Biography

Mr. Parness has broad experience counseling alternative investment management firms on transactions and other matters of strategic importance and is a frequent author and speaker on topics affecting the private equity and alternative asset management industry.
Prior to joining Weil, Mr. Parness spent over six years at Goldman Sachs where he was responsible for executing strategic M&A on behalf of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and advised multiple business units (growth equity, secondaries and GP-stakes) on investing activities and private fund matters.
Experience*
Asset Management and Financial Services
- Regular representation of sponsors and the “buy-side” on GP-led secondary transactions and GP-stake sales
- TPG Global in various matters, including its agreement with Sixth Street Partners, to become independent, unaffiliated businesses, with TPG retaining a passive minority economic stake in Sixth Street
- Brookfield Asset Management Inc. in its approximately $4.8 billion acquisition of a 61.2% stake in Oaktree Capital Group, LLC
- Goldman Sachs, the founding and largest shareholder of Global Atlantic Financial Group Limited, in KKR’s acquisition of a controlling interest in Global Atlantic in a transaction valued at approximately $4.7 billion
- Genstar Capital in, together with TA Associates, the acquisition of Orion Advisor Solutions, following the merger of Orion and Brinker Capital
- InfraRed Capital Partners in its $396 million sale of a majority stake to Sun Life Financial Inc.
- Thomas H. Lee Partners in the sale of THL Credit Advisors LLC to First Eagle Investment Management, LLC
- Goldman Sachs (as in-house counsel) in connection with its acquisitions of Rocaton Investment Advisors, Aptitude Investment Management, Honest Dollar, Imprint Capital, Pacific Global Advisors’ OCIO business, Verus Investors’ OCIO business and Deutche Bank’s stable value business and the dispositions of GSAM Australia’s equity business to TA Associates and GSAM India’s mutual fund business to Reliance Capital
- Allied Capital Corp. in its $650 million all-stock merger with Ares Capital Corporation
- IPC Holdings in its $1.7 billion sale to Validus Holdings
- Sempra Energy in the sale of its RBS-Sempra natural gas and power trading joint venture to J.P. Morgan
Consumer
- Campbell Soup Company in its $2.2 billion sale of Campbell International to KKR and its sale of Kelsen Group A/S
- AB InBev in connection with its sale of Busch Entertainment to Blackstone Group for $2.3 billion
- Gildan Activewear in connection with its acquisitions of GoldToe Moretz from Blackstone for $350 million and its acquisition of Anvil for $88 million
Healthcare
- Alcon and Alcon’s independent directors in connection with its sale of Nestle’s Alcon stake to Novartis and Novartis’ acquisition of the remaining publicly held minority interest in Alcon for $52.9 billion
- UnitedHealth in connection with its acquisition of XLHealth from Matlin Paterson
TMT
- AT&T in the sale of its Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive businesses to Cerberus
- CIC International, Boyu and CITIC Capital, as lead investors, in connection with the equity financing of Alibaba’s repurchase of Yahoo!’s stake in Alibaba
- Verifone Systems in its $1 billion acquisition of Point and the acquisitions of ChargeSmart, Global Bay Mobile Technologies and the assets of Show Media
Mr. Parness is named a 2020 Secondaries “Next Generation Leader” by Secondaries Investor, where clients note he is “…a star and would not consider a transaction without him as counsel.”
Mr. Parness received his J.D., magna cum laude and as a member of the Order of the Coif, from New York University School of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Delaware.
*Includes matters handled prior to joining Weil.
Awards and Recognition, Speaking Engagements, Latest Thinking, Firm News & Announcements
Awards and Recognition
- Brian Parness Named a Secondaries "Next Generation Leader" Award Brief — Secondaries Investor 2020
Speaking Engagements
-
Sahar Global Summit’s 2nd Annual Secondaries and Co-Investments Investor Summit
Speaker(s):
Harvey M. Eisenberg and
Brian Parness
October 21, 2020 — Weil Private Equity partners Harvey Eisenberg and Brian Parness interviewed keynote speakers Francisco Borges, Chairman & Managing Partner of Landmark Partners and Yann Robard, Managing Partner of Whitehorse Liquidity Partners, respectively, as part of Sahar Global Summit’s 2nd Annual Secondaries and Co-Investments Investor Summit.
-
Cebile Capital’s GP-led Secondaries Webinar
Speaker(s):
Brian Parness
May 13, 2020 — Weil Private Equity partner Brian Parness discusses “The Rise of Continuation Fund & Preferred Equity Solutions” as part of Cebile Capital’s GP-led Secondaries Webinar Series.
Latest Thinking
-
Creative Financing Solutions to Support Portfolio Companies in Challenging Times: Fund-Level Preferred Equity
Blog Post — Global Private Equity Watch
— By
Brian Parness
— April 06, 2020
In the wake of COVID-19’s disruption and the attendant uncertainty with respect to future liquidity needs and available funding sources, numerous private equity firms have encouraged their portfolio companies to draw down on their credit lines. With many credit lines fully drawn and, as the current crisis continues to evolve, we expect private equity sponsors […] ...
Firm News & Announcements
- Brian Parness Named as Secondaries Investor Next Generation Leader 2020 Firm Announcement — August 27, 2020
- Weil Advised InfraRed Capital Partners in its $396M Sale of an 80% Stake to Sun Life Financial Deal Brief — July 01, 2020