Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced today that leading investment funds lawyers Erica Berthou and Jordan Murray have joined the Firm’s New York office as partners in the Investment Funds Group.
“Erica and Jordan are both extraordinarily talented and respected attorneys who are recognized leaders in the investment funds world,” said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee. “Having represented some of the world’s most significant funds across a range of industries, Erica and Jordan will be a tremendous resource to our clients and to our firm as we continue to grow and provide exceptional services.”
Ms. Berthou joins Kirkland from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, where she served as the leader of the firm’s global investment management/funds group and a member of the firm’s management committee. Recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA (2017), Ms. Berthou focuses on advising sponsors of open- and closed-end private investment funds, co-investment funds, fund of funds and separately managed accounts. Ms. Berthou was recently named a “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer for her role in advising GSO Capital Partners, the credit division of Blackstone, in connection with the formation of its third mezzanine fund, one of the world’s largest funds of its type.
Mr. Murray also joins Kirkland from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, where he served as deputy chair of the firm’s global corporate department and as a member of the firm’s private equity funds and investment management groups. Mr. Murray is recognized as a leading lawyer for private equity fund formation by Chambers USA (2017) and Chambers Global (2017). He advises sponsors of, and institutional investors in, open- and closed-end private investment funds, co-investment vehicles and separately managed accounts, including buyout, real estate, debt, distressed and credit opportunities.
“The addition of Erica and Jordan to our market-leading investment funds practice is an exciting moment for Kirkland & Ellis and further positions us as the strongest firm for the private equity industry,” said John O’Neil, global head of Kirkland’s Investment Funds Group. “Their experience and talent will be a major benefit to our many private equity sponsor clients and will significantly enhance our global platform, which aims to provide full coverage throughout the lifecycle of a fund.”
Ms. Berthou and Mr. Murray’s appointments follow several recent senior hires within Kirkland’s Investment Funds Group this year. In Sept. 2017, David King, formerly a principal at The Carlyle Group, joined the Firm’s San Francisco office as a partner; in August 2017, Anand Damodaran, formerly a partner at Ropes & Gray LLP, joined the Firm’s London office as partner; in July 2017, Alpa Patel, formerly Branch Chief of the Private Funds Branch of the investment adviser policy and rulemaking office of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, joined the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office as partner; in June 2017, Sean Hill, formerly co-head of the private investment funds group at Proskauer Rose LLP, and Stephanie Berdik, formerly a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, joined the Firm’s Boston office as partners; and in May 2017, Erica Williams, the former Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama, and Marian Fowler, former Senior Special Counsel to the Director of the Division of Investment Management at the SEC, joined the Firm’s Washington, D.C., office as partners.
In 2016, the Firm added Norm Champ, former Director of Investment Management, Aaron Schlaphoff, an attorney fellow in the rulemaking office of the Division of Investment Management at the SEC, and Jamie Lynn Walter, a Senior Counsel in the Private Funds Branch of the Division of Investment Management at the SEC.
Kirkland is a global leader in providing sophisticated advice to investment fund sponsors, institutional investors and other market participants in the alternative investment fund space. Kirkland offers clients the unsurpassed resources of a large, integrated, multidisciplinary, global team located across offices in the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. With more than 260 dedicated Investment Funds attorneys, including over 100 partners, few firms approach the breadth, depth and scope of Kirkland’s experience in investment funds legal services.
About Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (www.kirkland.com) is a law firm with more than 2,000 attorneys representing global clients in investment funds, private equity, M&A, restructuring and other complex corporate transactions, litigation/dispute resolution and arbitration, and intellectual property matters. The Firm has 13 offices around the world: New York, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.
About Erica Berthou
Ms. Berthou previously served as the leader of Debevoise & Plimpton’s global investment management/funds group and a member of the firm’s management committee. Her practice focuses on advising sponsors of open- and closed-end private investment funds, co-investment funds, fund of funds and separately managed accounts, covering numerous sectors and strategies, including buyout, infrastructure, energy and power, real estate, debt, distressed and credit opportunities. In addition to U.S. and European-focused funds, Ms. Berthou also has significant experience with emerging markets fund formation and the establishment of offices and other firm infrastructure in such markets.
Ms. Berthou has advised both sponsors and institutional buyers in connection with strategic investments in private investment firms, and has advised on structuring aspects in preparation of liquidity events for a firm’s owners. She also advises on strategic joint venture arrangements in the fund formation space. Ms. Berthou is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Private Investment Funds and frequently writes and speaks on private equity topics. Ms. Berthou has been recognized by publications including The American Lawyer and Chambers USA (2017), where peers note that she is “talented, smart and very highly regarded,” and clients praise her for going “above and beyond to satisfy client needs and demands.” She received her LL.M. from New York University School of Law and Uppsala University School of Law and her M.Sc. from Stockholm University.
About Jordan Murray
Mr. Murray was formerly deputy chair of Debevoise & Plimpton’s global corporate department and a member of the firm’s private equity funds and investment management groups. He advises sponsors of, and institutional investors in, open- and closed-end private investment funds, co-investment vehicles and separately managed accounts, including buyout, real estate, debt, distressed and credit opportunities. Mr. Murray advises private investment firm owners and institutional buyers in connection with investments in private investment firms, and has restructured private investment firms in preparation for potential liquidity events for the firms’ owners. He also advises sponsors and investors in connection with complex secondary transactions, including direct sales and purchases of portfolios of fund interests, and end-of-life fund restructurings.
Mr. Murray is recognized as a leading lawyer for private equity fund formation by Chambers USA (2017) and Chambers Global (2017), where sources say that he is a “very skilled lawyer,” and “very skilled technician,” a “prominent player and adviser” who has a “great balance of strong legal skills and good negotiating and business acumen.” Mr. Murray is a member of the 2018 class of the David Rockefeller Fellows Program, a New York City leadership program established by the Partnership for New York City as a tribute to the civic contributions and leadership of the partnership’s founding chairman, David Rockefeller. He received his A.B. from Duke University and his J.D. cum laude from the Fordham University School of Law.
