Overview
Diala Minott is a co-chair of the Investment Funds & Private Capital practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s London office.
She advises on a wide range of fund-related work including private equity, private debt, real estate, mezzanine, venture, credit, infrastructure, funds of funds, distressed and special situations, and activist funds, as well as on the structuring of carried interest, co-investment and other incentive schemes, secondary transactions and fund restructurings. She also specializes in direct lending funds, having set up the first regulated direct lending fund in Luxembourg in 2009 for ICG. She acts for investors for solvency II planning and also lobbies the regulators for improvements in the banking monopoly regimes around Europe on behalf of her clients. She also acts for governments, improving their funds legislations.
Diala also specializes in credit funds structured finance transactions, including acting on numerous CLOs and CDOs — both pre- and post-crisis — as well as acting on bespoke hybrid mid-market CLO-type funds.
Her clients include the following: Pemberton, Cheyne, Apollo, Blackrock, Monroe, Idinvest, ICG, Aviva Investors, Pantheon, Insight Management, PGIM, Ostrum, and BNP, amongst others.
Accolades
- Band 1 – Investment Funds: Private Equity: Credit Funds, Chambers UK
- Investment Funds Lawyer of the Year, Women in Business Law Awards EMEA (2024)
- Leading Individual, Private Funds, Legal 500 UK
- Women of Influence in Private Markets, Private Debt, PEI Group (2023)
- Legal: Fund Formation, The Drawdown Awards (2023)
- Investment Funds Lawyer of the Year Shortlist, Women in Business Law Awards EMEA (2023)
- Collaborative Leadership, Law.com’s International’s Women, Influence & Power in Law UK Awards (2023)
- Most Innovative Use of Technology, The Lawyer Awards (2022)
- Investment Funds Lawyer of the Year Shortlist, Women in Business Law Awards EMEA (2022)
- Next Generation Partner, Private Funds, Legal 500 UK
- Most Innovative Legal Practitioner, Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe Report (2021)
- Investment Funds Lawyer of the Year, Women in Business Law Awards Europe (2021)
- Best Onshore Law Firm Shortlist, HFM (Hedge Fund Management) European Service Awards (2020)
- Women in Law Award, British Legal Awards (2019)
- Law Firm of the Year: Europe Shortlist, Private Debt Investor (2019)
- Law Firm of the Year: Europe, Private Debt Investor (2018)
- Law Firm of the Year – Lending & Securities, Alt Credit Fund Intelligence Europe Awards (2019)
- Funds Team of the Year Nominee, The Lawyer Awards (2018)
- Transatlantic Finance Team of the Year Nominee, Transatlantic Legal Awards (2018)
- Best Onshore Fund Formation Law Firm Nominee, Private Equity Service Awards (2018)
- Commended, Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Report (2018)
- Top Global CLO Arranger Counsel, Creditflux magazine (2017-19)
- Rising Star, Legal 500 UK
Education
- University of Nottingham Trent
- London School of Economics, LL.B.
Admissions
- Solicitor in England and Wales
Representations
- Advising government of Gibraltar on their funds legislation.
- Advised on the establishment of ICG’s Senior Debt Partners Fund.
- Advised on the inaugural direct lending for Black Rock.
- Advised on the inaugural direct lending for Apollo.
- Advised on the inaugural direct lending for Monroe.
- Advised on the inaugural direct lending for Idinvest.
- Advised on the inaugural direct lending for Pemberton.
- Advised on Cheyne’s direct lending fund.
- Advised on Cheyne’s social impact fund.
- Advised on ICG’s credit opps fund.
- Advised on ICG’s sale and leaseback fund.
- Advised on the inaugural direct lending for Pantheon.
- Advised on the establishment of Aviva Investors European Secondary Infrastructure Credit SV. S.A.
- Advised on the establishment of Aviva Infrastructure Debt Europe I.S.A.
- Advised on the establishment of Carlyle Global Master Credit Funds PLC.
- Acting for Anthemis on various technology fund structures.
- Advising Pemberton on their credit opportunity fund.
- Advising Pantheon on their credit opportunity fund.
- Advising Insight Management on bank monopoly rules
Engagement & Publications
Publications