Catherine is an experienced corporate lawyer who has a particular focus on advising entrepreneurs, management teams and investors of venture backed, early-stage-growth companies. She has a broad sector focus (including Technology, Life Sciences and Clean Tech) and has significant experience in venture funding, private equity, joint ventures, buying and selling private companies and corporate restructuring.
Catherine has provided training for the BVCA “Introduction to Venture Capital” course and is a member of the European Astia Advisory Board, an incubator for women-led high-growth tech companies.
She has previously lived and worked in Brussels and Moscow.
I have great service from Keystone Law lawyers and would recommend Catherine Williams every day of the week for venture investment work
Rowan Gardner
Expertise
- Asset and share sales
- Company and group restructuring
- Early-stage financing debt and equity
- Joint ventures, shareholders’ agreements, partnership agreements and LLP agreements
- MBO and MBI transactions
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Private equity and corporate venturing investment
Experience
- Takeda Ventures Inc in their UK investments
- Advanced Payment Solutions Limited (pre-paid cards) in various funding rounds
- Management team of Equity Insurance Group in the sale of the company to IAG Insurance Australia Group
- Institutional investors of Aspective Limited in the sale of the company to Vodafone UK Limited
- Listed Australian company GBST Inc in their acquisition of Coexis Limited
- Caffe Nero in its financings and acquisition of the Aroma chain from McDonalds
- CG Innovation Partners in the launch of their advisory corporate venturing business and corporate restructuring
- GP of Cody Gate Ventures LP (venture tech fund) in the set-up and management of the fund
- Management on a pre-pack sale of a clean tech company
- Lead investor into Skysites Americas Limited (telecoms)
- Global bio-tech company in their co/com activities and restructuring
- Advised space satellite startup Open Cosmos in its series A funding for its mission to make satellite technology more affordable.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by The Legal 500 2023 for M&A: Smaller deals, up to £50M and Venture Capital
“Catherine Williams is a fabulous corporate lawyer who has gone the extra mile to support and grow our business for the last 7 years.” The Legal 500 2023
“We have worked with Catherine Williams over many years and she has maintained a strong knowledge of the business and its deals, all of which she has worked on. She is very focused and works hard to deliver on time. Good provider of sensible comprehensive advice to non-lawyer clients.” The Legal 500 2023
Recognised by The Legal 500 2022 for Venture Capital
“I would highly recommend Catherine Williams to any early stage company seeking to raise VC funding.” The Legal 500 2022
“The brilliant Catherine Williams has consistently gone well beyond the extra mile to support the company and its management team and shareholders and consistently delivered a very high-quality of service.” The Legal 500 2022
Recognised in The Legal 500 2021 for Venture Capital
Recognised in The Legal 500 2020 for Venture Capital
Recognised in The Legal 500 2018/19 for M&A up to £50m and Venture Capital
“Calm, diligent and pragmatic” Legal 500 2018/19
“Vastly experienced in venture capital transactions” Legal 500 2018/19
Career
Catherine qualified as a solicitor in 1999. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2012, she worked at the following firms:
- Osborne Clarke
- PwC Legal
- JAGShaw
- SNR Denton