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  • Home
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  • Emma Danks
Emma Danks
Emma Danks

Emma Danks

Partner

  • London UK
Contact Me Today
+44 20 7300 4718
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Featured award

Legal 500 UK 2025

Leading partner

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Emma Danks is head of our UK Corporate group, co-head of our international Corporate group and a member of the UK Executive Board. She is recognised as one of the UK’s leading private equity lawyers and is described by clients as bright, commercial, and solutions focused. Emma is well known for her work with private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, having acted on a wide range of leveraged buyouts and related transactions. She also frequently advises private equity backed management teams on buyout transactions and equity plans.

Emma also has specific life sciences and healthcare expertise, having acted for several companies active in these sectors on buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions (both share sale transactions and product divestments), as well as PE sponsors investing in these sectors.

Emma was listed in The Lawyer's Hot 100 for 2018, and in the Legal Business feature on the City's female deal stars. Her team’s buyout expertise was recently recognised when they were named Private Equity Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards.

Expertise

Services and Groups

Corporate/M&A & capital markets
Private equity
Environmental, social & governance (ESG)
Joint ventures
General corporate
Buy-out & buy-in transactions
Cross-border structurings for setting up new funds & investment vehicles
Exit strategies (private equity)
Fund structuring
Management participation schemes
Public to private transactions
M&A

Sectors

Technology, media & communications
Consumer & retail
Real estate
Life sciences & healthcare

Dealonomics

Developed in collaboration with Bayes Business School, our Dealonomics report explores the trends shaping cross-border M&A and what they reveal about the future of dealmaking.

Access the report

Our Dealonomics podcast

Dealonomics explores the forces shaping global M&A, with market experts joining us to share their views on the latest trends influencing dealmaking.

Listen now

Founders Exit Guide

Selling your business: a guide for founders and management teams

A comprehensive guide to preparing your business for sale.

Find out more

The Corporate Collection

The Corporate Collection

Explore our extensive experience helping clients navigate cross-border M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions and read how we've delivered deals that made a difference. 

Find out more

CV

Since 2023 Member of the UK Executive Board, Taylor Wessing
Since 2019 Head of UK Corporate Group and Co-head of the International Corporate group, Taylor Wessing
2017 - 2023 Head of the Private Equity group, Taylor Wessing
Since 2010 Partner, Taylor Wessing
2006 - 2010 Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
2001 - 2006 Associate, Clifford Chance
1999 - 2001 Trainee, Clifford Chance
2001 Admitted as a lawyer, England & Wales
1998 CPE and LPC, College of Law, Guildford
1996 MA Hons Newnham College, University of Cambridge

Career

Since 2023 Member of the UK Executive Board, Taylor Wessing
Since 2019 Head of UK Corporate Group and Co-head of the International Corporate group, Taylor Wessing
2017 - 2023 Head of the Private Equity group, Taylor Wessing
Since 2010 Partner, Taylor Wessing
2006 - 2010 Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
2001 - 2006 Associate, Clifford Chance
1999 - 2001 Trainee, Clifford Chance

Education

2001 Admitted as a lawyer, England & Wales
1998 CPE and LPC, College of Law, Guildford
1996 MA Hons Newnham College, University of Cambridge

Publications

Private Equity Exits “A Practical Analysis", October 2011 and re-issued in 2021
PLC Cross Border Private Equity Handbook, 2010

Memberships & Associations

Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society

Awards

Legal 500 UK 2025

Featured

Leading partner

Legal 500 UK 2025

Hall of fame

Chambers and Partners UK 2024

Private Equity buyouts (up to £500 million) - Band 1: “Emma is insightful adept and judicious.”

Chambers and Partners UK 2023

Private Equity (buyouts, mid market) - Band 1: Emma Danks exhibits a strong command of private equity buyouts and ancillary transactions on behalf of sponsors and their portfolio companies. She heads the firm's private equity practice and is co-head of its global corporate group. "Emma came recommended by a previous client and very much lived up to the billing, as well as being a very pleasant person to deal with."

M&A (lower mid-market deals, £50 million-£500 million) - Leading Individual: The practice is co-chaired by Emma Danks, a leading private equity specialist.

Private equity (transactions – mid-tier – up to £250million) - Hall of Fame: "Emma Danks has demonstrated a deep understanding and keen eye for potential issues in all of the work streams." and "leads the ‘highly collaborative’ team and is regarded as a highly experienced dealmaker in the PE space with a ‘keen eye for potential issues."

Private Equity: Buyouts - Mid Market: "Emma Danks exhibits a strong command of private equity buyouts and ancillary transactions on behalf of sponsors and their portfolio companies. She heads the firm's private equity practice and is co-head of its global corporate group."

Private equity transactions – mid-tier – up to £250m (Leading individual)

M&A - lower mid-market deals, £50m-£500m (Leading individual)

Corporate team of the year - work with Affirma Capital, coordinating a multi-faceted cross-border private equity transaction

Notable practitioner: Private equity, M&A (UK)

Private Equity Team of the Year (Transactional) - Affirma Capital on the acquisition of Standard Chartered's private equity business for GPB790m

Leading individual - Private Equity: Buyouts: Mid-Market (Band 3): Emma Danks heads the firm's private equity team and is sought after by domestic and international houses, and their portfolio companies, to assist in a range of transactions. A client says: "Emma is good at thinking through what protections you need, how to approach things and thinking through to solutions."

Leading individual - Private Equity: Venture Capital Investment (Band 3)

Leading individual - Corporate and commercial: M&A: mid-market deals, £50m-£500m

Leading individual - Corporate and commercial: Private equity: transactions

Named as one of the top 100 lawyers in the UK

Leading individual - Private Equity (Buyouts) (Band 4): Emma Danks "goes the extra mile" for her clients, which include both corporates and leading private equity houses. Her practice encompasses M&A work, LBOs, MBOs and work for investee companies.

Experience

Advising Chambers in £400 million sale to Abry Partners

We have advised the management team of Chambers and Partners on the sale of Inflexion's investment in the firm to Abry Partners, a leading middle market private equity firm headquartered in North America.

Press release
Emma Danks
Suzy Davis
Alexandra Poland
Kayla Sinclair
Graham Samuel-Gibbon
Claire Matthews
Sally Robertson
Elliot Michaelson Taylor
Siân Skelton

Bridgepoint Growth

Advised Bridgepoint Growth on various transactions including the investment in De Havilland (and subsequent bolt-on of Forefront Advisers) and the investment and subsequent exit from one.network.

Emma Danks

Numerous Management Teams

Advised many management teams on their respective buyouts including Chambers Global (backed by Abry), United Living (backed by Apollo), Theramex (backed by Carlyle and PAI) and RoadChef (backed by Macquarie).

Emma Danks

Inflexion

Advised Inflexion on their investment into Upperton Pharma Solutions.

Press release
Emma Danks
Sarah Wallace

ATL Technology

Advised ATL Technology (backed by US PE fund Endeavour) on its acquisition of the manufacturing operations of Gyrus Medical Limited.

Emma Danks

Glenmark Pharma on the sale of its portfolio of CNS products in Poland to Neuraxpharm

Advised Glenmark Pharma on its divestment of its CNS business in Poland including its portfolio of generics and branded generics products and the transfer of its commercial team in Poland to private equity backed Neuraxpharm, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of CNS disorders.

Press release
Colin McCall
Emma Danks
Simon Jupp
Jason Rawkins
Graham Samuel-Gibbon

Emma's news & insights

View Emma's insights
Click here to find out more
Artificial intelligence

Partnering with Legora to enhance legal services through AI innovation

5 June 2025

by Emma Danks

Open podcast
Dealonomics

Episode 1 - Global forces, local impacts: the future of cross-border M&A

In the first episode of our Dealonomics podcast, Nina Skero, CEO of Cebr, joins us to discuss the forces reshaping global dealmaking.

4 June 2025

by Emma Danks

EN

Click here to find out more
Glass.Mapper.Sc.Fields.Image?.Alt
Corporate/M&A & capital markets

Dealonomics – discussing the dynamics of global M&A

22 May 2025
Quick read

by Emma Danks and Dr. Christian Traichel

Click here to find out more
View Emma's insights

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