Legal Aspects of Private Equity and Venture Capital
This 20-hour executive online course provides a detailed legal analysis of private equity and venture capital fund structures, transactions, governance, and regulation.
| Programme type | Part-time executive course |
|---|---|
| Location | This is an online course offered over 5 consecutive Fridays |
| Start Date | Future dates to be announced |
| Duration | 20 hours |
| Fees | £2,500 |
| Organiser | Professor Sarah Paterson, LSE Law School Dr Simon Witney, LSE Law School |
Overview
This course equips participants with a detailed understanding of the legal structures and issues arising in international private equity and venture capital. It is founded on academic analysis of pertinent theoretical and legal considerations.
Participants explore fund structures and regulation, venture capital and buyout terms, governance in private equity–backed companies, and LBO financing. While the course has a UK focus, the discussion incorporates relevant EU and global perspectives.
Aims
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the structures, terms, and regulatory landscape for private equity and venture capital fund management
- Navigate typical documentation and mechanisms used to align incentives and manage agency costs between stakeholders
- Critically evaluate the impact of private equity on stakeholders and the effectiveness of regulatory measures
- Advise policymakers, regulators, or clients on strategy and regulatory implications
- Build knowledge relevant to roles in finance, law, and public policy
Target audience
- Private practice lawyers, in-house lawyers and general counsel
- Civil servants, regulators, and policymakers
- International professionals seeking solid grounding in UK and EU regulatory approaches
- Scholars and postgraduate students with an interest in this area of law
Course content
Topics
- Theoretical foundations and structural models of private equity and venture capital
- Fund structures, terms and investor–manager relationships
- UK and EU regulatory environment and policy considerations
- Venture capital deal structures and growth investment
- Buyouts, governance models, and management incentives
- Leveraged buyouts and financing arrangements
Academic staff
Course convenors
Professor Sarah Paterson is a Professor of Law. Her main areas of research are corporate reorganisation and insolvency. Before joining LSE she was a partner in Slaughter and May in London, with whom she retains a consultancy.
Dr Simon Witney is a practising lawyer who also teaches on the LLM programme at LSE. His doctoral thesis, completed at LSE in 2017, was on corporate governance in private equity-backed companies. Simon continues to research and write on corporate governance, company law and related topics.
Simon is also a Senior Consultant at London-based law firm, Travers Smith.
Simon has previously served in senior positions within the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA), including as Chair of its Legal and Accounting Committee and as a member of its Council. He is also a past Chair of Invest Europe’s Tax, Legal and Regulatory Committee.
Professional services staff
Course manager
Amanda Tinnams is the Short Course Manager at LSE Law School, bringing over two decades of experience managing short course programs. Amanda has successfully overseen courses offered on-campus, online and internationally. She is committed to creating impactful learning experiences that combine academic excellence with practical application, supporting professionals and organisations worldwide.
Course schedule and FAQs
Module 1:
Introduction to private equity and venture capital; relevant theoretical constructs; fund structure
- Relevant theoretical constructs
- Basic structures
Module 2:
Fund terms; the regulatory environment
- Fund arrangements and documentation
- Relationships between investors and managers
- UK and EU frameworks
- Global comparisons
Module 3:
Venture capital transactions
- Term sheets
- Structuring growth investment
Module 4:
Buyouts and buyout governance
- Governance in private equity–backed companies
- Control and incentives
Module 5:
LBO financing
- Leveraged buyouts
- Financing structures
To register, please fill out our form. If you encounter any problems or have further questions, please email a.tinnams@lse.ac.uk
- To secure your place on the course, full payment is required once registration is submitted and before the course starts. Please complete payment promptly to secure your place.
- Cancellations requested less than four weeks before the commencement of the course incur the following penalties: two to four weeks 50% of the course fee, less than two weeks 100% of the course fee.
- If written notification is not received and you do not attend, the full course fee will be retained as a cancellation charge.