Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance adds two Funds and Investment Management partners, William Sturman and Kelly Labritz in the US

New York: Clifford Chance today announced that William Sturman and Kelly Labritz will join the firm's US Funds and Investment Management team as partners in New York.

Sturman brings more than 25 years of experience to the firm with a focus on advising sponsors of private investment funds covering asset classes including buyouts, growth capital, real estate, infrastructure, secondaries, hedge, debt and hybrid funds. He also supports fund sponsors targeting investments internationally, and represents institutional and family office investors in connection with the structuring and implementation of their investment strategies.

Labritz's practice focuses on complex GP-led restructuring transactions and secondary single-asset and portfolio acquisition and sale transactions. She represents private fund sponsors on fund formation and operational activities, strategic GP transactions and executive compensation arrangements, and advises fund investors, including institutional and family office investors, in connection with their primary, secondary and co-investment activities.

Global Head of Funds & Investment Management Alexandra Davidson comments, "The fundraising market continues to move at pace, and the volume of primary and secondary transactions we are seeing is ever-increasing, as is the technical complexity involved. We are delighted to welcome Bill and Kelly, whose arrival reflects our focus on continuing to scale our first-class US capabilities to support clients both within and outside the US."

US Co-Head of Funds & Investment Management and Funds Partner Michael Sabin comments, "The US private capital market is the deepest and most important in the world, and Bill and Kelly bring significant experience that strengthens our investment management and private equity offering in the US. We are excited to integrate them with our growing practice."

These appointments reflect the firm's ongoing investment in the Funds & Investment Management space, and its financial investor clients more widely. Sturman and Labritz's arrival follows the hire of partner Susan Burkhardt, and the promotion of Daniel Drabkin to partner in May 2021 in the US.

The firm has hired 11 senior laterals in the Americas in the past year.