Freshfields’ Boston Partners Matthew Goulding and Michael Palermo Honored at the 2026 New England Legal Awards

Freshfields’ Boston partners Matthew Goulding and Michael Palermo have been recognized at the 2026 New England Legal Awards. Matthew was named Regional Managing Partner of the Year and Michael was named Rising Star, Massachusetts. Matthew was also a finalist for Mergers & Acquisitions Attorney of the Year. The awards celebrate professional excellence in the legal community across New England including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The recognition reflects the rapid momentum of Freshfields' Boston office, which opened in February 2025 and has quickly established itself as a destination for sophisticated private capital and life sciences clients in one of the country's most competitive legal markets.

Upon receiving this news, Matthew said: “This recognition from the New England Legal Awards after our first year open in Boston underscores the strength of Freshfields’ Private Capital practice in New England as well as our broader commitment to building a platform that combines elite local talent with the full depth and global reach of the firm.”

Matthew is Managing Partner of the Boston office and a Global Co-Head of Private Capital. Since joining Freshfields in February 2025 to lead the firm's Boston launch, Matthew has built the office from a single partner into a team of elite practitioners, cementing the firm's reputation in New England's legal community. He advises clients on the full spectrum of private equity transactions and general corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, recapitalizations, shareholder arrangements, carveout transactions and take-private deals. Matthew previously served on the board of the United Way of Massachusetts and Merrimack Valley and remains actively engaged in pro bono work and civic life.

Michael is a Private Capital M&A partner in the firm's Boston office, advising some of the most sophisticated private equity sponsors in the market on their most consequential transactions. His recent work spans business services, healthcare, sports, software and technology transactions, including carveout acquisitions, business combinations, joint ventures and investments where precision and speed were equally essential. Beyond the deal room, Michael advises nonprofit organizations and small businesses throughout the Boston area on corporate governance and financing matters and assists individuals in the local community with criminal record sealing. He has also been selected to the Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide.