David Perkins, a seasoned private equity lawyer who has long been with Cravath, Swaine & Moore, has made a significant career move by joining Sidley Austin as a partner in their New York office. This marks the latest in a series of high-profile partner additions by Sidley in recent days.
Perkins, who co-led Cravath’s prestigious private equity group, brings extensive experience across private equity, fund formation, and serving clients in the insurance sector.
He expressed confidence in the future of the deal market, despite the current challenges presented by political and economic uncertainties, particularly those stemming from the Trump administration’s policies.
President Donald Trump’s new tariffs and the subsequent global equities sell-off have led to a slowdown in acquisitions and IPOs.
However, Perkins believes that market turbulence could create new opportunities, particularly in areas like transactions involving asset managers.
Cravath, historically known for rarely losing partners to competitors or making external partner hires, has seen some changes in recent years with several partners moving to other firms.
In contrast, Sidley Austin has been aggressively expanding, recently hiring several partners in New York, including M&A lawyers Andrew Fadale from Milbank and George Hunter from Jones Day.
The firm also appointed former Weil, Gotshal & Manges partner Amy Rubin as co-chair of its employee benefits and executive compensation practice within its M&A and private equity group.
Related topics:
