For a Feb. 26, 2021, Q&A published in Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw Today, McGuireWoods partners Greg Kilpatrick and Gerald Thomas discussed the firm’s Black Professionals in Private Equity & Finance initiative, which launched in January 2021. Kilpatrick and Thomas, who created and lead this effort, shared their hopes for the program, the efforts to diversify private equity and the hurdles they expect to face.
“We wanted to make a place where folks could meet each other, share experiences, form bonds and do business together,” said Kilpatrick, who chairs the firm’s Securities & Capital Markets Department. “One of the benefits we hope will come is that more capital will go to minority-owned businesses.”
Thomas, who chairs McGuireWoods’ Tax & Employee Benefits Department, added: “The feedback we’ve gotten from people in the industry and our clients has been overwhelming. Many of our clients have already reached out to us looking for ways that they could potentially partner with us on this initiative.”
The Black Professionals in Private Equity & Finance initiative will bring together professionals from across the financial services sector to network, share ideas and promote change in the industry. The initiative will feature panel discussions and roundtables with leaders in the financial services sector and an online series highlighting dealmakers.
In league tables published by Refinitiv and Bloomberg, McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the leading law firms for syndicated lending, capital markets transactions, and M&A and private equity deals.