Key Takeaways
- • Jones Day hired Ariele Cohen, a funds partner from McDermott Will & Emery (formerly Schulte Roth & Zabel), to strengthen its investment management and corporate practice in New York.
- • Cohen brings dual expertise in fund formation, structuring, and operational advisory combined with in-house experience at major insurers (Prudential Financial and AIG), positioning her to serve private fund sponsors and institutional investors.
- • The hire is part of a strategic expansion of Jones Day's investment funds practice, with private equity co-leader Michael Earley noting the firm has more work from large private fund sponsors than current capacity allows.
- • Cohen's insurance sector background is strategically relevant as major insurers increasingly deploy capital into private credit strategies—a growing asset class requiring specialized fund and investment advisory counsel.
- • The firm signals aggressive recruitment momentum in its funds and private capital practice, with Earley stating no foreseeable end to the ongoing hiring process.
Summary
Jones Day announced the hiring of partner Ariele Cohen on September 9, 2026, bolstering its investment management and corporate practice in New York. Cohen joins from McDermott Will & Emery, where she worked following the firm's 2024 merger with Schulte Roth & Zabel, where she had been elevated to partner in fall 2025.
Cohen's professional background spans both law firm and in-house roles. She previously served as corporate counsel and associate general counsel at Prudential Financial and AIG, respectively, providing her with direct institutional knowledge of how major insurers structure and deploy capital. At her prior firms, Cohen specialized in advising private investment funds and investment advisers on fund formation, structuring, and operational matters—core competencies in the institutional private capital market.
Michael Earley, Jones Day's private equity co-leader, characterized the hiring as strategically timed to capitalize on increased demand from large private fund sponsors. "Her experience working in-house with insurance companies who are now huge providers of capital into private credit strategies, in particular, was a really nice complement to our team," Earley noted in a statement. He emphasized that Cohen's addition expands the firm's capacity to serve fund sponsors and sophisticated institutional investors at a moment when demand exceeds available staffing resources.
Earley further signaled that this hire represents part of a broader capacity-building initiative rather than an isolated recruitment. "Once we have opportunities to work with large private fund sponsors, the only constraints we have right now are in adding people to the team who can help us pursue those opportunities," he stated, adding, "I don't see any end in sight to our ongoing recruiting process." This statement suggests Jones Day views the private capital market as a sustained growth area warranting continued investment in specialized talent.
The timing of Cohen's move reflects broader market dynamics in which insurance companies and other institutional investors are aggressively entering private credit and alternative investment strategies, creating heightened demand for specialized fund counsel capable of navigating complex formation, regulatory, and operational issues across insurance, asset management, and institutional investor constituencies.
Cohen's professional background spans both law firm and in-house roles. She previously served as corporate counsel and associate general counsel at Prudential Financial and AIG, respectively, providing her with direct institutional knowledge of how major insurers structure and deploy capital. At her prior firms, Cohen specialized in advising private investment funds and investment advisers on fund formation, structuring, and operational matters—core competencies in the institutional private capital market.
Michael Earley, Jones Day's private equity co-leader, characterized the hiring as strategically timed to capitalize on increased demand from large private fund sponsors. "Her experience working in-house with insurance companies who are now huge providers of capital into private credit strategies, in particular, was a really nice complement to our team," Earley noted in a statement. He emphasized that Cohen's addition expands the firm's capacity to serve fund sponsors and sophisticated institutional investors at a moment when demand exceeds available staffing resources.
Earley further signaled that this hire represents part of a broader capacity-building initiative rather than an isolated recruitment. "Once we have opportunities to work with large private fund sponsors, the only constraints we have right now are in adding people to the team who can help us pursue those opportunities," he stated, adding, "I don't see any end in sight to our ongoing recruiting process." This statement suggests Jones Day views the private capital market as a sustained growth area warranting continued investment in specialized talent.
The timing of Cohen's move reflects broader market dynamics in which insurance companies and other institutional investors are aggressively entering private credit and alternative investment strategies, creating heightened demand for specialized fund counsel capable of navigating complex formation, regulatory, and operational issues across insurance, asset management, and institutional investor constituencies.
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