Brian F Richards

Brian Richards is co-chair of the firm’s Private Equity practice and is a partner in the M&A practice at Paul Hastings.

Brian has 30 years of experience leading complex domestic and international transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, and growth equity investments in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, technology, distribution and services. The volume and breadth of Brian’s experience is relatively unmatched in the middle market. In 2021 alone, he led more than 30 transactions of all sizes, including several multibillion-dollar deals.

For several years, Brian has been one of only three lawyers ranked Band 1 for Private Equity in Chicago according to Chambers USA, and for 15 years he has been recognized as a leading private equity attorney by a number of legal publications including Chambers USA, Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America and Illinois Super Lawyers.

Brian is regularly quoted in the media and is also a frequent speaker regarding private equity and mergers and acquisitions. Brian has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Illinois Gies College of Business and has spoken at Northwestern University Law School, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and events hosted by numerous private organizations.

Brian is actively involved in charitable organizations that provide educational opportunities to low-income children in Chicago, including Holy Trinity High School and The Big Shoulders Fund.

University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, B.S.