J. Hovey Kemp

Hovey Kemp, a retired partner in Goodwin's nationally recognized Private Equity Group, serves leading private equity and venture capital firms and private equity-sponsored growth companies across the country. Mr. Kemp is one of the leaders of Goodwin's interdisciplinary practice focusing on investments in alternative energy and clean technologies. In addition, Mr. Kemp is a member of the firm's Impact and Responsible Investing Practice.

Mr. Kemp, who has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, focuses primarily on private equity and financing transactions in connection with middle-market leveraged buyouts and buildups across a number of industries, including software, information technology, financial services, consumer products, healthcare, education, business services, traditional manufacturing and light industry, as well as the alternative energy and clean technologies sectors. His practice also focuses heavily on mergers and acquisitions, including for a number of public and private technology and other companies which are outside of his private equity practice. His clients include leading private equity firms such as Thoma Bravo, MissionPoint Capital Partners, CIVC Partners and Element Partners. Goodwin's San Francisco-based private equity team also regularly represents firm clients such as TA Associates, JMI Equity, Goldman Sachs and others in connection with their investment activities.

Mr. Kemp advises private investment funds on the full range of legal work involved in the formation of investment vehicles and the consummation of investments, leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations. A substantial portion of this work is in connection with leveraged buildups in various consolidating industries, where he acts as counsel to private equity funds and their portfolio companies engaged in growth through acquisitions. He also advises his private equity and portfolio company clients in effecting various exit strategies such as mergers, divestitures and public offerings. In addition, having been engaged in the private equity practice since the late 1980s, Mr. Kemp has deep experience in restructuring, recapitalization and reorganization transactions through significant market downturns.

Since moving to Northern California in 2012, Mr. Kemp has been increasingly involved in the firm’s technology company practice, representing numerous earlier and later-stage tech companies in sale transactions.

Prior to joining Goodwin in 2006, Mr. Kemp was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan Lovells. He relocated from Goodwin’s D.C. office to its San Francisco office in 2012.

Mr. Kemp has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Legal 500 United States.