John B. Ayer

John Ayer retired from Ropes & Gray in 2025. While at the firm, John advised fund sponsors on a wide range of matters related to fundraising, fund transactions, governance, organizational structure and internal operations as part of Ropes & Gray’s asset management practice. He held various leadership roles at the firm, including co-head of the firm’s private equity industry group and head of the private investment funds group.

John has been involved with Ropes & Gray’s renowned private funds practice since the very early days of the private equity and alternatives industry in the 1980s, giving him a nearly unrivalled depth and breadth of perspective on the industry, its evolution and its players. He worked with sponsors throughout their lifecycles—from newly formed firms raising a first-time fund to long-established, multi-asset class managers. In addition to traditional fundraising engagements, leading sponsors looked to John for ongoing senior counseling advice on some of their most critical commercial and legal matters and for leadership in the development and execution of new products and transactions, including long-dated funds and complex GP-led secondary transactions.

Widely recognized by clients and peers as one of the industry’s leading funds practitioners, John is highly valued for his “clear, authoritative advice from a wealth of experience” and “tremendous market knowledge,” as well as his ability to “be incredibly thoughtful” about what is most important to clients.