John R. LeClaire

John LeClaire is the founder and co-chair of Goodwin's nationally ranked Private Equity group and one of the most prominent private equity and growth company lawyers in the US, operating at the center of a vast network of connections and friends built up over four plus decades at Goodwin.

The Goodwin Private Equity group serves a blue-chip roster of private equity firms and growth companies globally and has earned recognition as the market leader for middle-market PE firms and transactions. Generation after generation of John’s proteges have expanded Goodwin’s PE franchise, globally.

John joined Goodwin in 1982 and has been a partner since 1989, and remains an active front line lawyer, firm strategist and industry commentator.

John’s current private equity work involves leveraged recapitalizations, buyouts and minority investments in the US and abroad, for leading private equity firms such as Webster Capital, In Tandem Capital, Ridgemont Equity Partners, Nautic Partners, Tinicum, Fremont Group and Kineticos Partners among others (including many of Goodwin’s top PE clients now institutionalized and served by other partners).

He also specializes in the representation of growth companies in sectors such as healthcare services, digital health, medical devices, technology in all forms, consumer products and advanced manufacturing, with a sub specialty in representation of management teams in transactional work and expertise in the area of equity incentives.

John has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America Best Lawyers for his work in Corporate Law Leveraged Buyouts, Private Equity Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2022-2024).

He is listed in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, U.S. News – Best Lawyers, The Legal 500 United States, Lawdragon 500, Leading Dealmakers in America and Best Lawyers in America.

While attending law school, he was the Articles Editor for the Boston University Law Review.

John is a frequent writer and speaker in the private equity/emerging companies area. He is regularly quoted and featured in national publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Daily Deal, Buyouts and Mergers & Acquisitions: The Dealmaker’s Journal. His articles include:

• “How Physician Practice Companies Succeed – And Why Some Don’t in PE Hub
• “In Their Own Words With Goodwin Procter’s John LeClaire” in the Wall Street Journal
• “There’s No Business That is Quite as Sticky as Private Equity’” in Forbes
• “Rollover and Incentive Equity Terms in Middle Market Private Equity,” published by Goodwin
• “Liberty in Law” in Private Funds Management
• “Tackling Blockers: Using Passthroughs to Power Your Investment” in Bloomberg BNA
• “Examining the Blocker” in Privcap
• “Rise of the Unfunded Escrow” in Buyouts
• “Q&A With John LeClaire, Co-Founder of Goodwin’s PE Group” in Pitchbook
• “The Up-C IPO: A Structure That Keeps on Giving” in Private Markets
• “Slicing Up the Pie: The Role of Incentive Equity in Winning Deals” in Buyouts
• “Carrots and Sticks: Making Investment Management Deals Work” in Buyouts
• “The Q-Sale: Ensuring a Liquid Liquidity Event” in Buyouts
• “Cash Flow: A Case For Taking It” in Buyouts
• “Partnering Right, Partnering Smart” in Buyouts
• “PE Holdings May Be Sitting on Preferred Stock Powder Kegs” in Mergers & Acquisitions

John has also published a book unrelated to law, A Century of Sutton Sports, a collection of tales, oral histories and musings about small town sports and culture over a 100-year span. His time outside of law work is devoted to a part-time hay and horse farming operation in Central Massachusetts, rebuilding stone walls, living history covering the Revolutionary War period (with the 250th anniversary of Rev War event approaching in 2025) and beyond, breaking down film and otherwise supporting selected high school basketballs teams and other youth sports, the Brown Rugby Club Alumni Council, history and writing on various non-law subjects for a private audience of readers.

John and his wife Ruth live in Lincoln, MA and Nantucket, MA, and have two grown sons, each married.