Dechert Continues California Expansion; Adds Accomplished Private Equity M&A Partner Nicole Macarchuk in San Francisco

Dechert LLP announced today that Nicole Macarchuk will join the firm’s corporate and securities group in San Francisco; she will serve as a key addition to the firm’s private equity M&A and private credit teams. Ms. Macarchuk will be the sixth partner to join Dechert’s San Francisco office in the past year as part of the firm’s strategic plan to bolster its interdisciplinary corporate, litigation, and financial services capabilities in California.

Ms. Macarchuk brings immense knowledge of the alternative asset management industry, with wide ranging experience in private equity and private credit transactions. Most recently, Ms. Macarchuk was the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Angel Island Capital in San Francisco, a multi-strategy credit boutique and portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital.

She began her legal career in private practice and became co-general counsel at alternative asset management firm Sculptor Capital Management, formerly Och-Ziff Capital Management, in 2004. She then joined global investment firm KKR in 2010 as a managing director and General Counsel of public markets until 2018, when she joined Angel Island Capital. She earned a B.A. in economics from Fordham University and a J.D. cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Heluna Health. Ms. Macarchuk is admitted in New York.

Henry Nassau, Dechert’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Nicole’s exceptional client-side experience and business sense, and her deep expertise in private equity and credit investing across multiple industries and geographies, are unique and invaluable additions to our practice, especially as alternative asset managers are launching new products and strategies at a record pace. She also shares our commercial, collaborative approach to solving our clients’ most critical business challenges and our dedication to mentoring our talent.”

“I am thrilled to join Dechert and work side by side with attorneys I came to know and respect during my time at KKR and Angel Island. These relationships, along with the firm’s ability to provide high quality legal, regulatory, and industry counsel on a global scale, is what drew me to Dechert,” said Ms. Macarchuk. “I also look forward to being part of the growing San Francisco office and contributing to the firm’s West Coast expansion strategy.”

Ms. Macarchuk’s arrival follows the additions of private fund formation partner Sonia Gioseffi, former federal prosecutor Hartley West, corporate governance litigator Rick Horvath, and relocated litigation partner Joshua Hess and private equity M&A partner Jonathan Stott to Dechert’s San Francisco team. In 2020, Dechert also welcomed a product liability trial team led by Kimberly Branscome and Jay Bhimani to its Los Angeles office, and IP litigator Jennifer Swan to Silicon Valley. Other recent senior hires in California at counsel level include private equity specialist Maryam Naghavi (San Francisco), global finance lawyer Andrew Taggart (San Francisco) and product liability litigator Benjamin Sadun (Los Angeles), who was subsequently elected to Dechert’s partnership.

Recognized as an international powerhouse, Dechert’s private equity practice has been on a fast-track growth trajectory, advising more than 300 private equity and other private investment clients worldwide. The firm’s global team of more than 250 lawyers represents all types of private equity sponsors and other private investment firms, including sovereign wealth funds and family offices, and their portfolio companies, as well as institutional and corporate investors looking to invest in private equity funds. Recognized among the top law firms for private equity deals by Mergermarket’s “Global & Regional League Tables 2021 – Legal Advisors,” the firm was ranked #5 for U.S. Buyouts and #10 for Global Buyouts by deal value.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 22 offices around the world. The firm advises on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity, and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.