Sean is a corporate partner in Kirkland’s Investment Funds Group who focuses on representation of investment managers in all aspects of their business and operations, with a particular emphasis on formation of private investment funds, and in structuring and execution of liquidity solutions transactions. He is described by clients in Chambers & Partners as “a superstar in the space and has a great practice” who “is very sophisticated and navigates the process efficiently” and “very down-to-earth and solutions-driven.” Chambers Global also said “His experience combined with his commercial awareness adds significant value to our team.” Sean works with both emerging managers and established, multi-strategy firms managing over $300 billion in assets.
For more than 20 years, he has worked with clients on all types of secondaries and other liquidity solutions transactions, including GP-led transactions, preferred equity investments, structured and synthetic transactions, investment team spin-outs, tender offers, leveraged secondaries and fund liquidations. Sean has advised on many multibillion-dollar secondary transactions and has extensive experience in spin-outs of investment teams and in complex fund recapitalizations and restructurings.
He also counsels fund sponsors in the formation of private funds pursuing a wide variety of strategies, with a particular focus on buyout, credit, special situations, secondaries and fund of funds, as well as hybrid and evergreen structures, funds of one and separate accounts and co-investment transactions. In addition, he has worked with clients on many rated note and collateralized fund obligation structures.
Sean also works with fund sponsors to structure firm ownership and operations, succession planning and incentive arrangements. He has also advised on numerous transactions involving alternative investment managers, including seed capital, minority and strategic investments, joint ventures, acquisitions and IPOs.
Representative clients include AE Industrial Partners, Ares Management, Audax Group, Bain Capital, Berkshire Partners, Bridge Investment Group, Blackstone, Brentwood Partners, Commonfund, Comvest, Evolution Credit Partners, First Eagle Alternative Credit, Generate Capital, Grain Management, GI Partners, GTCR, JP Morgan, K1 Investment Management, L Catterton, Leeds Equity Partners, Lexington Partners, Montauk TriGuard, Pathlight Capital Partners, Perceptive Advisors, Prospect Partners, Reverence Capital Partners, Solace Capital Partners, Solum Partners, SLC Management, Torchlight Investors, TVV Capital Partners, Union Capital Equity Partners, Veritas Capital, Wafra, Water Street Healthcare Partners, Whitehorse Liquidity Partners, Willowridge Partners and XPV Water Partners.
