Key Takeaways
- • Relation Insurance Services hired Julio Bermudez as practice leader for private equity and transactional risk, bringing 30+ years of management liability and insurance expertise to serve PE firms and portfolio companies from its Chicago office.
- • McDermott Will & Schulte onboarded Jonathan Feiler as partner in its Transactions Practice Group, leveraging his background as COO and managing director of Blackstone's Multi-Strategy Investing platform to advise alternative asset managers on fund formation and governance.
- • D.A. Davidson appointed John Baumgartner as vice chairman and co-head of equity capital markets, where he will lead equity origination and capital raising activities alongside Josh Nolan, drawing on 25+ years of experience and a track record managing over 300 equity offerings and private placements.
Summary
Three significant personnel moves across the middle-market financial services sector signal continued investment in M&A advisory, alternative asset management, and capital markets capabilities during August 2026.
Relation Insurance Services, an insurance brokerage and risk management platform, hired Julio Bermudez to establish and lead its private equity and transactional risk practice. Based in Chicago, Bermudez brings more than three decades of experience in management liability and transactional risk insurance, most recently serving as a partner at Thompson Flanagan, a commercial insurance firm. His appointment reflects growing demand among PE firms for specialized insurance solutions around fund formation, portfolio company acquisitions, and liability coverage—a critical service line in the middle-market M&A ecosystem.
At the law firm level, McDermott Will & Schulte elevated Jonathan Feiler to partner status within its Transactions Practice Group. Feiler, based in New York, transitions from Blackstone, where he served as chief operating officer and managing director of the Multi-Strategy Investing platform. His hire underscores the firm's strategic focus on advising alternative asset managers on fund formation, structuring, and governance—areas where in-house operating experience and private practice depth create measurable competitive advantage.
In the investment banking sector, D.A. Davidson appointed John Baumgartner to the newly prominent role of vice chairman and co-head of equity capital markets, where he shares leadership with Josh Nolan. Baumgartner's Dallas-area base supports geographic expansion of the firm's ECM capabilities. His 25-year track record managing over 300 equity issuances—including IPOs, follow-on offerings, block trades, and private placements—positions him to drive origination, pricing, and distribution activity for the middle-market investment banking platform during a period of anticipated capital formation activity.
Relation Insurance Services, an insurance brokerage and risk management platform, hired Julio Bermudez to establish and lead its private equity and transactional risk practice. Based in Chicago, Bermudez brings more than three decades of experience in management liability and transactional risk insurance, most recently serving as a partner at Thompson Flanagan, a commercial insurance firm. His appointment reflects growing demand among PE firms for specialized insurance solutions around fund formation, portfolio company acquisitions, and liability coverage—a critical service line in the middle-market M&A ecosystem.
At the law firm level, McDermott Will & Schulte elevated Jonathan Feiler to partner status within its Transactions Practice Group. Feiler, based in New York, transitions from Blackstone, where he served as chief operating officer and managing director of the Multi-Strategy Investing platform. His hire underscores the firm's strategic focus on advising alternative asset managers on fund formation, structuring, and governance—areas where in-house operating experience and private practice depth create measurable competitive advantage.
In the investment banking sector, D.A. Davidson appointed John Baumgartner to the newly prominent role of vice chairman and co-head of equity capital markets, where he shares leadership with Josh Nolan. Baumgartner's Dallas-area base supports geographic expansion of the firm's ECM capabilities. His 25-year track record managing over 300 equity issuances—including IPOs, follow-on offerings, block trades, and private placements—positions him to drive origination, pricing, and distribution activity for the middle-market investment banking platform during a period of anticipated capital formation activity.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.