquisition of the Bio7 group, a French multi-location clinical pathology group
- on the acquisition of Histalim, a French laboratory specialized in histology
- on the creation of a joint-venture in Africa with the Lancet Laboratories, South Africa’s leader in clinical pathology
- DST Global VII, L.P. on the Series C investment in Qonto, a France-based neobank for B2B use cases
- Equistone Partners Europe
- on the acquisition of the Karavel-Promovacances Group, the French leading online travel agency
- on the acquisition of the FRAM Group, the French leading travel agency
- Gemini Investment and other investors (Stride VC, eVentures) on the Series Seed financing of Jow, the French e-grocery app
- IK Investment Partners on the sale of the Colisée group, a leading group of nursing homes and homecare services for the elderly (EHPAD in French), to EQT Infrastructure
- Junzheng Group, a chemical manufacturer listed on the Shanghai stock exchange, on the acquisition of the entire share capital of Interchim, specialist in manufacturing and distribution of reagents, consumables and dedicated instruments for the R&D and industry laboratory
- Nexelis Group, a leading provider of assay development and advanced laboratory testing, on the acquisition of ImmunXperts, provider of vitro immunology services with a strong focus on immunogenicity and immuno-oncology
- PAI Partners and the management of Cerba Healthcare on the sale of the group to a consortium led by Partners Group and Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP)
- Perceptive Advisors as lead investor on the €50 million Series C financing of Dynacure, a biotechnology company developing new treatments for patients affected by serious orphan disorders. In its first drug discovery program, Dynacure is focusing on Centronuclear Myopathies (CNM)
- Voodoo, a Paris-based mobile games publisher, on the acquisition of Gumbug Limited, a mobile games development studio in London
Credentials
Education
Master of Taxation
University of Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne
Postgraduate degree (DESS) in Business and Tax Law
University of Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne
Postgraduate Degree
ESSEC Business School
Admissions
Bars
- Avocat à la Cour, Paris, France
Recognition & Awards
William is recognized for his expertise by preeminent, peer-reviewed publications.
- Mentioned in Mergers and Acquisitions by Legal 500 EMEA 2022
Publications
- Contrôle des investissements étrangers : « La DGT souhaite faire preuve de transparence », Option Finance, January 2022