Gerald T. "Jerry" Nowak is a managing director and chief administrative and legal officer at Thoma Bravo. He joined the firm in January 2021, bringing more than two decades of private equity, M&A and capital markets legal experience to the role.
Based in Chicago, Jerry oversees Thoma Bravo’s legal & compliance, IT and administrative functions. He works closely with the firm’s Investment Committee, frequently serving as the firm’s lead legal advisor on major transactions.
Jerry has served as lead counsel on hundreds of private equity, M&A and capital markets transactions. He previously was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, where he advised Thoma Bravo as outside counsel on a variety of transactions and mandates for nearly 20 years prior to joining the firm.
Jerry has been widely recognized as a leading practitioner in the industry—named in The International Who’s Who of M&A Lawyers, a “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Magazine and a top high-yield debt practitioner in The Legal 500 U.S. He was also honored as a “Leading Lawyer” for Corporate Finance Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law and Securities & Venture Finance Law by Leading Lawyers Network.
A former Air Force officer and computer systems cost analyst, Jerry began his career in the U.S. Air Force before transitioning into private practice. He holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, an MBA from Auburn University, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Northwestern University and a B.A. in economic policy analysis from Michigan State University.