Kevin Rinker is the global Co-Chair of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group and a leader in the private equity and healthcare practices of the firm. Mr. Rinker has a broad-based transactional practice with extensive experience advising multinational corporations and private equity firms in structuring and negotiating mergers, acquisitions, investments, divestitures, licensing arrangements and other corporate transactions. He has handled matters across many industries, with experience in the business services, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrials, media and technology sectors, among others. Mr. Rinker has represented a number of leading corporate and private equity clients, including American Express, The Blackstone Group, Carlyle, Cerberus Capital Management, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, General Electric, Gogo, Hospital Corporation of America, Johnson & Johnson, Morgan Stanley Private Equity, Nestlé S.A., Shiseido and Providence Equity Partners.
Mr. Rinker is one of only a handful of lawyers ranked as a leading lawyer for both M&A and private equity buyouts by Chambers USA (2024), where he is described as “a superstar,” “very creative and proactive” and “an amazingly versatile attorney” who can tackle thorny issues and deal dynamics.” He is also recommended for Corporate/M&A (International & Cross-Border) by Chambers Global (2025). He is valued by clients for his “commercially balanced and efficient approach” and described as “solutions-orientated,” “client-attentive” and a “go-to partner.” Clients say he is “a great business lawyer,” “an outstanding M&A adviser” and “a subject matter expert” who is “very good at looking around corners.” He is also recommended for M&A, private equity buyouts and healthcare by The Legal 500 US (2024), where sources note that he is “unique in his ability to focus his clients on the key issues with a commercially balanced and efficient approach” and he is described as “a strong negotiator,” “extremely client oriented” and “calm under fire.” Mr. Rinker is also ranked as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000 (2023).
Mr. Rinker was twice named a “Law360 MVP” for his exceptional work in private equity.
Mr. Rinker is a frequent author and speaker on topics relating to mergers & acquisitions. He is a contributing author of the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report and is the co-editor of, and contributor to, the Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book (Practising Law Institute, 2020), an extensive reference guide addressing structuring, regulatory, due diligence and documentation issues in healthcare M&A and licensing transactions.
Mr. Rinker joined Debevoise in 2000 and became a partner in 2007. He received his B.A. in 1994 from Tufts University and his J.D. in 1999 from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was on the editorial board of The Tax Lawyer and served as a Teaching Fellow in the LL.M. program.