Freshfields loses private capital leaders to Debevoise in New York
Debevoise has hired Freshfields global co-head of private capital Neal Reenan and US private capital head Ian Bushner in New York.
The move comes two weeks after Freshfields global private funds and secondaries co-head Mary Lavelle left for Debevoise in London.
Debevoise has hired two senior Freshfields private capital partners in New York, including global co-head Neal Reenan and US head Ian Bushner.
Reenan was global co-head of private capital at Freshfields and has advised clients including CVC, TPG and Bain Capital. He joined Freshfields in 2024 from Latham, having previously spent 16 years at Kirkland & Ellis.
Bushner was head of US private capital at Freshfields and also joined the firm from Latham in 2024 as part of the same high-profile lateral move.
The exits come amid Freshfields’ continued US expansion, which has been driven by heavy lateral hiring over the past five years.
Off to Debevoise
The moves come just two weeks after Freshfields global private funds and secondaries co-head Mary Lavelle left to join Debevoise in London.
For Debevoise, the hires deepen a private capital practice that has already been expanding through a series of senior additions.
The firm said Reenan and Bushner advise private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies across buyouts, take-privates, carve-outs, joint ventures and other strategic transactions.
Presiding partner Peter Furci said the pair are “among the most highly regarded private equity lawyers in the market, with deep experience and strong relationships across the sponsor community.”
M&A co-chair Kevin Rinker said Debevoise was seeing increasing M&A activity across the private capital spectrum.
“[They] create a strong combination, having worked together for more than a decade representing leading sponsors on these types of deals and bringing exceptional experience and judgment to this work. They further strengthen the team we bring to clients as activity continues to build,” he added.
White shoe build
Debevoise is one of New York’s elite white shoe firms, with around 160 partners globally.
The firm generated $1.8 billion in revenue last year, according to The American Lawyer, with profit per equity partner of around $6 million.
Join 10,000+ City law professionals who start their day with our newsletter.
The essential read for commercially aware lawyers.
