McGuireWoods partners Steven Keeler and Clare Lewis authored a May 6, 2020, article in Law360 previewing the opportunities family offices will have to enhance private equity investment returns during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While traditional private equity players may pull back over the next two quarters, family offices can enhance returns on their private equity investment allocations “through a combination of reasonably valued investments in companies with good long-term prospects, sound due diligence and flexible deal structures,” Keeler and Lewis wrote. The Charlottesville, Virginia, partners are members of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Transactions Department.
“Family offices have been increasing their slice of the private equity pie for several years now,” they explained. “As more patient, long-term investors, smart and sophisticated family offices were already preparing for and allocating assets to endure a recession.”
The article covered potential opportunities, deal strategies and other factors for family offices to consider, including “the opportunity to invest in good companies at bargain prices while playing a vital role in our economy and fulfilling their mission.”
“There may be no time in a generation — or three — like 2020 for family offices to achieve well-deserved returns for providing capital to small and middle-market businesses, thereby saving jobs and keeping the wheels of research and innovation turning for the common good,” the authors wrote.