Michael Gillespie is a retired partner in the New York office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. He is a member of the firm’s corporate department, who advises senior management and boards of companies and investors acting throughout the world, including the United States, Latin America, Asia, India, Russia and various other jurisdictions and regions. Over three decades, Mr. Gillespie has served as a trusted advisor to some of the largest companies and groups globally. His work has covered a broad span, from M&A and other strategic transactions to critical governance, compliance and risk management issues.
He has served on the firm’s Management Committee and was a senior member of the M&A, TMT and Latin America groups, among others. Mr. Gillespie was also Co-Head of Diversity & Inclusion at the firm.
Mr. Gillespie is ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA, where he has been described as “a very good technical attorney,” “well known and eminent,” as well as “diligent, client-focused and thoughtful about business needs.” Chambers sources have also said he is “a phenomenal listener and has an extraordinary strategic mind,” and he is “a wise and insightful adviser, a tenacious advocate and a results-oriented deal lawyer.” According to clients, “he embodies all that you need in a trusted advisor” and is “a great negotiator with rock-solid legal knowledge.” He is included in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame and listed as a leading lawyer in the media and telecoms sector. The Legal 500 Latin America describes him as “a veteran dealmaker with deep knowledge of the Brazil market” and he has also been recommended as a leading lawyer for Latin American investment by Chambers USA, where he has been lauded as a “superb negotiator” who “possesses experience and strong background on Brazilian-related deals.”
Mr. Gillespie joined Debevoise as an associate in 1986 and became a partner in 1995. He received a B.A. summa cum laude from Amherst College in 1982 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1986.