Cleary Gottlieb Adds Private Equity and Sports Rising Star Matthew Schwartz to Premier M&A Group

Cleary Gottlieb announced today that Matthew Schwartz joined the firm as a partner in the Americas M&A and Private Equity Transactions groups, based in New York.

“Continuing to expand our U.S. private equity and M&A footprint is a key priority for Cleary this year,” said Cleary Managing Partner Jeff Karpf. “Matthew is exactly the kind of talent that reinforces our ability to advise across the full range of transactions for our private capital client base investing in high-growth industries.”

Matthew advises a range of private equity sponsors from mid-market to large-cap funds, as well as sovereign wealth funds and their portfolio companies on leveraged buyouts, growth equity investments, and other complex transactions.

He joins an experienced group of private equity and M&A practitioners, known for their work in high-profile matters across technology, healthcare, industrials, consumer goods, and more. In 2025, the firm was ranked by Bloomberg, LSEG, and Mergermarket among the top 10 law firms for M&A globally, including ranking second for average deal size.

Matthew has also been recognized by Law360 as a Rising Star for his work in Sports & Betting. He has extensive experience in sports investment and previously served as the interim chief legal officer for LIV Golf. 

“Our market-leading team has advised on thousands of M&A and private equity transactions—in excess of $1.3 trillion for our clients globally—in the past five years,” said Matt Salerno, Co-Leader of the Americas Private Equity Transactions Group. “Matthew’s experience navigating complex issues for private equity sponsors and sovereign wealth funds, in addition to his unique insights into the sports transactions landscape, aligns perfectly with our growing client demand.”

“I am delighted to join Cleary, especially at such a significant juncture for its expanding private capital offering,” said Matthew. “With its highly collaborative culture, deep client relationships, and market-leading teams across mergers and acquisitions, funds, antitrust, and litigation, Cleary is well-positioned to grow alongside its expanding private equity client base.”

This expansion supports the firm’s continued growth, following a year that saw the firm advise on more than $300 billion in transactions, along with recent organic and lateral growth in the partnership ranks. Matthew is Cleary’s fourth corporate hire of 2026, following the arrival of partner and head of Shareholder Engagement and Activism Defense Sebastian Alsheimer in January, and Capital Markets partners Ilir Mujalovic and Harald Halbhuber in February. M&A lawyers Timothy Saviola, Claire Schupmann, and Joanna Roberts were also promoted to partner on January 1, 2026.