Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announces that partner Matthew E. Kaplan has assumed the role of Chair of the firm’s Corporate Department, effective October 1, 2022. Mr. Kaplan now leads the department alongside partner Jeffrey J. Rosen, who is named Senior Chair.
The Corporate Department is the firm’s largest and includes eight practice groups ̶ Banking, Capital Markets, Finance, Insurance, Investment Management, M&A, Real Estate and Restructuring – as well as multidisciplinary industry groups, including Healthcare, Private Equity and Technology.
“Matt has made many outstanding contributions as a partner and firm leader over the years, having served as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Co-Chair of the Corporate Department and Co-Chair of the Capital Markets Group, and we look forward to his leadership of the Corporate Department,” said Peter Furci, Presiding Partner. “Matt will continue the Department’s proven track record of successfully advising clients on the full range of transactional matters. We also salute Jeff for his inspirational leadership of the Department over the past decade and appreciate his continued contributions to preserving our culture of excellence in his new role.”
Deputy Presiding Partner Nicole Mesard, who previously served as Deputy Co-Chair of the Corporate Department until being appointed to her current role on July 1, added, “Having worked closely with Matt for many years, I have every expectation that his leadership and experience advising clients on the most sophisticated deals will be enormously valuable in helping to steer the Department into its next chapter.”
Mr. Kaplan said, “I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to further serve the firm and our clients as Chair of the Corporate Department. Under Jeff’s successful tenure, the department achieved consistent year over year growth and continued its long tradition of fostering industry-leading talent while assisting our clients with their most complex and meaningful transactions. I look forward to working with partners across the Department to further strengthen our market-leading capabilities and collaborative, high-performance culture so that we continue to seamlessly deliver the most strategic and insightful legal counsel to our clients.”
Mr. Rosen said, “Corporate clients turn to Debevoise as their trusted advisor because of the outstanding and collaborative service we provide, and Matt’s appointment to Chair further solidifies the Department’s commitment to their success in all types of transactions. I would also like to thank Bill Regner, who previously served as Deputy Co-Chair, for his leadership and his continued service as a market-leading M&A partner.”
Mr. Kaplan is Chair of the Corporate Department and a partner in the Capital Markets Group whose practice focuses on representing issuers, private equity firms and underwriters in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, and he counsels public and private companies on disclosure, corporate governance, finance and general corporate matters. He previously served as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Co-Chair of the Corporate Department and Co-Chair of the Capital Markets Group. Mr. Kaplan has advised clients on numerous high-profile capital markets transactions during his career, including Discovery, Inc. in connection with the offer and sale of$30 billion of senior notes to finance Discovery’s acquisition of Warner Media, and the $1.925 billion IPO of Warner Music Group Corp. Mr. Kaplan received his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and his A.B. from Colgate University.
Mr. Rosen is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Capital Markets Groups whose practice focuses on M&A, complex joint ventures, and restructurings and corporate governance matters. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading M&A lawyers. Mr. Rosen received his J.D. and B.A. from Harvard University.
The Corporate Department of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP advises public and privately-held companies and private equity sponsors on a broad range of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, private equity fund formation, real estate transactions, financing and restructurings, as well as guidance on a full range of ESG matters. The Department’s lawyers counsel companies on issues that often are often transformative for their businesses, international in scope and across diverse sectors.