12 May 2026
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld Adds Market-Leading Private Equity Team in New York and London
"Akin Gump adds Gerald Brant, Jeffrey Kochian, Brittany Harrison and Jonathon Hamill to its private equity practice in New York and London to work on control private equity, complex M&A and capital solutions."
Gerald Brant has been named head of Akin’s U.S. private equity practice. He is a globally recognized advisor to leading private equity firms on platform acquisitions, carve-outs, divestitures and high‑stakes transactional and governance matters, and is widely regarded as a first‑call advisor for transformative sponsor transactions and board‑level situations. He is recognised by The Legal 500 for Private Equity Buyouts. Brant is joining Akin Gump as a partner and is returning to the firm.
Jeffrey Kochian advises private equity sponsors, public companies and financial institutions on control acquisitions, complex M&A, joint ventures, corporate governance, capital markets and shareholder activism and defense. He has been consistently ranked by IFLR1000 as Highly Regarded across capital markets, private equity and M&A. Kochian is joining Akin Gump as a partner and is returning to the firm.
Jonathon Hamill advises private equity sponsors on leveraged buyouts, carve-outs and other complex transactions and is a market leader in the hybrid capital market across Europe. He is recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2026 for Private Equity: Transactions — High Value Deals (£500 million+). Hamill is joining Akin Gump as a partner.
Brittany Harrison advises leading private equity sponsors, their portfolio companies and public companies on complex control acquisitions, M&A transactions and structured investments. Harrison is joining Akin Gump as a partner and is returning to the firm.