Ilan S. Nissan

Ilan Nissan is the firm’s head of Private Equity and M&A and is based in New York and Miami. He leads one of the firm’s largest and most active private equity practices and advises many of the world’s most sophisticated asset managers, including leading private equity and venture capital firms, hedge funds, family offices, and multi-strategy investment platforms. His clients include Fortune 50 founders and CEOs, prominent media figures, and A-list artists and celebrities in connection with their investing and strategic activities.

With more than 37 years of experience, Ilan is widely regarded as one of the nation’s preeminent advisors in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and technology-driven investing. Clients turn to him not only for execution, but for judgment — often seeking his guidance on matters where other firms are already engaged. Many clients rely on him as a long-term strategic counselor, advising on the business, governance, and capital decisions that define the evolution of their enterprises.

Ilan is a trusted member of his clients’ inner circle and is often treated as their unofficial general counsel — someone they rely on for candid advice on complex business and investment decisions. His practice is distinguished by an ability to cut through complexity, identify the true sources of risk and leverage, and deliver clear, pragmatic solutions in high-stakes situations. Sitting at the intersection of capital, operators, and ideas, he frequently catalyzes relationships that shape transactions well beyond a single deal.

For more than two decades, Ilan has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Columbia University Law School, where he teaches mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, and transactional strategy.

He is particularly known for:

• Bringing clarity to complex legal and business challenges;
• Delivering advice calibrated to clients’ strategic, economic, and reputational priorities; and
• Leading elite, multidisciplinary teams of professionals on the most demanding matters.

Mergers & Acquisitions / Private Equity. Advises leading private equity sponsors and investment firms on complex mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, divestitures, securities offerings, and strategic investments.

Strategic Counseling. Provides senior-level advice on critical business and legal matters, including acquisitions, liquidity strategies, high-stakes litigation, governmental investigations, and complex regulatory issues. Ilan also has substantial international experience involving cross-border acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures.

Growth Equity, Venture Capital & Technology. Represents growth equity and venture capital funds, family offices, and founders, with a concentration on software, internet, and technology businesses. Ilan has advised investors across multiple waves of AI deployment — from early machine learning platforms to today’s large-scale foundation model infrastructure, helping sponsors and operators navigate both technical disruption and capital strategy.

Fund Formation & Sponsor Advisory. Advises on the formation and restructuring of private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, co-investment vehicles, pledge funds, and secondary transactions. He is frequently consulted by senior sponsors on internal economics, governance, carry structures, compensation frameworks, and sensitive inter-partner negotiations.

Executive Compensation. Represents investors and management teams in structuring executive employment arrangements and equity-based incentive programs.

Film, Media & Entertainment. Represents media personalities and A-list artists in their investment and business activities. He was also a producer of the Israeli television series Red Alert, which documents the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, reflecting a broader commitment to projects at the intersection of culture, impact, and storytelling.

Real Estate. Advises on real estate-related matters, including proptech, infrastructure, and project finance.

Ilan is a co-founder of Soirée Miami Beach, a luxury swimwear and resortwear brand. As an active entrepreneur, he brings an operator’s perspective to his advisory work, offering clients practical insight into brand-building, growth, and execution beyond traditional legal frameworks.

He is also actively engaged as an angel investor in early-stage technology companies, reflecting a sustained focus on innovation, product development, and the evolution of technology markets. Ilan maintains active involvement with the Montreux Jazz Festival Miami, reinforcing his commitment to cultural platforms that elevate artistic voices and global creative exchange.

Ilan approaches his work through an interdisciplinary lens shaped by active engagement across law, investing, entrepreneurship, technology, culture, and human performance. His interests span artificial intelligence, luxury brand development, film and cultural projects, wellness and performance optimization, and global travel. By operating fluently across these arenas, he recognizes patterns that are often invisible within a single discipline — sharpening his judgment and enabling him to address complex problems with clarity, creativity, and strategic foresight.

Ilan sits on the boards of directors and advisory boards of multiple asset managers and operating businesses, including Sbarro Holdings, Inc.

He is proficient in Arabic, French, Hebrew, and Spanish and is proudly from Ramat Gan, Israel.

Prior to joining the firm, Ilan was Chairman of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He was previously a partner at O’Sullivan Graev & Karabell LLP and began his legal career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, all in New York City.

Ilan was named Lawyer of the Year for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity by The Best Lawyers in America and is consistently recognized by Best Lawyers, Legal 500 U.S., Super Lawyers, and International Financial Law Review.