Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP today announced that Gregory B. Klein and Michael W. Kaplan have joined its Mergers and Acquisitions Practice as Partners in Los Angeles. Greg and Mike join Simpson Thacher from Irell & Manella, where they were both Partners and where Greg served as co-chair of the firm’s Transactions Practice and a member of the Executive Committee.

Greg and Mike are leading transactional lawyers focusing on private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and related corporate matters. They represent private equity firms in domestic and cross-border transactions, with an emphasis on middle-market deals. They also advise venture investors, hedge funds and other institutional money managers, founders, startups and early-stage companies on investments, debt and equity financings, and governance issues, among other matters.

“We are delighted to welcome Greg and Mike to the Firm. Their addition will further enhance our ability to meet our clients’ needs both in California and beyond,” said Bill Dougherty, Chairman of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee. “Their experience advising on mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the middle-market, as well as on growth equity investments, is an ideal complement to our strength in private equity across the board.”

“It is not easy to leave Irell & Manella, and we’ll miss our colleagues,” said Greg. “However, Simpson Thacher’s superb reputation in private equity and mergers and acquisitions, combined with its multidisciplinary platform, was really attractive and makes it the best next step for our practice.”

“Simpson Thacher is a recognized leader in providing cutting-edge legal advice and innovative solutions for its clients’ most pressing matters,” said Mike. “We are excited to join its formidable team of lawyers to continue delivering the highest level of service.”

Greg received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 1996 and a B.S. and B.A. from University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Mike received his J.D., cum laude, from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2002 and a B.A., cum laude, from Yale University in 1999.

Simpson Thacher’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice is an industry-leader unrivaled in its reputation and unique in its breadth. It spans every industry segment and geographic region and has advised on many of the most prominent U.S. and international transactions of the past several decades. The Firm’s clients include public and private companies, founder-owned and family-owned businesses, investors and boards. The scale and depth of the Firm’s private equity experience give the Firm insight into the needs of participants across the sector, making it the firm of choice for many of the world’s most sophisticated private equity firms for advice on minority investments, mergers and acquisitions, and exit transactions, among other matters.