Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP New York team continues to be called upon by many of the market’s largest financial sponsors on a broad spectrum of fund formation and management matters, supported by an expanding private funds offering. Led by Leor Landa, the group advises sponsors and managers on fundraises, bespoke structuring, seeding arrangements, finance-linked issues and sponsor-side transactions, with a steady flow of work also touching secondaries and strategic platform questions. Andrew Ahern is regularly involved in sponsor-side mandates across buyout, credit and growth-focused products, while Michael Hong is a key figure for complex formations and repeat sponsor relationships. Alisa Waxman and Sijia Cai add further partner-level coverage across a mix of strategies, and Luke Eldridge is active on venture-adjacent and sponsor solutions work. The wider bench includes Michael Brasher, Jennifer Grant Cooper, Benjamin Milder and Michael Stenbring, supporting day-to-day execution and investor side issues.
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Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Key clients
- 26North Holdings
- Antares Capital
- Amberjack Capital Partners
- BentallGreenOak Strategic Capital Partners
- Blackstone
- Bouwinvest Real Estate Investors
- Cadre Capital
- CapitalSpring
- Corsair Capital
- CPP Investments
- Credit Suisse
- Crestview
Work highlights
Advised PSG Equity L.L.C. in connection with the formation, fundraise and related matters for its sixth North American flagship fund, PSG VI L.P. (together with its affiliated investment vehicles, “PSG VI”). PSG closed the fund with $6 billion in commitments, surpassing its $4.7 billion predecessor fund.
Advised J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO) in connection with the formation, fundraise and related matters for its sixth flagship buyout fund, JFL Equity Investors VI, L.P. (together with its affiliated investment vehicles, “Fund VI”). JFLCO closed the fund with $2.23 billion in commitments, exceeding its $1.6 billion target.
Advised GHK Capital Partners in connection with the formation, fundraise and related matters for GHK Fund II LP (together with its parallel fund, “GHK Fund II”), which held its final closing on September 30, 2024, with $870 million in commitments, above both the firm’s $650 million target and its original $800 million upper limit.
Lawyers
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Practice head
Leor Landa
Other key lawyers
Andrew Ahern; Michael Hong; Alisa Waxman; Sijia Cai; Luke Eldridge; Michael Brasher; Jennifer Grant Cooper; Benjamin Milder; Michael Stenbring