Cleary Gottlieb Adds Private Equity Veteran Mark Pflug to Elite M&A Group

Cleary Gottlieb announced today that Mark Pflug joined the firm as a partner in the Americas M&A and Private Equity Transactions groups.

He is based in New York.

“We are building a deep bench of private equity M&A professionals at all levels to serve clients on their most complex transactions,” said Cleary Managing Partner Jeff Karpf. “As the dealmaking landscape grows more competitive and cross-border in nature, Mark’s two decades of experience strengthens our ability to execute our client’s highest-value transactions.

With deep experience in large-cap and middle-market private equity, Mark advises on all manner of transactions across the entire life-cycle of private equity sponsors’ engagement with their portfolio companies, including initial investments, consortium and partnership arrangements, follow-on acquisitions and investments, refinancings and recapitalizations, and dispositions both in public markets and sales to strategic and financial acquirors. Mark also regularly advises public and private companies on their most important M&A matters, including strategic business combinations, complex joint ventures, minority investments, as well as corporate governance matters.

Mark’s practice spans multiple sectors and includes significant experience in the healthcare/life sciences, real estate services, industrial, and technology, media and telecommunications sectors. He has extensive experience in cross-border transactions in numerous European and Asian jurisdictions. Before joining Cleary, Mark was a partner at a large international law firm.

“Mark’s impressive track record of advising on the market’s most sophisticated transactions makes him a critical addition to our growing M&A and private equity practices,” said Glenn McGrory, member of Cleary’s Executive Committee and Co-Leader of the Americas M&A Group. “His arrival strengthens our ability to operate as an integrated team as deals become increasingly complex and require collaboration across antitrust, global funds, and other disciplines. Mark will be instrumental in supporting our clients with high-profile matters across sectors in private equity M&A and public company transactions.”

Mark is the latest strategic addition to Cleary’s preeminent M&A practice, following the 2026 arrivals of partner and head of Energy and Infrastructure Niqui Kohli in August, partner Emmanuel Enrici in June, and partner Matthew Schwartz in April. He joins an award-winning team that has been continuously recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 U.S. In 2026, the firm was named to Chambers USA’s Corporate/M&A: The Elite ranking and was recognized as a Tier 1 firm for M&A: Large Deals Over $1 Billion and as a leading firm for Private Equity Buyouts: Large Deals Over $500 Million by Legal 500 U.S.

“It is an honor to join Cleary’s world-class M&A and private equity teams, which regularly top the league tables,” said Mark. “Cleary has a long-standing reputation for technical excellence and a strong culture of collaboration, values that closely match my own approach to serving clients. I look forward to contributing to the continued growth of Cleary’s private equity and M&A capabilities.”