Cleary Gottlieb welcomes John Kupiec as a partner in the New York office, focusing on M&A and private equity transactions. Prior to joining Cleary, John was a partner in the M&A practice of Vinson & Elkins. 

“We are pleased to welcome John to our firm,” said Cleary Managing Partner Michael Gerstenzang. “Cleary’s pre-eminent global M&A practice is renowned for handling high-profile, multijurisdictional matters and helping our clients successfully complete transformative deals. John brings wide-ranging, complementary experience that adds strength to our exceptionally talented team and will help us continue to deliver the highest-caliber service to our clients.”

John joins Cleary after more than a decade advising private equity firms, public companies, REITs, and hedge funds on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, helping them navigate unique and complex situations. He advises financial sponsors and their portfolio companies on leveraged buyouts, growth equity investments, take-private transactions, platform acquisitions, and minority investments. Additionally, John regularly counsels corporate clients on acquisitions, unsolicited bids, divestitures, joint ventures, and distressed transactions as well as on securities law, corporate governance, and shareholder activism defense.

“We’ve seen record levels of M&A activity over the past year in a rapidly evolving global landscape for dealmaking, and our world-class M&A practice has been at the forefront of the market,” said partner David Leinwand, co-leader of Cleary’s U.S. M&A group. “John has an exceptional track record of success on cutting-edge matters, and his experience is an excellent fit with our practice and our financial sponsor and corporate clients. We are delighted to have him as part of the M&A team at Cleary.”

“Cleary’s M&A practice handles some of the most high-profile and sophisticated deals in the market for notable clients across industries and across the globe,” said John. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to be part of this first-class team.”

John began his legal career as a law clerk for Hon. Bruce Selya, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Providence, Rhode Island, as well as for Hon. Loretta Preska, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He received a J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.