Ropes & Gray LLP has a strong investor and sponsor side private funds practice that covers endowments, fund of funds and sovereign wealth funds across diverse asset classes, particularly buyout, venture capital, credit and real estate. Four practitioners oversee the team; In New York Morri Weinberg advises clients on primary, secondary and co-investment private funds, in San Francisco is Melissa Bender, who works with funds using novel hybrid structures, while in Boston jointly leading are Leigh Fraser and Peter Laybourn, with the latter advising on domestic and international fund formations, fundraising, and transactions. Marc Biamonte and John Ayer are further key points of contact, in New York and Boston respectively. The asset management group grew in 2023 with the additions of Warren Goodworth from Kirkland & Ellis LLP in May and Jonathan Rash from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in November, while in the same month Catherine Skulan was made partner.

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Testimonials

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  • 'Ropes offers excellence and speed through their deep expertise, effective collaboration and practical approach when advising on projects and novel issues.'

Key clients

  • AlpInvest
  • Atairos Partners
  • Crosspoint Capital
  • Kohlberg & Co.
  • Accolade Capital Management
  • Altimeter Capital Management
  • Azolla Management Company, LP
  • Bain Capital, LP
  • Breakthrough Energy Ventures
  • Dragoneer Investment Group
  • Galaxy Digital
  • Gauge
  • Golden X Company
  • Gridiron Capital
  • Greenoaks
  • Index Ventures
  • Main Post Partners
  • Medicxi Ventures
  • Nexus Point Advisors Hong Kong Limited
  • Novalis Life Sciences Investments
  • Parthenon Capital
  • Pacific Equity Partners
  • PEAL Investment Partners
  • Protocol Labs
  • Redmile Group, LLC
  • Sands Capital
  • Shoreline Equity Partners
  • SkyKnight
  • Summit Rock Advisors
  • Tensile Capital Management
  • Third Point LLC
  • Tribe Capital Management
  • TSG Consumer Partners
  • VSS Fund Management LLC
  • Vista Equity Partners LLC
  • Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe

Work highlights

  • Representing Crosspoint Capital on fundraising and related matters.
  • Advising Index Ventures with respect to fund formation for all of its funds.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Melissa Bender, Leigh Fraser, Peter Laybourn, Morri Weinberg

Other key lawyers

Marc Biamonte, John Ayer, Warren Goodworth, Jonathan Rash, Catherine Skulan