Brad Johnson

Kirkland & Ellis represented Trinity Hunt Partners, a growth-oriented private equity firm, on the formation of Allvia, a workforce services platform, through Trinity Hunt's investment in Melita Group, a human resources, benefits administration and payroll provider. Allvia’s mission is to build a market-leading workforce services platform that pairs hands-on expertise with scalable solutions to help employers better support their people and strengthen their businesses. Read Trinity Hunt’s press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Thomas Laughlin, Brad Johnson, Andrew Watson and Ben Samway; tax lawyers David Wheat and Jon Nelsen; employment & labor lawyers Christie Alcala and George Cartveli; employee benefits lawyers Justin Coddington and Ethan Kirner; executive compensation lawyers Stephen Jacobson, Lany Villalobos and Urvi Patel; real estate lawyers Vincent Forcinito, Natalia Ortiz and Tate Whitten; and technology & IP transactions lawyers Matt Lovell, Joanna Schlingbaum and Dan Sotos.

Feb 11

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis counseled Ares Management Infrastructure Opportunities funds in an investment in a partnership with ENGIE North America holding a 2.7 GW portfolio consisting of 15 projects in operation across ERCOT, MISO, PJM and SPP, of which 53% is solar, 25% wind and 22% co-located battery storage capacity. This transaction is one of the largest sales completed in the renewables sector based on total capacity. ENGIE will retain a controlling share in the portfolio and will continue to operate and manage the assets. In connection with the investment, Kirkland also advised Ares on securing a new backleveraged first lien credit facility, which was jointly arranged by MUFG Bank, Ltd. and BNP Paribas. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Rob Goodin, Michael Cline and Daniel Cadis and associates Alexandra David and Brad Johnson; debt finance partners Rohit Chaudhry and Olivia George; tax equity partners William Nicholson, Michael Masri and Sophia Han; tax partners Bill Dong and Jacob Walley; and energy regulatory partner Drew Stuyvenberg.

Sep 13

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis represented Averon Group, a national HVAC distribution platform backed by Trinity Hunt Partners, on its launch and investment in Fenco Supply, a multi-generation, family-owned distributor of HVAC equipment, parts and supplies. The addition of Fenco Supply as the platform's second partner company, following its June 2025 investment in Blackhawk Supply, expands Averon Group's service footprint into the Southeast as it builds a nationwide network of independent HVAC distributors serving mechanical contractors and facility managers. Read Averon Group’s press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Thomas Laughlin, Brad Johnson and Ben Samway; tax lawyers David Wheat and Jon Nelsen; employment & labor lawyers Christie Alcala and George Cartveli; executive compensation lawyers Stephen Jacobson, Sally Ye and Devin Kern; technology & IP transactions lawyers Matt Lovell and David Yaka; and real estate lawyers Vincent Forcinito and Natalia Ortiz.

Feb 4

1 min

Music industry veterans Hank Forsyth and Dan McCarroll, together with Carlyle’s (NASDAQ: CG) Global Credit platform, has announced the launch of Litmus Music. Litmus will acquire and manage music rights, including both music publishing and recorded music, across genres, geographies, and vintages. Carlyle Global Credit has initially committed US$500 million in both equity and debt, alongside capital committed by management, which will be used to launch the business and fund the pursuit of a robust pipeline of music rights targets. Latham & Watkins LLP represents Carlyle Global Credit in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by partners Stelios Saffos, Cory Tull, Rick Offsay, and Peter Sluka, with associates Brad Guest and Brad Johnson. Advice was also provided on finance matters by counsel Marcela Ruenes, with associate Julio Martinez Rivas; on tax matters by partner Jocelyn Noll, with associate Shruti Hazra; and on benefits & compensation matters by partner Dave Della Rocca, with associate Courtney Thomson.~~

Aug 5

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis represented Improving, a modern digital services company, on acquiring Leniolabs, a software development company leveraging nearshore talent in Chile and Argentina as well as a development center in Spain. The transaction is expected to increase Improving's annualized revenue to exceed $265 million and expand Improving's development services into South America. Read Improving’s press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Thomas Laughlin and Brad Johnson; debt finance lawyer Lucas Spivey; and tax lawyer David Wheat.

Nov 4

1 min