SJ Berwin in Paris private equity move

City firm SJ Berwin has strengthened its resolve to become the leading private equity practice across Europe by opening an office in Paris.The firm has recruited private equity funds specialist George Pinkham and tax lawyer Sylvie Vansteenkiste, currently at international firm Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn, to establish the office.

The firm said the pair form one of the leading buy-out/venture capital teams and leading private equity funds team in France.

They will be joined by former team member Jean Goncalves, who is currently in-house tax adviser to GE Medical Systems Europe.

The Paris office follows hot on the heels of SJ Berwin opening an office in Munich last month.

In addition the firm has offices in Frankfurt, Berlin, Brussels and Madrid.SJ Berwin's senior partner, David Harrel, said: 'The establishment of the Paris office is a vital stage in our highly focused expansion in Europe and our aim to be the leading European deals firm.'Jonathan Blake, the head of private equity said: 'George Pinkham and his team are very well known to our private equity practice in London, Germany and Spain and have worked with them for a very long time.

George is undoubtedly the doyen of the private equity market in Paris and his joining us is a major step in our goal of being the leading private equity/venture capital and transactional firm operating in the enterprise economy in Europe.'Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in France increased significantly in 2000 and, according to figures produced by Thompson Financial Securities Data, France was the third most active country for European M&A activity (behind the UK and Germany).France is also a very important market for European private equity.

Figures published by the European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) for the first six months of 2000 show that Euro1.5 billion was invested by French private equity houses in 879 companies.

In Germany, Euro 1.6 billion was invested by private equity houses in the first half of 2000 and Euro 5.4 billion in the UK, according to EVCA figures.Ends - Neil Rose