Ropes & Gray Grows Again in Chicago with Leading Leveraged Finance Lawyer

June 24, 2021

Global law firm Ropes & Gray announced the arrival today of Nichole Lopez-Tackett, counsel in the firm’s leveraged finance practice, to its 100-lawyer Chicago office – a team known for “talented, sophisticated problem solvers,” who “understand what is important to clients,” writes Chambers USA in its 2021 guide.

Nichole strengthens the firm’s preeminent leveraged finance practice, recognized for excellence advising clients in complex mid-market and large-cap transactions, with a particular focus on the technology, health care, life sciences, asset management and consumer and retail industries.

She represents corporate borrowers, private equity sponsors, investment funds and lending institutions in a wide range of complex financing transactions. Her practice supports all aspects of the private equity investment cycle from acquisition financings and fund financings to liability management and restructurings transactions.

Nichole’s extensive experience further strengthens Ropes & Gray’s market-leading global finance practice, which represents many of the world’s most sophisticated private investment firms, direct lenders and financial institutions as well as private and public companies. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Counsel on Global Affairs.

“Nichole has done consistently great work for large cap and middle market private equity firms, guiding complicated financing transactions,” said Stefanie Birkmann, co-chair of Ropes & Gray’s global finance practice. “We are thrilled that she has decided to join Ropes & Gray.”

“Nichole is an ideal addition to a strong line-up of Chicago’s best private equity and M&A deal lawyers. Our clients get a dedicated, brainy team known for providing outstanding legal advice and responsive client service, backed by the M&A and private equity strengths of a global law firm,” said Paulita Pike, managing partner of Ropes & Gray’s Chicago office. “Nichole is a perfect complement to our stellar team.”

Ropes & Gray is a leading law firm in Chicago. In 2020, the firm added business restructuring partner Ryan Preston Dahl, executive compensation and employee benefits partner Matthew R. Jones, and business restructuring counsel Benjamin Rhode to its Chicago office. In 2019, the firm welcomed private equity partner Martin Ruhaak. Established in 2008, Ropes & Gray’s Chicago office has grown from three lawyers to a fully integrated team of roughly 100 attorneys advising an increasingly broad range of local, regional, national and international clients.