Cleary Deepens Top-Ranked Capital Markets Bench with Addition of Lin Yu to Derivatives Practice

Cleary Gottlieb announced today that Lin Yu joins the firm as a partner in its derivatives practice.

She will be part of the capital markets group in New York, which is top-ranked by Chambers USA.

“We are excited to welcome Lin to the firm,” said Cleary Managing Partner Jeff Karpf. “She will further strengthen our award-winning capital markets and derivatives practices, which has been a key focus for Cleary. Lin’s extensive equity derivatives experience and deep knowledge of the market add momentum in bolstering our capabilities to support clients on sophisticated, large-scale mandates. She aligns with our goal of assembling a team that provides clients with the highest level of integrated solutions across corporate transactions.”

Lin brings more than two decades of transactional equity derivatives experience at major financial institutions. As an Americas managing director at both Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, Lin served as the Head of Equity Derivatives Legal (Americas) and Head of Global Trading Solutions (Americas), respectively. In these roles, she advised on equity derivative transactions, margin loans, and private credit solutions, such as NAV financings and other private asset transactions facing corporations, private equity firms, insurance companies, activist funds, and hedge funds.

“Derivatives continue to sit at the crux of today’s most complex transactional work for major financial institutions, corporate clients and private markets participants. Lin’s industry credibility further scales our reputation as a go-to firm for structuring and executing innovative transactions for these clients,” said Lillian Tsu, partner and leader of Cleary’s Americas Capital Markets Practice. “Lin’s arrival also plays an integral role in further developing our convertible securities practice as we continue to expand both our issuer and underwriter representations.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Lin for many years now and have seen just how much her clients value her guidance and advice,” said Clay Simmons, partner at Cleary. “She has a wealth of experience and fits in perfectly with Cleary’s collaborative approach, working with clients and across teams to develop innovative solutions for the most complex challenges.”

Cleary is continuously recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top firms handling derivatives and complex capital markets transactions in the U.S. and globally. Cleary achieved Band 1 recognition in Derivatives and Band 1 recognition in Capital Markets: Investment Grade Debt, Issuer Counsel in 2026, alongside six other rankings in capital markets. Lin’s arrival strengthens this award-winning team and marks Cleary’s sixth strategic corporate hire of 2026. Partner and head of Shareholder Engagement and Activism Defense Sebastian Alsheimer joined in January, Capital Markets partners Ilir Mujalovic and Harald Halbhuber arrived in February, Matthew Schwartz joined the firm’s M&A and Private Equity Transaction groups in April, and Jennifer Morton joined the Financial Institutions group in May.

“After working with Cleary for years, I am excited to join their world-class capital markets practice,” said Lin. “I have seen firsthand how transformative the right outside counsel can be for clients navigating complex derivative transactions. Cleary’s rare ability to combine elite capital markets experience with depth in regulatory, governance, and litigation work is what positions the firm as a true one-stop resource for clients.”