Mr Paul Bird > Debevoise & Plimpton LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
66 HUDSON BOULEVARD
NEW YORK
United States

Work Department

Paul Bird is Head of the firm’s European Corporate Practice and a senior M&A partner.

Position

His practice focuses on advising private equity firms, public companies, boards of directors and special committees in connection with mergers & acquisitions and other significant corporate matters, including cross-border transactions, leveraged buyouts, spin-offs and takeover defense. He also regularly counsels corporations and their directors on corporate governance and fiduciary duty matters. A former member of the firm’s Management Committee, Mr. Bird was Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department from 2010 to 2016 and Co-Head of the firms’ Mergers & Acquisitions Practice from 2001 to 2010.

Career

From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Bird was resident in the firm’s Paris office, where he became a member of the Paris bar and worked extensively on international mergers & acquisitions and other cross-border transactions, which continue to represent a significant portion of his practice. Prior to joining Debevoise, Mr. Bird served as law clerk to the Hon. Robert W. Sweet, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Memberships

Mr. Bird is Treasurer and a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Human Resources and Compensation Committee at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. He is also Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of the Star of Hope Foundation and a member of the Board of Trustees and member of the Finance and Nominating Committees of YMCA Camp Belknap. He formerly served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the French-American Foundation and on the Board of Directors of The Legal Aid Society of New York City.

Education

He received his B.A. from Yale University in 1983 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1987, where he was senior editor of the Yale Law Journal.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)

(Leading lawyers)

Paul BirdDebevoise & Plimpton LLP

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP clients have ‘immense trust’ in the private equity group’s capacity to handle the most diverse range of complex transactions, spanning public and private buyouts, PIPEs, multi-asset acquisitions, continuation funds, and other bespoke investments. In addition to a broad scope of expertise, the firm is able to offer clients a wealth of industry-specific experience to navigate convoluted regulatory landscapes, including such areas as healthcare, insurance, technology, and renewables. The highly respected Kevin Schmidt leads the team, who is adept at handling high-value M&A and fosters strong working relationships with market giants such as Blackstone, Brookfield and Carlyle. Healthcare and life sciences specialist Kevin Rinker , as well as Uri Herzberg who is vastly experienced across the gamut of transactional matters, led with Schmidt in CD&R’s $3.7bn acquisition of a majority stake in Roper Technologies. Paul Bird has a particularly diverse practice, renowned for his cross-border capabilities and significant corporate matters such as leveraged buyouts, spin-offs and takeover defense. Jennifer Chu continues to establish her reputation in the market for advising PE firms on M&A and joint ventures, while Christopher Anthony practice focuses on acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures. All lawyers are based in New York.