William Robert

William Robert

Partner
Spoken Languages
French English
William Robert
Paris
+33 (0)1 85 65 72 01

William Robert, a partner in Goodwin’s Private Equity Group, 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).

Experience

William’s recent work include advising:

  • Cerba Healthcare, a leading player in medical diagnosis:
    • in the acquisition of laboratories LAPVSO, Orbio and Scanelis
    • in the acquisition of Viroclinics-DDL, a fast-growing global virology and immunology contract research organization
    • in the acquisition of Lifebrain, the leading group in Italy in laboratory medicine
    • in welcoming EQT Private Equity as new investor, as Partners Group exits
  • DST Global in the €26.7 million of Series C2 financing of Pennylane, a Paris-based developer of a full-stack financial management platform used to deal with financial data
  • Eurazeo, the management and the minority stakeholders of the Orolia group in the signing of an exclusivity agreement with Safran regarding the sale of their majority stake in Orolia, the world leader in Resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions
  • IK Partners in the sale of the Colisée group, a leading group of nursing homes and homecare services, to EQT Infrastructure
  • Plug Power Inc. in the creation of an hydrogen mobility joint venture Hyvia with Renault Group, the major French player in the automotive industry
  • Prosci, a global leader in change management, in the acquisition of the Nexum Group, an international consulting firm specialising in the development of women and men, teams and organisations, from Belgian fund Profinpar and its management
  • Renesas Electronics Corporation  (TSE: 6723), a leading global provider of microcontrollers, in its definitive agreement to acquire Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS), a leading developer and supplier of cellular IoT connectivity solutions, providing chips and modules for 5G/4G massive and broadband IoT
  • Repligen Corporation in the acquisition of Polymem S.A., a leading industrial expert in the development and manufacture of hollow fiber membranes and modules
  • Salsify, Inc. in the acquisition of Alkemics, a Supplier Experience Management platform that helps retailers to engage with their suppliers at every stage of their commercial relationship to better serve consumers
  • SparingVision in the acquisition of GAMUT Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing a unique gene-independent approach to treat advanced stages of rod and cone dystrophies
  • SunMed Group, a producer and distributor of anesthesia and respiratory medical products:
    • in the acquisition of Avanos Medical’s global respiratory health business
    • in the acquisition of Vyaire consumables, a global company focused exclusively on supporting breathing through every stage of life

Credentials

Education

Master

University of Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne

(Tax Law)

Master

University of Paris I - Panthéon Sorbonne

(Business and Tax Law)

Master in Management

ESSEC Business School

(Management and International Business Law)

Admissions

Bars

  • Avocat à la Cour, Paris, France

Recognition & Awards

William is recognized for his expertise by preeminent, peer-reviewed publications.

  • Ranked as Next Generation Partner in Mergers & Acquisitions by the last edition of the Legal 500 EMEA guide

Publications

  • Contrôle des investissements étrangers : « La DGT souhaite faire preuve de transparence », Option Finance, January 2022