Akin has made a major strategic expansion to its global private equity platform with the arrival of a premier team across New York and London. The group includes Gerald Brant, Jeffrey Kochian, and Brittany Harrison — each returning to the firm — as well as Jonathon Hamill. Together, they bring senior sponsor relationships, deep execution capability, and critical mass at the intersection of control private equity, complex M&A, and capital solutions. Brant has been named head of Akin’s U.S. private equity practice.
Brant is widely recognized as a first‑call advisor to leading private equity firms on platform acquisitions, carve‑outs, divestitures, and high‑stakes governance matters. His work on transformative sponsor transactions has earned recognition from The Legal 500 for Private Equity Buyouts. Kochian brings extensive experience advising sponsors, public companies, and financial institutions on control acquisitions, complex M&A, joint ventures, capital markets, and shareholder activism and defense, and is consistently ranked by IFLR1000 as Highly Regarded.
Hamill advises private equity sponsors on leveraged buyouts, carve‑outs, and other complex transactions, and is a market leader in Europe’s hybrid capital market. He is recognized by The Legal 500 UK 2026 for Private Equity: Transactions — High Value Deals. Harrison advises sponsors, portfolio companies, and public companies on control acquisitions, M&A transactions, and structured investments.
Akin says the team’s arrival significantly accelerates its private equity growth strategy and strengthens its ability to advise clients across the full capital structure. The firm notes that private equity has become increasingly multi‑dimensional, requiring integrated counsel across strategies, structures and markets.
The team’s recent representations include advising Apollo‑managed funds on definitive agreements to acquire Emerald Holding, Inc. and Questex, LLC, as well as their acquisition of a majority stake in Prosol Group. They also advised Spire on its acquisition of the Tennessee Piedmont Natural Gas business from Duke Energy.
Akin’s private equity practice works closely with the firm’s capital solutions, restructuring, tax and fund formation teams to deliver integrated advice across the lifecycle of private capital deployment. The firm has more than 1,000 lawyers across the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
KEY QUOTES:
“Private equity has become a multi‑dimensional business, and the firms that lead will be those with the scale and integration to advise sponsors across strategies and structures. Gerald, Jeff, and their team massively accelerate our private equity growth strategy. This is a defining addition for our platform.”
Abid Qureshi, Co‑Chair of Akin
“The most complex transactions today require counsel who can operate across the full capital structure—from control equity through hybrid capital and special situations. This team brings world‑class execution and deep sponsor relationships to a platform already recognized for leadership in capital solutions and liability management. The combination is built for where the market is going.”
Dan Fisher, Co‑Head of Akin’s Capital Solutions Practice
“I came back to Akin to help build something—a practice defined by the complexity of the work and the sophistication of the clients. Akin’s capital solutions platform is built for that reality—and this is the most powerful opportunity in the market to grow a premier and complementary private equity platform that meets our clients’ capital solutions needs.”
Gerald Brant
“I am thrilled to be back at Akin for so many reasons, but most importantly because it gives us the foundation to do what we do best—execute the most complex transactions for the most sophisticated clients in the market. Our ability to service our clients on this platform is unparalleled, while also giving us a significant opportunity to expand what we can offer.”
Jeffrey Kochian
