Key Takeaways
- • Venable LLP announced the addition of Kaitlin Kines as a partner in its Corporate Group at the Orange County office, effective June 22, 2026, strengthening the firm's private equity and M&A capabilities on a national platform.
- • Kines brings deep transactional expertise across mergers and acquisitions, growth equity investments, and strategic partnerships, with sector experience spanning technology, health and wellness, beauty, sports, entertainment, and hospitality.
- • The hire addresses sustained demand from private equity sponsors, growth equity investors, family offices, and financial institutions navigating deal activity and governance decisions across multiple industries.
- • Lisa Tavares and Bryan Rakes, co-chairs of Venable's Business Division, cited Kines' sophisticated approach to client service and practical understanding of private equity markets as critical value-drivers for the firm's institutional client base.
Summary
Venable LLP has expanded its Corporate Group with the addition of partner Kaitlin Kines at its Orange County office, capitalizing on sustained activity in private equity and strategic investment markets. The announcement, made on June 22, 2026, reflects the firm's strategic positioning to serve institutional investors, financial sponsors, and portfolio companies navigating complex transactions across multiple sectors.
Kines brings significant experience advising private equity sponsors, growth equity investors, family offices, and financial institutions on the full lifecycle of corporate growth transactions. Her practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, growth equity investments, and strategic partnerships, with particular expertise in technology, health and wellness, beauty, sports, entertainment, and hospitality sectors. According to firm leadership, her background in guiding boards of directors, investors, and management teams through transaction structuring and governance decisions positions her to address both opportunities and complexities emerging from current market conditions.
Lisa Tavares and Bryan Rakes, co-chairs of Venable's Business Division, emphasized the strategic rationale for the hire. Tavares noted that "private equity and strategic investment activity continue to create opportunities and challenges for our clients across a range of industries," while Rakes highlighted Kines' ability to "strengthen our national corporate platform and enhance our ability to help clients pursue growth, execute transformative deals, and achieve their long-term business objectives." The addition reflects the firm's commitment to deepening institutional capabilities in a market environment characterized by sustained M&A and investment activity among alternative asset managers and corporate clients.
Kines brings significant experience advising private equity sponsors, growth equity investors, family offices, and financial institutions on the full lifecycle of corporate growth transactions. Her practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, growth equity investments, and strategic partnerships, with particular expertise in technology, health and wellness, beauty, sports, entertainment, and hospitality sectors. According to firm leadership, her background in guiding boards of directors, investors, and management teams through transaction structuring and governance decisions positions her to address both opportunities and complexities emerging from current market conditions.
Lisa Tavares and Bryan Rakes, co-chairs of Venable's Business Division, emphasized the strategic rationale for the hire. Tavares noted that "private equity and strategic investment activity continue to create opportunities and challenges for our clients across a range of industries," while Rakes highlighted Kines' ability to "strengthen our national corporate platform and enhance our ability to help clients pursue growth, execute transformative deals, and achieve their long-term business objectives." The addition reflects the firm's commitment to deepening institutional capabilities in a market environment characterized by sustained M&A and investment activity among alternative asset managers and corporate clients.
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