Ryan Williams

Ryan Williams is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Practice and co-leads Simpson Thacher’s Fund Transactions practice. Ryan’s practice focuses on M&A transactions involving alternative asset managers, including minority “GP stake” investments, control sale transactions and joint ventures. In addition to his work in the asset manager M&A space, Ryan has experience representing a broad variety of clients, including private equity firms, public and private companies and family offices, in connection with both domestic and international transactions across a range of industries. His experience includes leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, angel and venture capital transactions, recapitalizations and exit transactions, among other corporate transactions. 

Ryan’s experience has included:

• Representations of Pershing Square, Stonepeak, New Holland, BC Partners, Quantum Energy Partners, Corsair Capital and CrossHarbor Capital Partners in connection with sales of minority GP stakes investments;
• Numerous control transactions, including Bridgepoint in its acquisition of Energy Capital Partners, Lexington Partners in its acquisition by Franklin Resources, Portfolio Advisors in its combination with FS Investments (Franklin Square), and Baring Private Equity Asia in its combination with EQT;
• Representation of Sixth Street Partners in its agreement with TPG Global to become independent, unaffiliated businesses, with TPG retaining a passive minority economic stake in Sixth Street;
• Multiple sponsors in connection with founder succession planning;
• Representation of KKR in connection with its joint venture with iCapital, Vista Equity Partners and Warburg Pincus;
• Representation of The Carlyle Group in connection with its secondary sale of investments in its U.S. Equity Opportunities Fund to Whitehorse Liquidity Partners; and
• Representation of Stonecroft Management in its minority investment in Thrive Capital.

Prior to joining Simpson Thacher, Ryan worked in the New York and Hong Kong offices of another international law firm. 

Ryan received his J.D. from Cornell Law School, where he was a Note Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal, and his B.S. in Economics from Duke University. At Duke he was the City and State Editor for the Chronicle, Duke’s independent daily student newspaper. He is admitted to practice in New York.