In addition to its diverse caseload and close relationships with leading private equity clients such as Bain Capital, Blackstone, and KKR, the team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP also cements its market-leading reputation with its ability to advise funds and portfolio companies on complex and market-defining deals. The team serves as a key player for high-value sponsor consolidations, impactful cross-border carve-outs and joint venture formations, and continuation fund transactions, among others. Jon Ballis boasts a longstanding record in the transactional private equity space and practices from the Chicago office together with growth investment expert Douglas Gessner. Key names in the New York office include leveraged buyout expert Jennifer Perkins, who works closely with KKR on a variety of investment transactions and portfolio deals, Peter Martelli, who is noted for his ability to guide clients through minority investments and joint ventures, and cross-border transactions specialist Srinivas Kaushik. Armand Della Monica is based in Boston and handles PE transactions in a variety of industry sectors, including logistics and life sciences, while the Los Angeles-based Jonathan Benloulou notably advises on asset manager M&A.

Premier asset managers and investment funds, including Apollo, Warburg Pincus, and Carlyle, rely on Latham & Watkins LLP‘s ‘extremely knowledgeable and highly skilled‘ team for advice across the full array of private equity deals, with the team boasting noteworthy capabilities in take-private acquisitions, SPAC mergers and cross-border M&A in addition to offering integrated fund structuring and financing expertise. The practice is particularly active in handling transactions in the tech, life sciences, and infrastructure sectors, with New York lawyer David Allinson recently leading on Blackstone Infrastructure Partners’ $2.15bn equity investment in the utility company NIPSCO. Alexandra Kelly, who handles public and private M&A in addition to advising sponsors on the buyouts of other asset management funds, is also situated in New York and co-leads the practice with Boston-based growth investments and hybrid capital expert Kristen Grannis. Washington DC-based leveraged buyout and cross-border investment expert Paul Sheridan is a further key member of the team, as are the New York-based practitioners Howard Sobel, who is renowned for his experience with take-private transactions, Justin Hamill, who is adept at handling high-value deals in the TMT, retail, and financial services sectors, and David Beller, who guides clients through complex leveraged deals and carve-out transactions. Daniel Lennon retired from the partnership in December 2023, while New York partner Amber Banks and Washington DC's Brian Mangino arrived from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in September 2023. New York-based lawyer Justin Rosenberg joined the team in April 2024 following stints at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP remains a prolific presence in the transactional private equity space, handling a consistently high volume of sell- and buy-side transactions for leading asset managers such as Apollo and General Atlantic as well as established middle-market sponsors such as Oak Hill. The team covers a wide range of transactions, ranging from growth capital investments to high-value take-private acquisitions as well as cross-border buyouts and exits. Distressed acquisitions are a further area of specialism for the team, whose sector expertise encompasses industrials, retail, tech, healthcare, and financial services, including fund mergers. Matthew W. Abbott handles a wide range of investments and divestitures as well as joint ventures and carve-out transactions and co-heads the team with Angelo Bonvino, who serves as a key contact for leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations as well as complexly structured transactions between sponsors and strategic parties. Brian Scrivani routinely acts on high-value take-private deals, Brian C. Lavin guides funds through investments in the infrastructure sector, and Ellen Ching primarily handles buyouts in the life sciences space. Broad private equity experts Sarah Stasny, Ted Ackerman, and Cullen Sinclair are also highly recommended. Justin Rosenberg departed the team in June 2023, while former practice co-head Taurie Zeitzer left in December 2023. All contacts mentioned are based in the firm’s New York office.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP‘s M&A team remains a key player in the private equity space, standing out for its ability to handle bulge-bracket buyouts, take-private acquisitions, and portfolio deals for major funds including EQT, Silver Lake, and Carlyle. The department’s reach extends across a diverse array of sectors, including life sciences and consumer products, and it also handles a growing volume of deals in the tech and infrastructure sectors. Marni Lerner, an expert on PE investments and divestitures, and Elizabeth Cooper, a key contact for public and private M&A with close ties to private equity giants like Blackstone, co-head the practice from the firm’s New York office. New York-based Michael Holick leads on numerous PE investments in the energy and infrastructure space. Also based in New York is Anthony Vernace, an expert in both strategic and private equity-backed transactions. Palo Alto-based Naveed Anwar navigates complex leveraged transactions and buyouts for the likes of KKR, and Atif Azher, also in Palo Alto, stands as a key contact for fund investments in the tech sector.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton’s private equity practice is active across middle-market and bulge-bracket transactions, especially in the tech, aerospace, and healthcare sectors, and is noted for its ability to facilitate complexly structured club deals, cash-and-stock acquisitions, and cross-border transactions. The team regularly acts as counsel to Warburg Pincus and its portfolio companies in connection with impactful platform and add-on acquisitions as well as high-value exits, and it also advises a series of sovereign wealth funds and other asset managers on their cross-border investment activities. M&A and corporate governance expert David Leinwand leads the New York-based team, which is also home to ‘intelligent, efficient, thoughtful, and responsive‘ cross-border M&A specialist John Kupiec as well as Paul Shim, who maintains close relationships with an array of sovereign wealth clients. Further key contacts include Matthew Salerno, who leads on a large volume of high-value PE-backed investments, and Paul Imperatore, who handles both private equity and venture capital transactions.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP offers clients ‘significant experience in the full range of PE transactions‘, including domestic and cross-border leveraged buyouts as well as PIPE deals, continuation fund transactions, and take-private acquisitions. Integrated cross-practice expertise in antitrust, tax, finance, and IP matters furthermore enables the team to guide clients through all stages of complexly structured acquisition, including joint governance matters as well as antitrust reviews. The New York-based team, which is particularly active across transactions in the healthcare and industrials sectors, is led by Kevin Schmidt, who stands out for his advice on cross-border acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic investments. Experienced partner Paul Bird is noted for his M&A experience as well as his ability to handle spin-offs and takeover defense matters, and Kevin Rinker is a key contact for private equity deals in the healthcare and life sciences space. Further key contacts include Uri Herzberg and Jennifer Chu, who are sought out by leading funds such as Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in connection with high-value acquisitions, as well as Christopher Anthony, who handles a wide range of public and private M&A.

Ropes & Gray LLP handles a large volume of high-value PE-backed transactions in sectors such as tech and life sciences and benefits from a global network of practitioners that enables the team to regularly facilitate cross-border acquisitions. The team is adept at handling deals with unique financing, antitrust, and tax law considerations, and in addition to representing leading funds such as Warburg Pincus and TPG in connection with bulge-bracket platform deals, it also regularly acts on upper middle-market growth capital investments. The New York office is home to practice head David Blittner, who has vast experience advising funds on leveraged buyouts as well as on financing and restructuring matters, and Carolyn Vardi, who regularly leads on some of the firm’s most complex private equity M&A. Also in New York, Kate Withers is noted for her ability to handle transactions in regulated sectors such as healthcare tech, and Garrett Charon specialises in leveraged buyouts and take-privates. Chicago-based Neill Jakobe is a key contact for bulge-bracket buyouts, while San Francisco lawyers Jason Freedman and Minh-Chau Le advise on a diverse caseload of private equity-linked deals.

Weil counts a varied range of large-cap private equity sponsors, emerging investors, as well as pension and sovereign funds in its client roster and regularly acts as lead counsel on transactions ranging from high-value leveraged buyouts and take-private acquisitions to minority investments and growth capital series financings. In New York, Christopher Machera maintains close relationships with leading investors such as Blackstone and Goldman Sachs, while Doug Warner handles high-value leveraged buyouts and minority investments especially for funds active in the infrastructure and tech sectors. Machera and Warner co-lead the team with Kyle Krpata, a strategic and private equity M&A expert based in Silicon Valley, and Ramona Nee, who advises on leveraged buyouts and growth investments from the Boston office. Fund mergers are a particular area of focus for New York-based lawyers Brian Parness and Harvey Eisenberg, who recently led on TPG’s $3.4bn acquisition of Angelo Gordon. Silicon Valley lawyer Jenna McBain is a key contact for funds seeking to invest in infrastructure and real assets.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP‘s practice remains prolific in private equity transactions, supervising a large volume of upper middle-market and bulge-bracket deals from its offices across the United States and abroad. Wide geographic breadth and sector expertise enables the team to advise on a diverse array of platform deals, add-on acquisitions, take-private transactions, and portfolio company mergers, including a growing number of transactions in sectors such as energy and healthcare as well as investments in the industrials and tech sectors. Jeffrey Poss is a key contact for the latter and recently advised Cetera on a $1.2bn take-private acquisition of fintech company Avantax. Poss co-leads the practice from New York with Neil Townsend, who is an expert on structuring, negotiating and implementing leveraged buyouts. Key contacts in Houston include energy transactions experts Sarah McLean, who joined from A&O Shearman in January 2024, and Archie Fallon. New York lawyer Matthew Rizzo is a specialist for private equity buyouts in the healthcare sector.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is reputed for both middle-market and bulge-bracket private equity work, fielding a New York-based team with integrated M&A, finance, and tax expertise capable of guiding funds through all stages of their investments. The team handles acquisitions and exits in a diverse range of sectors, including industrials, financial services, and retail, and it also is active on a large volume of buyouts in the tech space, including Francisco Partners and TPG’s recent $6.5bn joint acquisition of New Relic. John Amorosi is a key contact for up-market transactions and co-heads the practice with William Chudd, whose practice focuses on deals in the middle-market. Leonard Kreynin chiefly handles high-value leveraged buyouts and leads the team’s relationship with Brookfield. Darren Schweiger and Michael Davis are further key contacts and handle a wide range of fund acquisitions and portfolio company transactions.

The ‘extremely creative, accessible and diligent‘ private equity practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP handles a steady stream of complex acquisitions, exits, joint ventures, and growth capital investments for a client roster that encompasses a wide array of asset managers and private equity funds, such as Platinum Equity and RedBird, as well as a diverse range of portfolio and target companies. In addition to handling buyouts in the retail and tech spaces, the team is capable of leveraging its nationwide and cross-border network to advise its sponsor clients on an increasing volume of investments in energy and infrastructure space. Houston-based lawyer Michael Piazza is a key contact for transactions in this sector in addition to advising on fund mergers and fund formation projects. Piazza co-heads the team with Los Angeles-based Ari Lanin, who focuses on public and private M&A and joint ventures, as well as with New York-based LBO experts Richard Birns and John Pollack.

White & Case LLP‘s multidisciplinary private equity team handles a steady stream of multibillion-dollar transactions across a diverse range of sectors, including healthcare, technology, and energy, though it is especially well-regarded for its expertise in the infrastructure space, where it advises major investors and asset managers on cross-border investment activities, take-private acquisitions, auctions, and leveraged buyouts. Experienced practitioner Oliver Brahmst leads the firm’s relationship with blue-chip clients such as Brookfield and CVC and co-heads the practice with John Reiss, who is noted for his M&A and corporate governance expertise. Chicago lawyer Gary Silverman handles deals in the tech and retail sectors, among others. The team expanded its ranks with the arrival from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP of Taurie Zeitzer, who is noted for her experience with leveraged buyouts and take-private acquisitions, in January 2024. All lawyers are New York-based unless otherwise stated.

In addition to maintaining close relationships with a roster of established middle-market private equity funds, Dechert LLP represents a growing number of blue-chip clients such as GIC and KKR in connection with bulge-bracket acquisitions, portfolio mergers, and joint investments, particularly in the tech and financial services sectors. The team offers its clients global cross-practice capabilities, working closely across the US and with partners in Europe and Asia to handle the tax, antitrust, and trade aspects of cross-border deals. Mark Thierfelder heads up the team from New York and acts as a key contact for cross-border platform deals and add-on acquisitions. Also in New York, Markus Bolsinger acts as a key contact for leveraged buyouts and take-private deals, while Jonathan Kim frequently works with Thierfelder to advise GIC on its high-value multinational buyouts. Derek Winokur left the team in July 2023, while New York-based Nick Marchica arrived from A&O Shearman in January 2023.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s ‘deep, highly experienced team‘ maintains close relations with leading sponsors as well as a wide array of middle-market funds. The New York-based team’s broad capabilities enable it to advise clients on high-value buyouts and take-private acquisitions, especially in the tech, retail and financial services sectors, as well as on a growing volume of minority stake deals, investments in growth company fundraising rounds, and portfolio company transactions. Steven Steinman, an experienced practitioner with broad M&A and private equity capabilities, leads the practice. Other key contacts include Christopher Ewan, who is active across hedge fund and PE-backed investments, and Randi Lally, whose broad expertise spans carve-outs, recapitalizations, and mergers as well as private equity-linked corporate governance issues. Longstanding private equity expert Robert Schwenkel remains highly regarded for his advice on club deals, and Mark Lucas is a key contact for transactions in the tech, industrials, and infrastructure sectors. Amber Banks and Brian Mangino left the team in September 2023.

Jones Day’s team combines deep capabilities in middle-market transactions with a robust presence in the bulge-bracket, guiding specialized sponsors such as The Riverside Company and leading funds such as KKR through all stages of their domestic and cross-border investment lifecycles. The infrastructure, life sciences, aviation, and tech sectors represent notable areas of focus within the team, which is co-led from New York by experienced partners Andrew Levine, who handles high-value acquisitions for funds and their portfolio companies, and Randi Lesnick, whose expertise spans M&A and corporate governance matters. Further key contacts in New York include Jason Grove, whose knowledge of private equity ranges from leveraged buyouts to recapitalizations. Cleveland is home to longstanding private equity M&A experts Charles Hardin and Denise Carkhuff, while the Chicago office is home to strategic and private equity-backed transactions expert Lisa Lathrop. Washington DC-based carve-out and joint venture expert Daniel Michaels is also recommended.

In addition to working closely with investors such as Accel-KKR, Cortec, and Citigroup, Paul Hastings LLP is very active in advising portfolio and target companies on a variety of merger deals, add-on acquisitions, and private equity- as well as venture capital-backed inbound investments. The team benefits from extensive cross-practice strengths to handle a large volume of multijurisdictional transactions and also regularly draws on the cross-practice expertise of key lawyers such as Ziemowit Smulkowski, who is noted for advising on the tax structuring of private equity deals, and Holly Snow, who represents private equity borrowers in debt finance transactions. Brian Richards, an expert on growth capital investments and leveraged buyouts, co-heads the practice with Palo Alto-based Scott Joachim, who joined from Goodwin in October 2023. Amit Mehta handles a variety of buyouts and distressed transactions for the likes of HIG, and San Francisco-based M&A experts Steve Camahort and Kelly Padgett are further key contacts. Unless otherwise stated, all mentioned lawyers are based in Chicago.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP‘s team maintains close relations with a roster of blue-chip clients, including private equity funds such as GIC and Oaktree as well as their portfolio companies, and benefits from full-service capabilities that enable it to support funds across the entire transactions lifecycle. In addition to handling impactful sell- and buy-side private equity investments and transactions, including Brookfield’s $13.3bn take-private acquisition of Triton, the practice also advises portfolio and target companies on related antitrust, restructuring, tax, and regulatory issues. The team is led by Kenneth Wolff, whose diverse transactional practice encompasses advice on joint ventures, leveraged buyouts, and strategic investments, and is also home to domestic and cross-border M&A expert Blair Thetford as well as to Allison Schneirov, who is particularly adept at handling transactions in the tech and life sciences sector. All mentioned lawyers are based in New York.

A strong standing in the Texas market enables Vinson & Elkins LLP to regularly advise both private equity sponsors and target companies on high-value investments in the energy sector, including oil and gas-linked transactions as well as a growing volume of deals in the renewables space. The team also handles a diverse array of high-value matters in the tech, industrials, and financial services sectors, with New York lawyer Stancell Haigwood collaborating with Houston-based Steve Gill to advise Focus Financial Partners on its $7bn take-private acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Stone Point. Gill co-leads the practice with securities expert Sarah Morgan, who also practices from Houston, and Dallas-based energy transactions expert John Grand. New York lawyer Jim Fox primarily advises on investments and portfolio company mergers in the energy and industrials sectors. Houston-based corporate expert Matthew Strock is also highly recommended. Gabriel Silva left the team in October 2023.

Cross-border deals are a standout area of focus for the team at Clifford Chance, which regularly leverages the firm’s global network and cross-practice offering to advise major domestic and international private equity clients such as EQT, KKR and Cinven on a broad range of transactions. The team is capable of handling complex domestic take-private acquisitions, carve-outs, and fund mergers, and it also advises private equity clients in connection with the launch of innovative projects, including Sixth Street’s joint venture with six leading soccer clubs to launch the Soccer Champions Tour platform. Sports and entertainment-focused private equity expert Neil Barlow is a key contact for this line of work and co-leads the practice with Kevin Lehpamer, who handles a broad range of transactions particularly in the healthcare, retail and tech sectors. M&A expert David Brinton is also recommended.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP expanded its New York-based private equity practice in February 2023 with the arrival of leveraged buyout and take-private expert Peter Feist from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, allowing the firm to add funds such as OMERS Private Equity to its growing roster of clients. Feist co-leads the team with David Perkins, whose diverse caseload encompasses M&A and joint ventures as well as structured investments and restructurings. The team, which handles high-value buyouts in sectors such as life sciences, insurance, and infrastructure for the likes of Brookfield and Owl Rock, also benefits from the firm’s broad strengths in corporate and public M&A matters, allowing it to handle a wide range of add-on transactions as well as fund and portfolio company mergers. Further key contacts include cross-border M&A expert Richard Hall and corporate expert Matthew Ploszek.

McDermott Will & Emery LLP‘s private equity team maintains a strong focus on the life sciences and pharma sectors, acting on a broad range of growth capital investments, buyouts, exits, recapitalizations, and add-on deals. The team’s workload, which spans middle-market and bulge-bracket transactions, also encompasses a growing number of deals in sectors such as aviation, logistics, and tech, owing in part to the broad expertise of New York-based M&A expert Frank Steinherr, who handles a large volume of complex leveraged buyouts, mergers, and take-private transactions. Steinherr co-leads the team with Chicago-based lawyers Kristian Werling, who focuses on healthcare transactions, and Gregory Metz, who handles a diverse array of LBOs and restructurings, as well as with Miami-based lawyer Frederic Levenson. Further key contacts include corporate experts Kevin Sullivan, who is based in Boston, and Brooks Gruemmer, who practices from Chicago. Miami lawyer Harris Siskind maintains close relationships with clients such as H.I.G. and is also highly recommended.