Solomon Wifa
Partner, Asset Management
Solomon Wifa is a partner in the Asset Management Group. A well-established investment funds lawyer with experience across a diverse range of asset classes, Solomon has represented sponsors in the formation of, and institutional investors investing in, private equity, hedge, debt, mezzanine, infrastructure, real estate, energy and venture capital funds across a variety of sectors. Solomon also has extensive experience working on a wide range of secondary transactions, secondary directs, co-investment deals, management spinouts, managed accounts and joint ventures, and is involved in transactions in China, sub-Saharan Africa, India, Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe.
Solomon is ranked as a leading adviser in the area of Investment Funds: Private Equity by Chambers UK (2024), Chambers Global (2023) and Chambers Europe (2023). A client described Solomon as the "best in the business" and "an excellent legal and commercial adviser who we highly recommend." Solomon is also recognised by The Legal 500 UK (2023) as a "Leading Individual" for Private Funds and in the most recent edition of IFLR1000 UK as "Highly Regarded" in the area of Investment Funds.
Solomon was named as a finalist in the “Minority Lawyer of the Year” category at the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: Europe (2019). In 2015, he was named “Financial Services Leader of the Year” at the Black British Business Awards. He was named to The Lawyer’s 2013 “Hot 100” list, in which The Lawyer highlighted, “This year, Wifa secured a spot in the Hot 100 list for his deal-making prowess in the investment funds field.” In 2012, Solomon received an Honorary Doctor of Laws (HonLLD) from the University of Greenwich, his alma mater, where he is now a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie, Solomon was a partner at an international law firm where he served as head of the London office.
- “Global Investment Funds: A Practical Guide to Structuring, Raising and Managing Funds,” (Globe Law and Business Limited, 2016)
Solomon's significant matters include*:
- Advised DPI, a significant minority shareholder, on the $1.85 billion sale of Eaton Towers to American Tower Corporation
- Represented a UK-based fund manager, which provides capital to growing and established companies in the international energy sector, in a global fundraising of over US$1.1 billion for its second private equity fund
- Represented leading pan-African private investment firm in the raising of its third Africa-focused fund which hit its hard cap at US$1.1 billion, the largest Africa-focused fund ever raised
- Represented leading player in private equity ‘secondaries’ in a transaction that is believed to be the largest unsyndicated secondaries deal ever completed
- Represented leading investment banking and advisory firm in the closing of a UK energy efficiency Investment fund, a parallel vehicle that invests alongside another fund, which has been awarded a £50 million mandate by the UK Government’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to invest in energy efficiency infrastructure projects in the UK
- Represented a specialist investment firm in its selection as a fund manager by the UK Government
- Represented a global emerging markets private equity firm on fundraising in excess of US$3 billion including funds focused on investments in India, China, Africa and Latin America
- Represented a leading private equity firm that invests across Africa on the closing of a US$400 million pan-African private equity fund and the closing of a US$740 million successor fund
- Represented leading international private equity firm on the establishment of pledge funds of approximately US$500 million investing in emerging markets
- Advised on the establishment of a real estate hedge fund management business
- Represents sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds and other institutional investors, investing in private equity and/or hedge funds
* Solomon advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
University of Greenwich, London, Doctor of Laws (Hon LLB), 2012 University of Greenwich, London, LLB (Law Degree), 1994