Freshfields' private equity team specializes in middle-market transactions across the life sciences, financial services, healthcare, and energy industries. The practice is led by a trio of lawyers out of Freshfields' New York office. Neal Reenan advises clients on multi-jurisdictional negotiations, bespoke capital solutions, carve-outs, and governance arrangements. Ian Bushner handles a mix of legal, commercial, and regulatory issues, and Claire James focuses on middle-market buyouts, joint ventures, and commercial and governance arrangements. In February 2025, the team was expanded with the hiring of Matthew Goulding, who is based in Boston and oversees sponsor-side negotiations in the middle-market space.
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Key clients

  • CVC Capital Partners
  • Turnspire Capital
  • SERB Pharmaceuticals
  • Aurelius Investment
  • EQT
  • TPG
  • Accent Holdings
  • Piping Rock
  • Apollo
  • K1 Investment Management
  • Blackstone
  • Ascen Inc.

Work highlights

Advising on the formation of a joint venture with a publicly traded company to establish Apollo as a dedicated source of capital funding for infrastructure projects.
Advising AURELIUS on its multi-jurisdictional acquisition and carve-out of Xylem Inc.’s international smart metering business.
Advising Turnspire Capital on the simultaneous acquisitions of Lifeline Foods, LLC and ICM Biofuels, LLC.
Practice head

Neal Reenan; Ian Bushner; Claire James

Other key lawyers

Matthew Goulding