Ryan Williams is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Practice. Ryan represents clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions transactions, with a particular focus on M&A relating to alternative asset managers, including acquisitions and sales of minority equity interests in private equity, hedge fund and other alternative asset managers.
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Work Highlights
- Sixth Street Partners in its agreement with TPG Global to become independent, unaffiliated businesses, with TPG retaining a passive minority economic stake in Sixth Street
- BC Partners, Quantum Energy Partners and CrossHarbor Capital Partners in connection with sales of minority equity interests to investors
- The Carlyle Group in connection with its secondary sale of investments in its U.S. Equity Opportunities Fund to Whitehorse Liquidity Partners
- Experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes:
- Numerous M&A transactions involving alternative asset managers, including purchases and sales of equity interests in established hedge fund and private equity managers as well as seeding transactions for emerging managers
- The merger of Media General and Young Broadcasting
- The sale of Cequel Communications by Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and other investors to BC Partners and the CPP Investment Board
Education
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Cornell Law School, 2006 J.D.
Dean’s List; Note Editor, Cornell International Law Journal
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Duke University, 2003 B.S.
City and State Editor, The Chronicle
Ryan Williams is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Practice. Ryan’s practice focuses on M&A transactions involving alternative asset managers, including private equity and hedge fund managers. In addition to his work in the asset manager M&A space, Ryan has experience representing a broad variety of clients, including private equity firms, public and private companies and family offices, in connection with both domestic and international transactions across a range of industries. His experience includes leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, angel and venture capital transactions, recapitalizations and exit transactions, among other corporate transactions.
Ryan’s experience has included:
- Representation of Sixth Street Partners in its agreement with TPG Global to become independent, unaffiliated businesses, with TPG retaining a passive minority economic stake in Sixth Street;
- Representations of BC Partners, Quantum Energy Partners and CrossHarbor Capital Partners in connection with sales of minority equity interests to investors; and
- Representation of The Carlyle Group in connection with its secondary sale of investments in its U.S. Equity Opportunities Fund to Whitehorse Liquidity Partners.
Ryan’s experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes:
- Numerous M&A transactions involving alternative asset managers, including purchases and sales of equity interests in established hedge fund and private equity managers as well as seeding transactions for emerging managers;
- The merger of Media General and Young Broadcasting;
- The acquisition of 24 Hour Fitness by AEA Investors and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan;
- The strategic alliance between SPX Corporation’s Service Solutions Unit and Launch Tech Company of China; and
- The sale of Cequel Communications by Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and other investors to BC Partners and the CPP Investment Board.
Prior to joining Simpson Thacher, Ryan worked in the New York and Hong Kong offices of another international law firm.
Ryan received his J.D. from Cornell Law School, where he was a Note Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal, and his B.S. in Economics from Duke University. At Duke he was the City and State Editor for the Chronicle, Duke’s independent daily student newspaper. He is admitted to practice in New York.