Lippes Mathias LLP partner John J. Koeppel, leader of the firm’s independent sponsor and private equity practice teams, will speak at the 2026 US Emerging Manager Institute (US EMI) Summit on Nov. 19 in New York City. Koeppel worked closely with the summit's organizer to curate the event's independent sponsor programming, with Lippes Mathias serving as a sponsor for that portion of the event. 

Koeppel will serve as a panelist on "Independent Sponsor Stream: Operations Setup & Legal Matters," one of the sessions in the independent sponsor programming. Other topics include "Independent Sponsor Terms, Governance and More" and "Deal Prep & Financial Due Diligence," among others. 

Now in its second year, the US EMI Summit is an accelerator for new and growing firms located and investing in the United States. The one-day event brings together general partners, limited partners, independent sponsors, and industry stakeholders to focus on building and scaling the next generation of alternatives firms. 

About John J. Koeppel 

John J. Koeppel is a partner, serves as the team leader of the firm's private equity and independent sponsor practices, and is a member of the firm's executive committee. He is one of the top lawyers nationally focused on "direct deals" and has successfully structured, negotiated, and closed more than 250 transactions in the past 25-plus years, which typically involve mergers and acquisitions, fund/SPV formations, and various private equity/independent sponsor transactions. He also works with clients to review and structure their Qualified Opportunity Zone and Qualified Small Business Stock investments. 

Koeppel acts as counsel to a number of leading funds, independent sponsors, holding companies, middle market companies, institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth investors focused on buy-out, growth, venture, real estate, intellectual property, energy, debt, fund-of-funds, co-investments, secondaries, and other strategies. He also often acts as U.S. counsel to non-U.S. clients on their U.S. acquisition and private investment transactions and serves as a director for several private equity-backed companies. 

As an M&A and private equity attorney, Koeppel has advised on deals from $5 million to more than $250 million in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, technology, consumer goods, food, distribution, business services, cleantech, and medical/health care. He frequently speaks at leading private equity and M&A events and podcasts, including iGlobal Independent Sponsor Summit, US Emerging Manager Institute, Association for Corporate Growth, Expert Webcast, SBIA: Independent Sponsor Forum, and Family Office Enterprise. Koeppel and his team take a proactive and practical approach to helping clients make connections and navigate the legal challenges in any private equity transaction. Prior to joining Lippes Mathias, he was a partner in the private equity and investment funds group of an AmLaw 100 firm. 

About Lippes Mathias LLP 

Lippes Mathias is a full-service law firm ranked among the top 200 law firms in the U.S. by size, with nearly 230 attorneys serving clients regionally, nationally, and internationally. With offices in Buffalo, Clarence, Albany, Long Island, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, and Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Greater Toronto Area; Chicago, Ill.; Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Washington, D.C., the firm represents publicly and privately-owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.