Ropes & Gray Hosts Harvard Law School Association of NYC’s Private Equity in 2022 Forum

Ropes & Gray welcomed nearly 150 Harvard alumni and friends at the firm’s New York City office for the HLSA’s Private Equity in 2022 Forum. The forum united investors, lawyers, and advisors to discuss the current PE market, with leading industry participants from Kohlberg & Company, the Blackstone Group, Apollo Global Management, and H.I.G. Capital amongst others, serving as panelists. Ropes & Gray private equity partner Carolyn Vardi and asset management partner Joel Wattenbarger also participated in the event’s panels.

The event was a great success, and the panelists provided insightful observations on the PE investment landscape and key legal and regulatory issues affecting the industry. The panels presented perspectives on navigating opportunities and challenges in the current environment including recession preparedness, portfolio company planning, new investment strategies, creative financing solutions, heightened antitrust and regulatory scrutiny, SEC proposed regulations and guidance, and DOJ priorities. A key theme included the PE industry’s resilience and flexibility to innovate amid cycles of market volatility and a dynamic regulatory landscape.

In a panel on key legal transactional issues, Carolyn highlighted the importance of thinking through different exit profiles, the impact of increased antitrust scrutiny, and how to get more creative with debt as we wait for the financing markets to come back. Joel discussed new guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and advising clients on compliance matters, including in key areas like electronic communications policies and Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance.

More information on the event can be found here.