A promotion to vice chair of Latham & Watkins’ corporate department started the year off well for revered dealmaker Jenn Engelhardt. A capital markets and financing expert, Engelhardt has closed plenty of transactions in a challenging market, including advising longstanding Norwegian client Vår Energi on its debut hybrid securities offering. She has also been on hand for multiple financing deals involving private equity giant EQT, as it bought vet pharma business Dechra for £4.5bn and German software company SUSE. Buy-now-pay-later outfit Klarna further turned to Engelhardt as it redomiciled to the UK, rounding off a varied 12 months of complex and global matters.
It is Latham’s impressive growth globally and in London that Engelhardt is keen to take stock of in the year ahead. Formerly on the internal promotions committee, she is set on improving opportunities for the next generation and making the most of the firm’s expertise across capital markets, M&A and public company representation. Approaching nearly two decades as a Latham lawyer, Engelhardt has watched the firm transform from a 50-lawyer shop in the City to a 550-strong office. She knows better than most how to grow a law firm.