LOS ANGELES, August 18, 2026 – Proskauer is honored to announce that the Los Angeles Times has named partners Kelly Meric and Ben Orlanski to its 2026 “Private Equity and M&A Visionaries” list, which recognizes outstanding professionals in the private equity and M&A sectors.
Kelly, a partner in Proskauer’s Private Equity Transactions and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups, advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and strategic clients on transactions including buy-side and sell-side domestic and cross-border acquisitions, carve-out transactions, minority investments, and joint ventures. She represents clients across the full lifecycle of investments, and her practice spans a range of deal structures and sectors, frequently involving transactions with management-owned businesses, minority ownership positions, and other multiple-stakeholder situations. In addition, she has experience structuring and navigating complex capitalization matters.
Ben is a partner in the Firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets Groups. His practice includes private equity and strategic mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, special committee, board of directors and general corporate representation, and corporate governance. Ben has extensive experience in leading major corporate transactions and strategically solving business challenges, guiding clients through transformative deals across California’s markets. His experience covers a range of industries, including technology, renewable resources, entertainment, software-as-a-service, specialty manufacturing, and consumer products.
Individuals selected for LA Times Studios’ 2026 Private Equity and M&A Visionaries were evaluated on several criteria, including noteworthy successes during the last 12-24 months, consistent demonstration of leadership and impact made to their organization and industry’s growth.
Read Kelly’s profile: Kelly Meric – Los Angeles Times
Read Ben’s profile: Ben Orlanski – Los Angeles Times
About Proskauer
Proskauer is an elite global law firm with more than 900 lawyers in key financial centers in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. Our clients include many of the world’s leading businesses, including asset managers, banks, listed corporations, and private companies. We have deep expertise in several of the fastest-growing and dynamic segments of the market, including sports, technology, life sciences, and health care. We represent hundreds of asset managers across a wide spectrum of sectors and strategies, including private equity, private credit, hedge, real assets, secondaries, and capital solutions.
Our premier M&A practice is distinguished by the combination of our transactional strength and deep sector knowledge. We are a destination firm for large-cap and middle-market deals with extensive expertise in the structural, cultural and procedural issues that are often at the center of complex, cross-border transactions. From London to New York, Paris to Los Angeles and across the globe, organizations turn to our lawyers for their most significant and transformative transactions. Our multi-disciplinary team offers actionable insights, sophisticated strategies and creative solutions that drive commercial success for our clients.