Margaret (“Peggy”) Andrews Davenport is a retired partner. Ms. Davenport is the former Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department and former Co-Chair of the Private Equity Group and is one of the leading private equity lawyers in the United States. Ms. Davenport has a broad-based transactional practice advising private equity firms, portfolio companies and other corporate clients in structuring and negotiating mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, financings and other transactions.
Ms. Davenport has been ranked in the top tier for private equity buyouts and investments by Chambers Global (2017) and Chambers USA (2012-2017). Her clients describe her as “extremely business-minded” and “excellent, with dexterity and an appreciation of all the subtleties.” Clients also note that “she knows what’s important to us, and is an effective lawyer and negotiator.” The Legal 500 US (2012-2017) commends her “great ability to get to the heart of the commercial issues” and IFLR1000 (2015) recognizes Ms. Davenport as a leading M&A practitioner. Private Equity Manager ranks her as one of the top 10 U.S. private equity lawyers in its “Legal Power 30,” describing Ms. Davenport as “very efficient, with fantastic judgment and people skills.” She has published articles in Buyouts, The Deal and The M&A Lawyer and is a contributing author of The Private Equity Primer: The Best of the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report and the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report. In 2016, Ms. Davenport was named “Best in Private Equity” at the fifth annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards presented by Euromoney Legal Media Group.
Ms. Davenport joined Debevoise as an associate in 1987 and became a partner in 1995. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Amherst College in 1983 and her J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1987.