Key Takeaways
- • Mayer Brown appoints Sarah Goodwin as London partner in Finance practice, elevating the firm's Leveraged Finance and Private Capital capabilities with over a decade of specialized experience in complex, cross-border financing.
- • Goodwin joins from Kirkland & Ellis, where she built a leading practice advising private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and private credit providers across the full capital structure spectrum, including syndicated facilities, unitranche, second lien, TLB, and recurring revenue structures.
- • The hire advances Mayer Brown's strategic expansion of its transatlantic Leveraged Finance and Private Capital platform, adding upper-mid-market and large-cap transaction capabilities across EMEA, US, and APAC regions.
- • Goodwin maintains established relationships with major private equity firms, alternative asset managers, and lenders, positioning her to deepen the firm's private equity and private credit credentials in London's competitive market.
Summary
Mayer Brown has strengthened its London Leveraged Finance and Private Capital practice by promoting Sarah Goodwin to partner in its Finance group, effective April 15, 2026. The move signals the firm's continued commitment to building scale in transatlantic private capital markets, particularly in the upper-mid-market and large-cap transaction segments.
Goodwin brings more than a decade of specialized experience in high-value leveraged and acquisition financings. At Kirkland & Ellis, she built a recognized practice advising private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and private credit providers on complex, cross-border structures. Her technical expertise spans the full capital structure—including syndicated and private credit facilities, unitranche, second lien, TLB arrangements, recurring revenue structures, preferred equity, and bank/bond financings, as well as restructurings. Her lender-side relationships add particular value to the firm's private credit positioning, a growing asset class among institutional investors.
Philip Butler, head of Mayer Brown's London Leveraged Finance practice, characterized the appointment as "transformational," citing Goodwin's experience navigating complex capital structures and her established client relationships with major alternative asset managers. The hire reflects broader industry competition for experienced leveraged finance partners, particularly those with demonstrable cross-border transaction capability and relationships across both equity sponsors and credit providers.
Goodwin's integration will expand Mayer Brown's capacity to serve growth mandates across EMEA, the US, and APAC, leveraging her transatlantic client network and cross-border expertise. This positioning aligns with institutional investor demand for counsel capable of executing sophisticated upper-mid-market and large-cap transactions across multiple jurisdictions and capital structure combinations.
Goodwin brings more than a decade of specialized experience in high-value leveraged and acquisition financings. At Kirkland & Ellis, she built a recognized practice advising private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and private credit providers on complex, cross-border structures. Her technical expertise spans the full capital structure—including syndicated and private credit facilities, unitranche, second lien, TLB arrangements, recurring revenue structures, preferred equity, and bank/bond financings, as well as restructurings. Her lender-side relationships add particular value to the firm's private credit positioning, a growing asset class among institutional investors.
Philip Butler, head of Mayer Brown's London Leveraged Finance practice, characterized the appointment as "transformational," citing Goodwin's experience navigating complex capital structures and her established client relationships with major alternative asset managers. The hire reflects broader industry competition for experienced leveraged finance partners, particularly those with demonstrable cross-border transaction capability and relationships across both equity sponsors and credit providers.
Goodwin's integration will expand Mayer Brown's capacity to serve growth mandates across EMEA, the US, and APAC, leveraging her transatlantic client network and cross-border expertise. This positioning aligns with institutional investor demand for counsel capable of executing sophisticated upper-mid-market and large-cap transactions across multiple jurisdictions and capital structure combinations.
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