Debevoise & Plimpton has added leading secondaries practitioner Mary Lavelle as a partner in its Private Fund Transactions and Investment Management Groups in London, strengthening the firm’s capabilities across complex private capital liquidity transactions.
Lavelle will advise both private fund sponsors and investors on a range of secondary market transactions and related liquidity solutions.
Her practice includes continuation vehicles, limited partner portfolio sales, co-investments and recapitalizations, expanding the depth of Debevoise’s London team as private capital participants increasingly consider different ways to manage liquidity across fund portfolios.
Debevoise said the appointment builds on its decade-long position advising private capital sponsors and investors throughout the lifecycle of private fund investing, including secondaries.
Lavelle brings extensive experience working with sophisticated participants in the secondary market and has received multiple industry awards for her work.
She has also become a frequent commentator on trends and developments affecting the European secondaries market.
Her addition is expected to strengthen several interconnected areas within Debevoise.
Lavelle will work within the firm’s Private Fund Transactions practice while also becoming part of its Investment Management Group, allowing her to advise on transactions that can involve both fund-level structuring and broader investment management considerations.
The firm views her London presence as particularly important given the increasingly international nature of private capital transactions.
Debevoise’s investment management clients operate across multiple markets, and the firm said Lavelle’s arrival will support its ability to provide integrated advice across jurisdictions.
Her experience spans transactions involving both sponsors seeking liquidity solutions for portfolio assets and investors managing private fund positions.
Continuation vehicles represent one area of her practice.
These transactions can involve moving one or more investments from an existing private fund into another investment vehicle, allowing the sponsor to continue managing the assets while providing liquidity options to existing investors.
Lavelle will also advise on LP portfolio sales, where investors sell interests in private investment funds, as well as co-investment transactions and recapitalizations.
Debevoise said expanding those capabilities is part of the continued strategic development of its multidisciplinary Private Fund Transactions practice.
The appointment also adds a senior lawyer with experience navigating both the commercial and legal considerations surrounding private capital liquidity transactions.
Before joining Debevoise, Lavelle served as Global Co-Head of Private Funds and Secondaries at another leading international law firm.
She completed her legal training at BPP Law School in 2007.
Lavelle received a bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages and Philosophy from the University of Oxford in 2005.
Debevoise sees her addition as strengthening an established global secondaries practice while providing clients with additional senior-level capabilities in London.
Presiding Partner Peter Furci said the firm’s objective is to continue serving sponsors and investors across the complete private fund investment lifecycle.
Rebecca Silberstein, Global Chair of Debevoise’s Investment Management Group, highlighted Lavelle’s ability to advise clients across markets and said her experience will complement the firm’s global client relationships.
Kevin Schmidt, Co-Chair of Debevoise’s Private Equity Group, said the hire also advances the continued growth of the firm’s broader Private Fund Transactions practice.
For Lavelle, the move provides a platform to work with Debevoise lawyers in London and internationally on transactions across an evolving secondaries and liquidity market.
KEY QUOTES:
“Debevoise is committed to maintaining our decade-long position as a trusted advisor to private capital sponsors and investors across the full cycle of private fund investing, including secondaries. Mary counsels many of the market’s most sophisticated participants, and she will enhance our ability to advise clients on their most complex liquidity transactions.”
Peter Furci, Presiding Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton
“Our client relationships are global, and Mary’s arrival will further enhance our ability to offer integrated, market-informed advice across geographies. She possesses a unique combination of experience and judgment that her clients understandably hold in high regard and we welcome her to firm.”
Rebecca Silberstein, Global Chair of the Investment Management Group at Debevoise & Plimpton
“The ongoing strategic growth and expansion of our multi-disciplinary Private Fund Transactions practice is greatly enhanced by Mary’s arrival. Her standing in the industry is truly impressive, and we are delighted that this experienced lawyer will be joining our London team.”
Kevin Schmidt, Co-Chair of the Private Equity Group at Debevoise & Plimpton
“Debevoise has an outstanding global secondaries practice. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in London and globally to help clients navigate the commercial and legal issues presented by liquidity transactions in an ever-evolving market.”
Mary Lavelle, Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton
