Kramer Levin Expands Diverse Private Equity Practice Adding Two Lateral Partners

NEW YORK, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP announced today that it has expanded its private equity practice with the addition of James J. Moriarty and Russell J. Pinilis as partners in the firm's New York office. Prior to joining Kramer Levin, Mr. Moriarty and Mr. Pinilis were partners at O'Melveny & Myers.  

Mr. Moriarty represents a number of middle market private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a wide variety of industries and transactions, including acquisition and sale transactions, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, recapitalizations, management equity arrangements and mezzanine and growth equity financings.

Mr. Pinilis is a tax and fund formation attorney and has worked extensively with private equity investment funds, representing them in a wide variety of matters, including fund and transaction structuring, ensuring the tax efficiency of investments and portfolio company transactions and fund formation matters.  In addition, he works extensively with a variety of corporations and partnerships on the tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, financing transactions and international tax planning.

"Russell and Jim each bring 15 years of focused transactional experience and will add an exciting dimension to Kramer Levin's private equity practice that complements our existing representation of private equity sponsors and other participants in private equity transactions," said Paul Pearlman, the managing partner of Kramer Levin. "As the state of the economy and private equity markets continue to evolve, their breadth of knowledge, especially in the mid-market sector, will be an invaluable asset to our firm."

For more than a decade, Kramer Levin has had one of the leading and most diverse investment fund practices in the country, with a special emphasis on complex transactions within the middle-market. The firm utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach, requiring input and analysis from attorneys in the mergers & acquisitions/joint ventures, tax, securities, corporate restructuring & bankruptcy and other practices to offer creative solutions to financial and strategic investors regarding complex, strategic and legal issues. The firm has experience in all types of private equity and venture capital transactions, including leveraged buyouts, management buyouts and other change-in control transactions, recapitalizations and restructurings, convertible debt and preferred stock investments and angel rounds of financing. The firm has extensive experience in the formation of U.S. and non-U.S. private equity funds, venture capital funds, hedge funds and special purpose vehicles.  In the 2010 Chambers USA and Legal 500 client guides, the firm was ranked highly for its middle-market M&A practice, and specifically for its expertise in the private equity arena.

Kramer Levin's recent private equity transactions include its representation of BlackRock, Inc. in the joint venture that formed Private National Mortgage Acceptance Company, Stone Point Capital in a number of equity investments including Pierpont Securities and NXT Capital, Perella Weinberg Partners in various joint ventures and asset acquisitions and MSD Capital in numerous debt and equity investments and restructuring transactions.

Mr. Moriarty holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from Williams College.

Mr. Pinilis holds an L.L.M. in tax and a J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College. He has been an adjunct professor at New York Law School since 2006 and is a frequent author and lecturer on tax issues related to private equity transactions.

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP is a premier, full-service law firm with offices in New York and Paris.  Firm lawyers are leading practitioners in their respective fields, who understand their clients' businesses, demonstrate a strong focus on client service and offer innovative and practical solutions.  The firm represents Global 1000 and emerging growth companies, institutions and individuals, across a broad range of industries.  The firm, its attorneys and practice groups have received the highest rankings, awards and honors for their work including from Best Lawyers, Chambers USA/Global, Lawdragon 500, Human Resources Executive, American College of Trial Lawyers, National Law Journal, National Bankruptcy Conference, BTI Client Service All-Star Team for Law Firms, Benchmark Litigation, Institutional Investor, The International Who's Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers, Dealflow Media, Investment Dealers Digest, IP Law & Business Almanac, Legal 500 (US and European), Real Estate Weekly and M&A Advisor, among many others.  The firm has also been widely honored for its strong commitments to pro bono, community service and diversity efforts.  For more information, please visit www.kramerlevin.com.

SOURCE Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP