New York – April 13, 2026 – Derek Pease has joined Cooley’s New York office as a partner in the firm’s fund formation practice. Pease joins Cooley from Silver Lake, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, and brings more than two decades of industry experience from several in-house and external advisory roles. With Pease’s addition, Cooley expands its private equity team, advancing its service to its sophisticated clients and its ongoing commitment to the sector.

“Derek brings the rare combination of elite in-house leadership and top-tier private practice experience at the highest level,” said John Clendenin, partner and chair of Cooley’s global fund formation practice. “Having led multibillion-dollar fundraises and coordinated global compliance and operational frameworks, he understands the full life cycle of modern investment platforms. His addition to our strong bench in New York reinforces Cooley’s position as a premier destination for sophisticated private equity sponsors.”

At Silver Lake, Pease most recently served as legal director of fund formation, working on a series of investment funds that raised billions of dollars from institutional investors and structured global technology investments. He has a substantial background in leading all aspects of fund formation through every step of the fundraising process and overseeing multifaceted fund operations.

Before joining Silver Lake, Pease was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, where he represented leading domestic and international sponsors in fund development and operations and advised on fund-related transactions – including minority-stake sales, co-investments and joint ventures – and legal and regulatory issues.

“I’m energized to return to private practice at a collaborative and well-regarded global firm that serves many of the world’s leading and most innovative sponsors,” said Pease. “Cooley’s impressive momentum in the private equity space, along with its industry presence and strengths in fund formation, provides an exceptional platform for serving clients across multiple geographies and asset classes.”

Cooley’s fund formation practice provides primary counsel to more than 950 investment fund organizations. The practice’s deep bench of 60+ lawyers has helped collate $120 billion+ in committed capital in closings over the past five years. Its client investments span the US, China, Europe, India, Vietnam, Singapore, Israel, South America and elsewhere. The group formed the first venture capital limited partnership in the western US and has been active in China for four decades and in India for three decades. The team advises on every type of fund formation, including private equity, venture capital, fund of funds, evergreen, growth equity and other managers at all states and sizes, from individual angel funds to billion-dollar investment funds.

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