Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton’s private funds group is led by Elizabeth Lenas and combines fund formation advice with deep capability on liquidity and strategic transactions, drawing on a wider platform that supports cross-border structuring and regulatory considerations. The team acts for sponsors and investors across a range of strategies and is particularly noted for handling complex product design questions, including semi-liquid and retail-facing structures, as well as work adjacent to fundraises such as GP stakes and continuation-style solutions. Practice strength is underpinned by senior leadership from Michael Gerstenzang, whose practice includes secondary transactions and co-investment arrangements, alongside key partners Adrian Leipsic and Maurice Gindi who advise on the organization and operation of a range of funds. Jamal Fulton and Kenneth Blazejewski are increasingly visible on mandates that require coordinated sponsor solutions. The team is based in New York.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Maurice Gindi and Emily Alfano and their team of exceptional associates (Kate Torrey, Damien Chang, amongst others) answer my emails or calls within minutes. Their communication is very strong, when compared to experiences with other firms.'
- 'Cleary will respond in minutes and then follow up quickly with additional guidance as needed. They understand the timeliness of our requests and the urgency of our issues and respect those. They are also well-versed in the legal background of each item and will give options where possible different interpretations exist without me asking for that.’
- ‘The Cleary team is always ready to come up with new and creative solutions to my company’s issues. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the industry, so we require a team who will be right there with us - and that’s Cleary. They push the boundaries constantly while still staying within the legal confines.
Key clients
- TPG and TPG Angelo Gordon
- Sixth Street
- KKR
- Brookfield Asset Management
- Blackstone
- Sequoia Capital
- iCapital
- J.P. Morgan
- Ares
- Coller
- Pinegrove Capital Partners
- Viking Global Investors
Work highlights
Advised Sixth Street in connection with the fundraising for Sixth Street TAO (TAO), an innovative, cross-platform evergreen fund. During this fundraise, TAO has accepted billions in total commitments since November 2024, bringing total committed capital to TAO to approximately $28+ billion.
Advised TPG in the formation of its sixth and largest growth fund, TPG Growth VI, which raised $4.8 billion fundraise for the fund and related vehicles, representing a 35% increase over its predecessor fund, and held its final closing in August 2025.
Advised Sixth Street in its establishment of a strategic relationship with Northwestern Mutual, pursuant to which Sixth Street will manage $13 billion of assets for Northwestern Mutual with the potential to scale.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Elizabeth Lenas
Other key lawyers
Michael Gerstenzang; Adrian Leipsic; Maurice Gindi; Jamal Fulton; Kenneth Blazejewski; Emily Alfano; Kate Torrey; Damien Chang