US private equity firm AE Industrial Partners has hired Matthew Friendly as general counsel, a newly created role at the firm.

Friendly joins from McDermott Will & Emery, where he was a partner in the firm’s Miami office. At AE Industrial, he will oversee the firm’s legal strategy, covering fund formation, transaction guidance and regulatory compliance.

Florida-based AE Industrial invests in sectors including national security, aerospace and industrial services. It has $5.6bn of assets under management and has stakes in companies including American Pacific – which provides chemical materials to the US military and space programmes – and Alpine Air, a regional air cargo carrier.

Michael Greene, co-CEO and managing partner of AE Industrial, said: “Matthew is a highly accomplished attorney with a strong background in the intricacies of private equity and deep experience in structuring deals. As we continue to grow, we are pleased to add his counsel, business acumen and transaction expertise to further our investment strategy.”

Friendly spent more than 11 years at McDermott, five of them as partner. He also spent two years as a corporate paralegal at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz before completing his law degree. The AE Industrial GC role is his first in-house position.

He said: “AE Industrial’s target markets of national security, aerospace and industrial services are complex and require an in-depth understanding of the nuances of the deal process. I look forward to working with the AE Industrial team as a business partner, providing legal support to help drive the firm’s brand and growth initiatives.”

In other recent financial services industry-related moves, in November, US commercial real estate financing business Walker & Dunlop promoted deputy GC Dan Groman to GC on a permanent basis, having been standing in as interim since May when former GC Richard Lucas left the business.

Also in November, US payments business Discover hired Kelly Walsh as interim chief legal officer ahead of its $35bn merger with lending giant Capital One.

And in October, Mastercard lost its CLO Rob Beard to laser tech business Coherent Group after just over a year in the role, with Tiffany Hall being promoted to GC.