Leaders to WatchPrivate Equity, Venture Capital & Finance
Private capital runs on legal talent — the lawyers who structure the funds, close the deals and hold the guardrails as the industry scales. This edition recognizes both sides of that coin: twenty in-house legal chiefs who lead law, compliance and governance from inside the firms, and twenty private-practice partners who shape the funds and transactions that define the market.
Neena Reddy
As CLO and General Counsel of Blue Owl, Reddy has steered legal through exponential growth and aggressive M&A expansion — from roughly $9B to $192B in assets under management — becoming one of the highest-paid legal chiefs among asset managers. A study in building a department that grows as fast as the business it protects.
Steven Schwab
Schwab’s road to the top legal seat ran through banking, private practice, and a failed startup — every stop teaching adaptability. He has built a compliance culture designed to flex as one of software’s most active buyers keeps scaling.
Fred Ebrahemi
Ebrahemi has worn two hats — operations and legal — since 2014, an unusually operational lens for a legal chief. His focus: evolving the firm’s digital tools for security, transparency and trust.
Dipo Ashiru
From Nigeria to Columbia Law to KKR and TCW, Ashiru built Veritas’s legal team from scratch — “eight superstars” — and is a frequent voice on fund formation and regulatory shifts.
Joshua Peck
From Weil transaction quarterback to GC of one of the market’s most flexible capital platforms, Peck designs investor-first legal frameworks that support global growth and new platform launches.
Michelle Bergman
Bergman has seen private equity from every angle — including as GC of a company bought by PE and loaded with debt. She started at Latham and brings an operator’s-eye perspective to the sponsor side.
Adam Hornung
From Nebraska to Hong Kong, Hornung has been central to Hillhouse’s global rise. He leads with patience — innovation, thoughtfulness, and empowering the people around him.
Nancy Mitchell
More than 30 years as a leading restructuring lawyer — counsel to California in PG&E and to Puerto Rico in its restructuring — before crossing fully to the principal side. A masterclass in the pivot from elite legal practice to enterprise leadership.
Christina Lema
Vista’s first General Counsel and a Kirkland alum, Lema advised the founders on launching a debt fund and shaping the firm’s legal architecture.
Jennifer Chu
A former Debevoise M&A/PE partner named CLO in 2025 — a high-visibility appointment amplified across both the firm and the bar.
Kathryn “Katie” Sudol
The Simpson Thacher M&A co-head who succeeded longtime GC David Sorkin — a marquee, recently installed legal chief at a bellwether firm.
Kate Heinzelman
Former CIA General Counsel and senior SEC official, Heinzelman joined Carlyle in 2026 — an unusually high-profile public-sector-to-PE arc.
Kathy Choi
A founding-partner GC at a marquee credit franchise and a Highbridge alum, Choi has been front-and-center in BlackRock’s $12B acquisition of HPS.
Naseem Sagati Aghili
Head of the Ares Legal Group with more than a decade at the firm, Sagati Aghili pairs a strong leadership profile with deep credit-and-alternatives expertise.
Andy Hill
Legal lead for a16z’s growth and venture teams and a former corporate/securities partner, Hill is a defining voice on the legal mechanics of modern venture.
John Weinstein
Weinstein leads legal across fund strategies and portfolio investments at one of the leading growth-equity firms.
Brett Nissenberg
A legal chief with an expanded strategic remit, Nissenberg is known for people-first thought leadership on how venture firms are built.
Chris Green
A former Ropes & Gray partner, Green serves as legal chief at a multi-strategy giant.
John Finley
The benchmark PE legal chief — a member of the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation and a frequent policy voice, carrying the senior gravitas that anchors the field.
Purnima Puri
One of the most visible leaders in private credit, Puri combines a prominent governance profile with a steady public presence around the BlackRock–HPS transaction.
Nicole Washington, P.C.
A marquee investment-funds partner at Kirkland, advising many of the market’s most active sponsors on fund formation across the private-capital spectrum.
Bruce Ettelson, P.C.
Founder of Kirkland’s investment funds group and a Chambers Band 1 mainstay — widely regarded as one of the architects of modern private-equity fund formation.
Tom Wuchenich
A leading funds and private-equity partner at Simpson Thacher, trusted by major sponsors on fund formation and complex transactions.
Michael Wolitzer
Chair of Simpson Thacher’s funds practice and a defining figure in fund formation, advising many of the alternative-asset world’s largest platforms.
John Pollack
Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Private Equity Group and a 2025 “Dealmaker of the Year,” known for leading the market’s most complex sponsor transactions.
David Irvine
Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s finance practice, advising global sponsors on acquisition and fund financing across borders.
Elizabeth “Liza” Lenas
Leader of Cleary’s global funds group, counseling many of the world’s leading multi-strategy platforms.
Michael James
Co-Leader of Cleary’s sponsor-solutions group, advising flexible-capital platforms on fund formation and structuring.
Chip Parsons
Corporate Co-Chair and a private-funds anchor at Proskauer, recognized across the credit and private-fund community.
Marco Masotti
Global Head of Private Equity at Paul, Weiss and one of the most prominent fund-formation lawyers in the market.
Yash Rana
Co-Chair of Goodwin’s private equity group, recognized for cross-border and Asia-focused sponsor work.
Daniel Yeh
Global Co-Head of Private Equity at White & Case, advising sponsors on complex cross-border transactions across Asia and beyond.
Scott Freling
A Covington partner with a distinctive practice at the intersection of private equity and government-regulated industries.
Hibban Ahmed
Head of Linklaters’ Hong Kong investment funds practice in one of Asia’s key private-capital markets.
Ejim Peter Achi
Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s global corporate and private equity practice, a rising leader advising sponsors across the middle market and beyond.
Peter H. Lieberman
Founding member and Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s private equity practice — a senior anchor of the firm’s sponsor work.
Kenneth I. Rosh
Chairman and Co-Head of Fried Frank’s asset management and PE funds groups, a leader at one of the market’s top fund-formation practices.
Leigh Fraser
Co-Head of Ropes & Gray’s private funds practice, recognized among the market’s leading fund-formation lawyers.
Nadia Sager
A Latham investment-funds partner representing leading private-fund sponsors and investors from the West Coast’s private-capital hub.
Kevin Schmidt
Co-Chair of Debevoise’s private equity group, recognized for advising major fund sponsors on complex transactions.
40 Under 40: Legal
The definitive class of emerging legal leaders redefining what counsel means — the rising stars shaping enterprise before 40. Explore the class and nominate someone on the way up.
Explore 40 Under 40: Legal →Know a legal leader who belongs here?
Legal Leaders to Watch is a living series. Nominations are open and reviewed on a rolling basis.
Nominate a leader →
