Leading Private Equity Partner Carolyn Vardi Joins Ropes & Gray in New York

Top-ranked Law Firm for Private Equity Adds Firepower as Dealmaking Volume Rises

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Jan 22, 2019, 10:55 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global law firm Ropes & Gray today announced that Carolyn Vardi has joined the firm's top-ranked private equity practice as a partner in the firm's 350-lawyer New York office.

Ms. Vardi is a distinguished corporate transactions attorney who has been practicing in New York and working with leading private equity firms for nearly two decades. She has vast experience advising numerous PE firms on a variety of matters, including their buyouts and dispositions of portfolio companies.

She joins Ropes & Gray, whose clients include some of the largest and most active PE funds in the world, at a time of increasing private equity deal activity and continued growth of the firm's New York office.

The firm's clients will benefit from Ms. Vardi's experience steering PE firms and their portfolio companies through complex transactions, including joint ventures and equity co-investments.

"Carolyn Vardi is one of the premier, go-to private equity lawyers, and we are beyond thrilled to have her join us at Ropes & Gray," said partner David Blittner, the New York-based co-head of the private equity practice. "Her record of successes for her clients is impressive. Her sophisticated knowledge of the industry, experience in the trenches on complex deals, and understanding of the New York market will enhance the service we offer to clients."

Ms. Vardi most recently was a partner at White & Case in New York, where she began her legal career. She received a J.D. from Columbia Law School and her B.A. from Yale University.

She is consistently ranked among the world's top private equity lawyers. This month, Crain's New York Business honored Ms. Vardi on its "Notable Women in Law" list, and she recently was named "Best in Private Equity" in the United States by Euromoney's "America's Women in Business Law Awards."

"I am excited to join a firm with a stellar private equity practice and a high caliber of lawyers who work on all facets of dealmaking—including transactional lawyers, tax, securities enforcement and litigation, antitrust—and in an environment of great energy and collaboration," said Ms. Vardi.

Ropes & Gray has been at the forefront of private equity deals since the invention of the leveraged buyout, and is active in both multi-billion-dollar and middle-market deals. The firm is consistently recognized as a PE industry leader. This month, Law360 named Ropes & Gray "law firm of the year" for private equity for the fifth time in recent years, and U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers named Ropes & Gray "Law Firm of the Year" for leveraged buyouts and private equity law in 2015, 2016 and 2019.

With nearly 1,400 lawyers in 11 offices, in the United States, London and Asia, Ropes & Gray is recognized as one of the world's premier law firms. In 2018, the firm was ranked number one on The American Lawyer "A-list" of the top U.S. firms and number two on the Financial Times "Innovative Lawyers" ranking for legal expertise.

With more than 350 lawyers in New York, Ropes & Gray is one of the 20 largest law firms in the city and continues to expand its presence. In 2018, the firm added restructuring partner Matthew Roose and capital markets partner Paul Tropp, and expanded its life sciences intellectual property litigation practice with new chair Filko Prugo and partner Charlotte Jacobsen.

About Ropes & Gray
Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm with approximately 1,400 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, finance, investment management, hedge funds, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.