Ropes lands Clifford Chance PE lawyer as a partner in London

Ropes & Gray has hired private equity lawyer Lavinia Ralli as a partner in London, continuing the build-out of its European private capital bench.

Ralli joins from Clifford Chance, where she was a counsel. Before that, she spent five years in-house at Partners Group - a long-standing Ropes client - most recently serving as global head of portfolio legal. She began her career at White & Case.

Her move bolsters a London team that has been in growth mode after several exits in 2025.

Doubling down on private capital

Ralli’s background straddles private practice and the client side. At Partners Group, she advised across all aspects of portfolio investments. The firm said she is “deeply versed” in fund-focused work, including fund conversions and syndications.  

That experience is likely to be valuable as sponsors increasingly look for integrated advice across fund formation, secondaries, portfolio management and deal execution.

Ropes has made clear its ambition to build a pan-European private capital platform operating as a “single integrated hub” spanning London, Paris, Milan and Dublin.

The Milan office opened in the autumn with a team from Latham & Watkins, while Paris was strengthened in January with the hire of a 10-lawyer team from Linklaters led by funds and tax partners Edouard Chapellier and Jonathan Abensour.

In January, the firm also recruited Paul Dali in London from EQT - also a key Ropes client - where he served as managing director and group general counsel for M&A and investments.

With Ralli’s arrival, the firm’s European private equity transactions practice now numbers 12 partners across London, Paris and Milan.