Debevoise & Plimpton LLP’s executive compensation and employee benefits group is distinguished by its interdisciplinary approach, leveraging expertise from the firm’s M&A, capital markets, and tax practice areas to deliver ‘incredibly helpful and insightful’ advice. The team is a popular destination for asset management and private equity firms, counting the likes of Blackstone, TPG, and Clayton Dubilier & Rice as key clients. Practice chair Jonathan Lewis covers all facets of executive compensation and human capital management, particularly within public and private M&A in the private equity, healthcare, and insurance industries. Meir Katz serves a broad range of clients from private equity sponsors and their portfolio firms to corporate entities and individual executives. Franklin Mitchell advises private equity fund sponsors and employers on ERISA fiduciary issues, while Michael Snypes counsels companies, management teams, and investors on divestitures, management buyouts, securities offerings, and corporate restructurings. Based in Washington DC, Simone Hicks specializes in designing and implementing employee agreements, equity-based incentive programs, and other compensation plans. Lawrence Cagney retired from partnership at the end of 2023. Lawyers mentioned are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team at D&P are not only experts in their field, but also have an absolute laser focus on the client. They go above and beyond to help us understand our rights and what we should (or should not) push for. They also displayed a real humanity that's often lost at big firms.’

  • 'They were incredibly helpful and insightful. They anticipated issues before they arose, which allowed us to formulate a strategic direction that resulted in me receiving my full benefits from the company.'

Key clients

  • Blackstone, Inc.
  • Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC
  • Comerica Bank
  • Corebridge Financial
  • DoubleVerify, Inc.
  • Elliott Management Corporation
  • EQT Exeter
  • Fortitude Re (controlled by The Carlyle Group)
  • HarbourVest Partners
  • HCA Healthcare
  • International Paper Company
  • JAB Holding Company
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • JP Morgan Asset Management
  • Kelso & Company
  • KeyBank
  • KKR & Co. Inc.
  • M&T Bank
  • Morgan Stanley Capital Partners
  • Oaktree Capital Management
  • Prosperity Life Insurance Company (controlled by Elliott Management Corporation)
  • Providence Equity Partners
  • Prudential Financial, Inc.
  • Schneider Electric Holdings, Inc.
  • Spirit Airlines
  • Stone Point Capital LLC
  • Sun Life Financial Inc.
  • TA Associates
  • The Carlyle Group
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • TPG Capital LLC
  • Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
  • Warner Music Group

Work highlights

  • Advised Spirit Airlines, Inc. on its merger with JetBlue Airways Corp., a transaction valued at $6.6 billion.
  • Advised Brookfield Reinsurance on its acquisition of Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd., a transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion.
  • Advised Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, and TPG Capital on their acquisition of all outstanding public shares of Covetrus, representing an enterprise value of approximately $4 billion.

Lawyers

Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Jonathan Lewis

Other key lawyers

Meir Katz, Franklin Mitchell, Michael Snypes, Simone Hicks