Co-Head of the Firm’s Global Capital Markets Practice and Co-Managing Partner of the Firm’s Boston and Washington, D.C. offices, Josh Bonnie is one of the nation's preeminent IPO lawyers and regularly counsels public companies on significant strategic transactions, capital markets offerings and general corporate and securities law matters. Josh also routinely advises asset management firms on situations of strategic importance. Josh has extensive experience with complex IPOs, and is a recognized thought leader on UP-C and other multiple-tier umbrella partnership structures.
Josh has been featured in The American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year,” is recognized in Chambers Global, Chambers USA and is endorsed by PLC Which Lawyer?. The Legal 500 U.S. has placed Josh in its “Hall of Fame” and says that “‘IPO powerhouse’ Joshua Ford Bonnie is noted as ‘second-to-none.’ Chambers says, “Joshua Ford Bonnie is spoken of highly by sources, with one commenting: ‘He is a true partner: He is highly commercial, thinks like a business person and anticipates what we’ll need before we need it.’
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Work Highlights
Josh advised Accenture, Blackstone, Bumble, Carlyle, Flutter, Hilton Worldwide, Invitation Homes, MasterCard and Medline on their landmark listings. Josh also counseled Blackstone on its spinoff of its financial advisory businesses, Dover Corporation on its spinoff of its upstream energy business, Hilton Worldwide on its spinoffs of its real estate and timeshare businesses and Ingersoll Rand on its spinoff of its commercial and residential security businesses.
Education
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University of Virginia School of Law, 1995 J.D.
Virginia Journal of International Law, 1993–1995
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University of Virginia, 1991 B.A.
Clerkships
- Hon. Robert B. Merhige, Jr., 1995–1996
Admissions
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District of Columbia 2015
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Massachusetts 2025
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New York 1997
Co-Head of the Firm’s Global Capital Markets Practice and Co-Managing Partner of the Firm’s Boston and Washington, D.C. offices, Josh Bonnie is one of the nation's preeminent IPO lawyers and regularly counsels public companies on significant strategic transactions, capital markets offerings and general corporate and securities law matters. Josh also routinely advises asset management firms on situations of strategic importance. Josh has extensive experience with complex IPOs, and is a recognized thought leader on UP-C and other multiple-tier umbrella partnership structures.
Josh has advised a significant number of companies on their initial public offerings, including:
- Medline (2025) in the largest IPO of 2025 and largest healthcare IPO in history
- Flutter on its NYSE listing (2024)
- Bumble (2021)
- TaskUs (2021)
- Change Healthcare (2019)
- Invitation Homes (2017) in the second largest U.S. REIT IPO in history
- Ares Management (2014)
- Medley Management (2014)
- Hilton Worldwide (2013) the second largest U.S. IPO of 2013 and largest hospitality IPO in history
- Brixmor (2013) in the third largest U.S. REIT IPO in history
- Quintiles Transnational Holdings (2013)
- The Carlyle Group (2012)
- Regional Management Corp. (2012)
- FXCM (2010)
- DynaVox (2010)
- Blackstone (2007) in the largest U.S. IPO of 2007
- MasterCard (2006) in the largest U.S. IPO of 2006
- Evercore (2006)
- Alpha Natural Resources (2005)
- Cohen & Steers (2004)
- Accenture (2001) in the second largest U.S. IPO of 2001
Josh has also advised on spin-offs and other strategically important events, including:
- Paysafe on its 2021 merger with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II
- Finance of America Companies on its 2021 business combination with Replay Acquisition Corp.
- The Carlyle Group on its 2020 corporate conversion and the 2010 and 2007 investments in that firm by Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi–based strategic development and investment company
- Blackstone on its 2019 corporate conversion, 2015 spin-off of its financial advisory businesses and 2007 sale of $3 billion of non-voting common units to a sovereign wealth fund established by the People's Republic of China
- Dover Corporation in the 2018 spin-off of its upstream energy business into a standalone, publicly traded company
- Hilton Worldwide on the 2017 spin-offs of the bulk of its real estate business, Park Hotels & Resorts Inc., as a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT), and of its timeshare business, Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., as a separate publicly traded company
- Ingersoll Rand on its 2013 spin-off of its commercial and residential security businesses and 2009 reorganization incorporating its parent company in Ireland
In addition to his company-side work, Josh routinely represents major investment banking firms, including BofA Securities, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo on equity capital markets transactions.
Josh has been featured in The American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year,” is recognized in Chambers Global, Chambers USA and is endorsed by PLC Which Lawyer?. The Legal 500 U.S. has placed Josh in its “Hall of Fame” and says that “‘IPO powerhouse’ Joshua Ford Bonnie is noted as ‘second-to-none.’ Chambers says, “Joshua Ford Bonnie is spoken of highly by sources, with one commenting: ‘He is a true partner: He is highly commercial, thinks like a business person and anticipates what we’ll need before we need it.’
Josh frequently writes for industry publications and is noted for his contributions and thought leadership. He co-authored Initial Public Offerings: Considerations for Business Owners and Executives Taking Their Company Public and is Contributing Editor to the NYSE IPO Guide and Lexology Panoramic: Initial Public Offerings.
Josh graduated from the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law. After serving as a law clerk to the Hon. Robert R. Merhige, Jr. (E.D. Va.), Josh joined Simpson Thacher in 1996.