Freshfields today announced that it is opening an office in Boston as it enters the next phase of its U.S. expansion. Boston-based Private Capital M&A partner Matthew Goulding has joined the firm as managing partner of our new office and will lead the Boston build out. Matt brings more than two decades of experience across the full spectrum of private equity transactions and general corporate matters. He advises financial sponsors and strategics on leverage buy outs, M&A, carve-outs, take-privates, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, equity investments and syndication transactions. Senior partner Georgia Dawson commented: “As a leading global law firm, we are laser focused on serving our clients on their most pressing corporate, regulatory and litigation matters. Greater Boston has become a global hub for some of the most sophisticated and fastest growing companies in the world and it’s a highly strategic market for many of our clients, particularly private capital, life sciences and emerging companies. Our focus on these growth industries in the U.S. and globally makes Boston a very natural fit for us. We also expect Boston to play an important role in our U.S. recruitment strategy given its proximity to some of the best colleges and universities in the world and the city’s deep and attractive talent market for attorneys and business services colleagues. Matt has an extensive network in the Boston market and shares our strong sense of client service, the importance of culture and vision for the future – he is the perfect partner to lead our Boston office build.” Matt added: “I’ve spent over 20 years in Boston’s legal market and know it’s full of highly skilled and experienced practitioners, with deep roots across private capital, life sciences and emerging companies. To launch a Boston office while leveraging Freshfields’ global platform and rich history is an exciting opportunity. The firm’s client-focused mindset paired with its collegial culture and strength in cross-border teamwork has made it an elite standout among global law firms. I’m thrilled to join the team as we take this next step in our U.S. expansion.” Neal J. Reenan, Global Co-Head of Freshfields’ Private Capital group said: “Matt is an extremely skilled private equity lawyer capable of handling any kind of private equity transaction, including growth and structured equity investments, middle market leveraged buyouts and divestitures, and multi-billion-dollar global carveouts. His experience serving large global and U.S. middle-market private equity sponsors aligns with core pillars of Freshfields’ global private capital strategy, and Matt’s deep experience, strong client following, sterling reputation and leadership skills make him the perfect leader of this next facet of our private capital practice growth.” Boston will be Freshfields’ fourth U.S. office, joining New York, Washington DC, and Silicon Valley/San Francisco. Freshfields is the only firm with Band 1 rankings from Chambers Global 2025 in the following worldwide transactional, regulatory and risk practices: Private Equity, M&A, Antitrust, Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration, Tax and Public International Law. The firm is regularly recognized across league tables where we excel in cross-border, U.S., Europe, Asia, MENA and private equity markets. Freshfields’ work across the private capital, life sciences and technology industries has received numerous awards around the world including Law360’s Life Sciences Group of the Year, LMG Life Sciences’ Impact Deal of the Year and Financial Times’ recognition as “Innovative Lawyers in Technology.”