Key Takeaways
- • Mayer Brown has hired Sarah Goodwin as a partner in its London-based Finance practice, recruiting her from Kirkland & Ellis where she spent four years building a leading leveraged finance practice.
- • Goodwin brings more than a decade of experience advising private equity sponsors, private credit providers, and portfolio companies on complex, cross-border financing transactions spanning syndicated credit, private credit facilities, unitranche, second lien, TLB, recurring revenue structures, preferred equity, and restructurings.
- • The hire strengthens Mayer Brown's transatlantic Leveraged Finance and Private Capital platform, adding upper-mid-market and large-cap capabilities to support growth across EMEA, US, and APAC regions.
- • Goodwin's international experience spans London, Frankfurt, and Hong Kong, with planned engagement across Germany, Paris, Chicago, and New York to activate joint client opportunities across the firm's integrated platform.
- • The appointment reflects competitive pressure among elite law firms to capture talent from Kirkland & Ellis's deep finance bench, as rivals increasingly target the firm's partners for transatlantic and private capital expertise.
Summary
Mayer Brown announced on April 15, 2026, the appointment of Sarah Goodwin as a partner in its London-based Finance practice, recruiting the leveraged finance specialist from Kirkland & Ellis. The hire represents a strategic expansion of the firm's transatlantic Leveraged Finance and Private Capital capabilities, targeting growth in upper-mid-market and large-cap transaction work across EMEA, the US, and APAC.
Goodwin brings more than a decade of experience in high-value leveraged and acquisition financings, with demonstrated expertise across the full spectrum of capital structures. Her practice encompasses syndicated and private credit facilities, unitranche, second lien, TLB, recurring revenue structures, preferred equity, bank/bond financings, and restructurings. At Kirkland, she built a practice representing a wide range of major private equity firms and alternative asset managers while maintaining deep lender-side relationships critical to cross-border transaction work.
Prior to Kirkland, Goodwin held positions at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, White & Case, and Clifford Chance, establishing a multijurisdictional network spanning London, Frankfurt, and Hong Kong. In her new role, she is expected to leverage this geographic footprint and client relationships across Germany, Paris, Chicago, and New York to identify and activate joint client opportunities across Mayer Brown's platform.
Philip Butler, head of Mayer Brown's London Leveraged Finance practice, characterized Goodwin's arrival as "transformational," noting that her experience navigating complex capital structures, commercial instincts, and established client relationships will broaden and deepen the firm's Private Capital offering. London office managing partner Dominic Griffiths emphasized the firm's welcoming of her addition. Goodwin herself cited "the firm's integrated transatlantic platform, strong private equity and private credit franchise, and collaborative culture" as key drivers for the move, signaling alignment with Mayer Brown's strategic positioning in competitive private capital markets.
The hire reflects broader competitive dynamics in elite legal talent, with rival firms increasingly targeting Kirkland & Ellis's finance partners to strengthen their own leveraged finance and alternative asset management practices. This move positions Mayer Brown to compete more aggressively for complex transatlantic transactions and private capital mandates in a competitive market.
Goodwin brings more than a decade of experience in high-value leveraged and acquisition financings, with demonstrated expertise across the full spectrum of capital structures. Her practice encompasses syndicated and private credit facilities, unitranche, second lien, TLB, recurring revenue structures, preferred equity, bank/bond financings, and restructurings. At Kirkland, she built a practice representing a wide range of major private equity firms and alternative asset managers while maintaining deep lender-side relationships critical to cross-border transaction work.
Prior to Kirkland, Goodwin held positions at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, White & Case, and Clifford Chance, establishing a multijurisdictional network spanning London, Frankfurt, and Hong Kong. In her new role, she is expected to leverage this geographic footprint and client relationships across Germany, Paris, Chicago, and New York to identify and activate joint client opportunities across Mayer Brown's platform.
Philip Butler, head of Mayer Brown's London Leveraged Finance practice, characterized Goodwin's arrival as "transformational," noting that her experience navigating complex capital structures, commercial instincts, and established client relationships will broaden and deepen the firm's Private Capital offering. London office managing partner Dominic Griffiths emphasized the firm's welcoming of her addition. Goodwin herself cited "the firm's integrated transatlantic platform, strong private equity and private credit franchise, and collaborative culture" as key drivers for the move, signaling alignment with Mayer Brown's strategic positioning in competitive private capital markets.
The hire reflects broader competitive dynamics in elite legal talent, with rival firms increasingly targeting Kirkland & Ellis's finance partners to strengthen their own leveraged finance and alternative asset management practices. This move positions Mayer Brown to compete more aggressively for complex transatlantic transactions and private capital mandates in a competitive market.
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