Key Takeaways
- • Oreste Cipolla joins White & Case as a partner in the Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and Global Private Capital Industry Group, based in New York, effective June 24, 2026.
- • Cipolla transitions from Goodwin Procter, where he served as co-leader of the Secondaries Practice, bringing over a decade of experience in private capital advisory.
- • His expertise spans leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, secondaries, continuation structures, and co-investment strategies for private equity and venture capital sponsors.
- • White & Case Chair Heather McDevitt emphasized that Cipolla's sponsor-side perspective at the intersection of investments, funds, and secondaries will expand deal flow and connect clients with the firm's cross-practice finance and regulatory capabilities.
- • The hire represents part of White & Case's broader M&A expansion, with more than 25 lateral partners joining globally over the past year.
Summary
White & Case LLP announced on June 24, 2026, the addition of Oreste Cipolla as a partner in New York, joining the firm's Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice and Global Private Capital Industry Group. The move signals the firm's continued investment in private capital advisory amid sustained demand from institutional sponsors navigating an evolving deal landscape.
Cipolla brings institutional credibility to the engagement, having spent more than a decade at Goodwin Procter as co-leader of its Secondaries Practice. His background encompasses buy-side and sell-side secondaries, leveraged buyouts, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, growth investments, and cross-border transactions for private equity and venture capital sponsors, as well as their portfolio companies and multinational strategic clients. This positioning directly addresses a critical gap in sponsor demand: sophisticated advisory on secondary transactions and continuation structures—mechanisms increasingly vital as sponsors manage liquidity and portfolio complexity in a crowded market.
According to White & Case Chair Heather McDevitt, Cipolla's "exceptional sponsor-side experience in complex, cross-border transactions" strengthens the firm's private equity offering. The firm emphasized that his "perspective at the intersection of investments, funds and secondaries will enable us to expand deal flow and connect sponsors with our cross-practice finance and regulatory capabilities." Global Co-Head of Private Capital Oliver Brahmst underscored this rationale, noting that "private capital is evolving and sponsors are looking beyond traditional buyout paths to manage risk and liquidity," positioning Cipolla's secondaries expertise as strategically valuable in the current environment.
The hire arrives amid White & Case's broader lateral recruitment push; the firm has onboarded more than 25 lateral M&A partners globally over the past 12 months, indicating aggressive competitive positioning in high-demand practice areas. For institutional clients and sponsors, the addition of specialized secondaries and cross-border transaction expertise within a major global platform signals enhanced capability in structuring alternative capital pathways and managing fund-level complexity.
Cipolla brings institutional credibility to the engagement, having spent more than a decade at Goodwin Procter as co-leader of its Secondaries Practice. His background encompasses buy-side and sell-side secondaries, leveraged buyouts, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, growth investments, and cross-border transactions for private equity and venture capital sponsors, as well as their portfolio companies and multinational strategic clients. This positioning directly addresses a critical gap in sponsor demand: sophisticated advisory on secondary transactions and continuation structures—mechanisms increasingly vital as sponsors manage liquidity and portfolio complexity in a crowded market.
According to White & Case Chair Heather McDevitt, Cipolla's "exceptional sponsor-side experience in complex, cross-border transactions" strengthens the firm's private equity offering. The firm emphasized that his "perspective at the intersection of investments, funds and secondaries will enable us to expand deal flow and connect sponsors with our cross-practice finance and regulatory capabilities." Global Co-Head of Private Capital Oliver Brahmst underscored this rationale, noting that "private capital is evolving and sponsors are looking beyond traditional buyout paths to manage risk and liquidity," positioning Cipolla's secondaries expertise as strategically valuable in the current environment.
The hire arrives amid White & Case's broader lateral recruitment push; the firm has onboarded more than 25 lateral M&A partners globally over the past 12 months, indicating aggressive competitive positioning in high-demand practice areas. For institutional clients and sponsors, the addition of specialized secondaries and cross-border transaction expertise within a major global platform signals enhanced capability in structuring alternative capital pathways and managing fund-level complexity.
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