Sidley Austin LLP announced that Brien Wassner has joined the firm in New York as a partner in its global M&A and Private Equity practice. He joins Sidley from Shearman & Sterling LLP, where he was a partner in the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice and one of the leaders of its Private Capital Industry group. Mr. Wassner joins a steady flow of well-known and influential talent that has joined the firm’s growing Private Equity practice in recent years.

“Brien joins Sidley as part of the rapid and continued expansion of our private equity, M&A and leveraged finance capabilities over the last several years,” said Sam Gandhi, managing partner of Sidley’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “He is a significant addition to the deep team we have built in New York in the private equity space. We are fortunate to bring Brien on particularly given the stellar reputation he’s built in the highly competitive New York private equity market.”

Mr. Wassner represents clients in cross-border and domestic M&A, joint ventures, divestitures, carve-outs, leveraged buyouts, take-private transactions, tender and exchange offers, securities and other corporate matters. His clients include private equity funds, infrastructure funds, hedge funds, venture capital funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, corporates, other sponsors and asset managers, and financial institutions.

“At a relatively early stage in his career, Brien has developed an impressive practice across numerous industries, which allows for natural synergies across many Sidley practices,” said Brian Fahrney, co-leader of Sidley’s global M&A and Private Equity practice and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “He advises funds with billions under management all over the world and his successful track record will complement the high-end work we already are doing for numerous premium clients.”

“Brien is a natural fit for our global team dedicated to serving private equity clients,” said Erik Dahl, co-leader of Sidley’s Private Equity practice and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “We share mutual clients and a strong commitment to providing the highest level of service. Brien’s arrival is another example of our ongoing effort to enhance our private equity offerings.”

Mr. Wassner’s addition to the firm’s M&A and Private Equity group follows the notable hires of Adam Weinstein, Tony Feuerstein and John Butler, who have all joined the New York office since October 2018. Sidley has also recently added prominent private equity partners in other several key markets, including Eleanor Shanks in London, Mehdi Khodadad and Josh DuClos in Century City and Jared Jensen in San Francisco.

With 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across a wide spectrum of industries.