Lauren Wainwright*

Lauren is Of Counsel in the Firm’s Private Markets practice group. She has experience forming and managing multi-billion-dollar private equity funds and leading fundraising efforts with individuals, corporations, and foreign investors.  

Prior to joining Maynard Nexsen, Lauren worked at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York and London, where she represented private equity funds in their US and European investments, before moving in-house to work at Goldman Sachs & Co. as Vice President and Associate General Counsel. In that role, she was the lead attorney for Goldman’s real estate private investment fund business, directing the formation of new real estate debt and equity funds while overseeing the legal management of 17 existing multi-billion-dollar funds. She advised investment professionals on fund structuring, investments, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and the firm’s communications with investors. 

Lauren also brings a distinctive background in executive leadership and legal education that complements her legal practice. After leaving Goldman, she earned an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, led two nonprofit theater companies in New York City, and taught Employment Discrimination Law for management students at the Yale School of Drama and the Yale School of Management. She later served as Director of Strategy & Special Projects at a leading independent school in Birmingham, Alabama, where she also taught Constitutional Law, American Government, and Mock Trial. Across these leadership and teaching roles, Lauren developed expertise in strategic planning, governance, institutional leadership, and communicating complex legal and regulatory issues to diverse audiences. These skills inform her legal practice and the strategic, business-oriented perspective she brings to client counseling. 

Lauren earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Boston College Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif, served as Executive Editor for Boston College Law Review, and received The William J. O’Keefe Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Law School. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Classics.