Barrie B. Covit

Barrie Covit is a partner in the Firm’s Corporate Department, where he is Co-Head of the Investment Funds Practice, Chair of the Firm’s Investment and Pension Committee and a member of the Firm’s Compensation Committee. Concentrating on alternative asset management, Barrie represents some of the largest, best-known sponsors of private equity funds, including Carlyle, KKR, Lexington Partners, BlackRock, J.C. Flowers, Corsair Capital and EQT. He has represented sponsors of funds that focus on investments in specific asset classes—including energy, financial services and the secondary market—throughout the world, including in Western Europe, South Africa and Brazil. In addition, Barrie represented the U.S. Treasury Department in connection with the $30 billion Public-Private Investment Program to purchase legacy assets from financial institutions. Barrie is ranked in the top tier of U.S. private funds practitioners by Chambers & Partners. Chambers has noted Barrie’s “deep experience across the private equity fund formation industry.” Additionally, Chambers has cited him as a "brilliant lawyer" and noted that "he is incredibly smart and he has a great commercial sense about him." Recently, Barrie was named by Law360 as an “MVP” for 2024. Barrie has also been named to the “Hall of Fame” and as a leading lawyer by The Legal 500 United States. In addition, he is referred to as a market leader by IFLR1000 and noted as a “Thought Leader” in the Lexology Index.

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Work Highlights

BlackRock in the establishment of its BlackRock Global Energy Infrastructure Fund IV and its successor GIP Mid-Market Fund V
Carlyle in a number of fund-raisings, including the establishment of the $18.5 billion Carlyle Partners VII, the $8 billion Carlyle Realty Partners IX, the €6.4 billion Carlyle Europe Partners V, the $6.5 billion Carlyle Asia Partners V, the $2.2 billion Carlyle Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund and the $1.1 billion Carlyle Financial Services Partners
EQT in a number of fund-raisings, including the establishment of the $24 billion EQT X and $18.2 billion EQT IX
J.C. Flowers in the establishment of its financial services funds including the $2.3 billion J.C. Flowers III
Lexington Partners in the establishment of the $22.7 billion Lexington Capital Partners X and the $10 billion Lexington Capital Partners VIII
KKR in the establishment of the $1.2 billion KKR Real Estate Partners Americas
Northwood Partners in raising over $8.5 billion for an evergreen real estate fund
Sterling Investors in raising over $650 million for its second real estate fund, Sterling Investors Fund II
U.S. Treasury in its $30 billion Public-Private Investment Program to purchase legacy assets from financial institutions

Education

Columbia Law School, 1998 J.D.
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Columbia Business Law Review
McGill University, 1995 B.C.
James McGill Scholar

Admissions

New York 1999

Barrie is co-head of Simpson Thacher’s Investment Funds practice, and widely recognized as one of the foremost attorneys in the alternative asset management field. The world’s most prominent and sophisticated private equity sponsors turn to Barrie for counsel on their bespoke, complex and high-stakes decisions at the fund and management-company level, including fundraising initiatives, business strategy, legal and regulatory risk, new product development and product line expansion, liquidity events and restructurings, internal firm matters, and other extraordinary fundraising and operational issues.

Barrie has guided investment sponsors on the formation and fundraising of investment funds and related vehicles with aggregate capital commitments exceeding $200 billion. His clients include Carlyle, KKR, BlackRock, Lexington Partners, J.C. Flowers, Corsair Capital and EQT, spanning a broad range of investment strategies, including private equity, energy, credit, infrastructure, financial services and secondaries. These engagements span all global markets, including Western Europe, South Africa and Brazil.

Clients have routinely turned to Barrie to navigate the most significant and transformative matters facing fund sponsors and their platforms. Notably, he represented the United States Treasury Department in connection with the establishment of its $30 billion Public-Private Investment Program to purchase legacy assets from financial institutions, a landmark engagement at the intersection of private capital and public policy. He also plays a leading role in the firm’s development of fund formation technology and AI-enabled solutions designed to enhance client service, improve efficiency and deliver deeper insights to sponsors navigating complex fund formation and business challenges.

Year after year, Barrie has been consistently ranked for his cutting-edge work in fund formation by leading publications, including Chambers & Partners, Law360, Legal 500, IFLR1000 and the Financial Times in its “US Innovative Lawyers” issue.

Barrie is one of eleven private fund practitioners in the United States ranked in the top tier by Chambers & Partners. Chambers has noted Barrie’s “deep experience across the private equity fund formation industry.” Additionally, Chambers has cited him as a “brilliant lawyer” and noted that “he is incredibly smart and he has a great commercial sense about him.” Recently, Barrie was named by Law360 as an “MVP”. Barrie has also been named to the “Hall of Fame” and as a leading lawyer by The Legal 500 United States. In addition, he is referred to as a market leader by IFLR1000 and noted as a “Thought Leader” in the Lexology Index.

Barrie is a longtime member (and a former co-chair) of the Private Investment Funds Forum and a member of the International Bar Association, where he is currently serving as the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the Annual International Conference on Private Investment Funds.

Barrie is also currently the Chair of the Firm’s Investment and Pension Committee and a member of the Firm’s Compensation Committee.

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