Eversheds boosts City private equity

Eversheds is continuing its push on private equity by relocating its second top corporate partner from Leeds to the City.

Robert Pitcher, who has operated out of Leeds since 1992, will move to the firm's City office on 8 May. It follows the relocation of head of corporate in Leeds Ian Richardson with two assistants in October last year (The Lawyer, 23 October 2000).

Pitcher's focus is corporate finance, and recent deals include the £550m initial public offering of internet news service Telecity and the £300m privatisation of real estate company Peter Black.

"The strength of the national corporate team lies in its size and talent," says Eversheds' head of corporate Martin Issitt. "The team here is pretty strong, but we need to develop the quality and capitalise on the success of our other practice areas, especially the financial services team, which has been involved in some high-profile activities."

The team recently advised hedge fund investment vehicle Henderson Absolute Return Portfolio on its listing on the London Stock Exchange.