Jennifer Burleigh, a retired partner, was a member of the firm’s Private Equity and Investment Management Groups. Her practice focused on advising sponsors of private investment funds, co-investment funds and separately managed accounts. Ms. Burleigh's experience covered a broad array of private fund strategies, including leveraged buyout, energy/infrastructure, real estate, mezzanine and distressed debt and equity funds. Ms. Burleigh had significant experience in emerging markets fund formation, including assisting emerging market-based sponsors in accessing international markets.
Ms. Burleigh also had significant experience, representing both management teams and institutions, in asset manager spin-outs and the establishment of new investment firms. She advised both sponsors and institutional buyers in connection with strategic investments in private investment firms. Ms. Burleigh advised on the formation of “permanent capital” vehicles and evergreen investment vehicles, as well as the establishment of employee investment programs. She also advised on strategic joint venture arrangements in the fund formation space.
Ms. Burleigh represented numerous private equity clients, including EIG Global Energy Partners, Gávea Investimentos, Littlejohn & Co., Odyssey Investment Partners, Tenex Capital Partners and Vinci Partners.
Ms. Burleigh spoke and wrote regularly on topics in the private equity industry, and was recognized as a leading practitioner in private equity fund formation by Chambers Global (2014) and Chambers USA (2014), where sources said she had “outstanding technical knowledge of market and legal private equity fundraising issues.” She was also recommended by IFLR1000 (2012), PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook (2010) and The Legal 500 US (2013), where clients said she has “very deep subject matter expertise and is incredibly responsive.” She was a member of the Private Investment Funds Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Ms. Burleigh joined Debevoise in 1994 and became a partner in 2002. Ms. Burleigh received her B.A. with honors from Stanford University in 1989, and her J.D. in 1994 from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a managing editor of the Columbia Law Review.