Chicago, New York – Sidley is pleased to announce the names of its 44 newly elected partners and 16 lawyers newly promoted to counsel, listed below by office and area of practice. These individuals will become partners and counsel in the firm effective January 1, 2023.
“It’s an honor to congratulate this class of new partners and counsel, each of whom brings her or his own specific skills and expertise to the work they do for their clients,” said Mike Schmidtberger, Chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee. “These lawyers represent the best of Sidley around the world – they are exceptional practitioners and, importantly, wonderful colleagues.”
“This class of promotions to partner and counsel reflects the growth of our firm across the globe and the investments we are making to ensure our clients have access to the best legal talent,” said Yvette Ostolaza, Sidley’s Management Committee Chair. “Our future is bright with this outstanding group of diverse lawyers who will continue to deliver our ‘Built to Win’ platform to our clients.”
The new Sidley partners are as follows:
Brussels
Anne Robert, M&A and Private Equity, advises multinational clients on EU antitrust/competition, regulatory, and policy matters, with a particular focus on the life sciences sector.
Josefine Sommer, Healthcare and FDA, advises a broad range of clients within the life sciences industry, including medical device, in vitro diagnostics, digital health, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and food companies. She also advises clients on EU environmental law, including chemicals legislation.
Century City
Luke R. Ashworth, M&A and Private Equity, represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as acquisitive strategics, in acquiring, operating and, in the case of sponsors, exiting their company and asset investments.
Daniel J. Belke, M&A and Private Equity, focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions and private equity, including domestic and cross-border public company M&A (buy-side and sell-side), joint ventures, carve-out transactions, tender offers, and equity investments.
Eric H. Geffner, M&A and Private Equity, serves as a trusted advisor to clients, representing public and private companies and investors in connection with mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, co-investments, joint ventures, and other general corporate matters, with a focus on sports, entertainment, and media.
Chicago
Elizabeth Y. Austin, Litigation, focuses on representing public companies, corporate officers and boards of directors, and major insurers in complex litigation and regulatory matters including federal securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, shareholder M&A litigation, M&A post-closing disputes, and class action and ERISA matters.
Alina A. Azizian, M&A and Private Equity, advises on a broad variety of corporate matters to support clients in the high technology and life sciences industries. Admitted only in California; Illinois Bar admission pending.
Neil H. Conrad, Litigation, represents individual and corporate clients in arbitrations and courts across the country and in all phases of litigation, from pre-litigation counseling and investigation through post-trial motions and appeals.
James E. Croke, Global Finance, represents commercial banks, direct lending funds, investment banks, hedge funds, insurance companies, public and private companies, private equity funds, and their portfolio companies.
Christian E. Pilhofer, M&A and Private Equity, advises a range of public and private clients on various employee benefits and executive compensation matters, including in relation to corporate mergers, sales, and acquisitions.
Andrea L. Reed, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on advising public companies through complex governance challenges and disclosure matters including issues such as leadership transitions, crisis management, engaging with shareholders, proxy advisory firm matters, ESG initiatives, shareholder activism, exchange listing standards, board composition, and leadership structure.
Cameron S. Stanton, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on merger and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and capital markets transactions representing buyers, sellers, and financial advisors in public and private mergers, acquisitions, and dispositions, as well as corporate clients and financial institutions in a variety of securities transactions, across a wide range of industries.
Heather Benzmiller Sultanian, Litigation, represents clients in arbitrations and courts across the country, and at all stages of litigation, from pre-complaint investigation to trial and appeal. Her practice focuses on securities litigation and complex business disputes, and she has represented both major corporations and small companies in matters involving securities laws and regulations, breach of contract, business torts, and related claims.
Jack D. Yamin, Insurance, focuses his practice on a variety of corporate, securities, and regulatory matters relating to the insurance and financial services industry. His work includes the representation of both buyers and sellers in connection with mergers, acquisitions and private equity transactions, reinsurance, corporate finance, joint ventures, and public and private securities offerings.
Dallas
Mason Parham, Litigation, focuses his practice on commercial disputes, including oil and gas and energy-related claims, securities and shareholder litigation, and M&A disputes in both state and federal courts and before arbitral tribunals.
Natali Wyson, Litigation, represents clients in state and federal courts throughout the United States and arbitral tribunals in a wide range of commercial disputes, including misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, corporate raiding, high-stakes employment matters, data breach and privacy, investigations, product liability, securities and securities litigation, bankruptcy, and other high-risk business disputes.
Hong Kong
Dominic James, Investment Funds, focuses on financial services regulatory matters, investigations and enforcement, as well as complex commercial litigation.
Houston
Leonard Wood, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on shareholder activism, mergers and acquisitions, strategic investor relations, and corporate governance involving public companies. He advises corporations facing proxy contests, as well as investor pressure related to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues.
London
Francesca Blythe, Regulatory and Enforcement, advises international clients on a wide range of data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity issues. She has a particular focus on life sciences where she advises on a broad range of issues in relation to, for example, real world evidence and secondary research, clinical studies/investigations, digital health, and use of novel technologies (including artificial intelligence).
Steve Quinn, Tax, focuses on debt finance with considerable experience in structured finance transactions (including RMBS, CMBS, ABCP conduits, covered bonds, whole-business securitizations, and CLOs), capital markets (including high-yield bonds, EMTNs and GMTNs, regulatory capital, and standalone corporate issuances), real estate, and leveraged finance.
Los Angeles
Genevieve G. Weiner, Restructuring, focuses her practice on representing debtors and lenders in various bankruptcy matters, general assignments, receiverships, and out of court restructurings and work-outs. She has represented clients across multiple industries including healthcare, retail, hospitality, and real estate.
Miami
Jason Comer, Real Estate, focuses his practice on a broad range of commercial real estate matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, mortgage and mezzanine loan originations and restructurings, complex joint venture transactions, and preferred equity investments.
Munich
Dr. Patrick Schulz, Restructuring, advises companies, investors, sponsors, and secured and unsecured creditors on financial and operational restructurings both outside and in the context of insolvency proceedings. He focuses on cross-border and multinational restructurings and distressed transactions, particularly in cases involving complex financing structures. He also advises on all aspects of German insolvency and restructuring law.
New York
Adam Barber, Real Estate, focuses his practice on the financing, development, acquisition, and disposition of a wide variety of commercial real estate properties including hotels, office buildings, multi-family properties, and retail properties. Adam frequently represents lenders and borrowers in the origination of mortgage and mezzanine loans, including construction loans.
Alexander E. Csordas, Capital Markets, focuses on corporate and securities law matters. He represents issuers, underwriters, agents, and selling stockholders in a broad range of SEC-registered and exempt transactions such as initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on common and preferred equity offerings, and debt offerings.
Jeffrey Glick, Global Finance, advises issuers and underwriters in a variety of securitization transactions, including residential mortgage-backed securitizations (RMBS), asset-backed securitizations (covering auto loans and equipment loans), and the first ever REO-to-Rental securitization.
Istvan A. Hajdu, Capital Markets, represents issuers, underwriters, selling stockholders, and other parties in a variety of SEC-registered and exempt transactions, including initial public offerings, common and preferred equity offerings, rights offerings, and debt offerings.
Michele A. Nudelman, Global Finance, focuses on leveraged and investment-grade acquisition financings, asset-based financings, real estate financings, and general corporate governance matters in a wide variety of industries. She also has experience with debtor-in-possession financings, intercreditor issues and transactions involving multiple debt tranches, and multiple lien priorities.
Vincent S. Onorato, Insurance, routinely represents insurance companies, private equity sponsors, asset managers, institutional investors, and other financial services institutions with domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, private equity investments, and reinsurance transactions.
Alexa Poletto, Litigation, represents individual and corporate clients in connection with internal investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, and prosecutions conducted by various government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the New York Department of Financial Services.
Zuza Savoff, Tax, focuses her practice on the tax aspects relating to structured finance, securitization, and fund formation. Zuza’s principal areas of experience include mortgage and asset-backed transactions, collateralized loan and debt obligations, real estate mortgage investment conduits, securitization of non-performing and re-performing loans, and capital markets.
Eli R. Shindelman, Global Finance, represents issuers, underwriters, loan sellers, and servicers in real estate capital market transactions, with a particular focus on public and private commercial mortgage-backed securitizations.
Carla G. Teodoro, Investment Funds, has extensive knowledge of the registration and exemptive provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940. She frequently consults on Investment Company Act status questions for global holding companies, U.S. and non-U.S. banking entities, and other types of enterprises, particularly in connection with various types of securities offerings, bank financings, and regulatory restructurings.
Kenny S. Terrero, Investment Funds, has significant experience representing issuers and underwriters in connection with fund structuring, initial public offerings, exchange listings, ongoing operations, and regulatory compliance. He is also experienced in a wide variety of SEC-registered and exempted capital markets transactions, and other securities law matters, with an emphasis on transactions by real estate investment trusts (REITs), energy companies, and CEFs.
Eno M. Usoro, Global Finance, focuses her practice on securitization, with a particular emphasis on public and private commercial mortgage backed securitizations (CMBS) and commercial real estate collateralized loan obligations (CRE CLOs).
Palo Alto
Sara M. Carian, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, stock and asset acquisitions and sales, carve-out transactions, and cross-border transactions. Sara also advises clients on general corporate and governance matters.
San Francisco
Sarah A. Hemmendinger, Litigation, focuses on securities and shareholder litigation, antitrust litigation, and ERISA class actions. She primarily represents clients in the life sciences, technology, and clean energy spaces. Sarah is an author of Sidley’s annual review and analysis of developments in securities litigation in the life sciences sector, a resource used by in-house counsel, insurers and securities litigators.
Singapore
Jennifer Lim, Litigation, focuses her practice on international dispute resolution and arbitration. She has represented clients in investor-state and commercial arbitrations, including proceedings conducted under the ICSID, ICSID (Additional Facility), and UNCITRAL Rules, as well as ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, and LCIA arbitrations seated in Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York.
Washington, D.C.
Daniel J. Feith, Litigation, focuses on regulatory and complex civil litigation, often involving difficult questions of constitutional, statutory, and administrative law.
Dino L. LaVerghetta, Healthcare and FDA, represents Fortune 500 corporations and major institutions in complex litigation, white collar matters, government enforcement actions, and internal investigations. In addition to the life sciences industry, he has handled litigation and investigations in numerous heavily-regulated industries, including energy, finance, and technology.
Alison M. Lehner, M&A and Private Equity, represents life sciences companies at every life cycle stage with a broad knowledge base in a variety of transactional matters, including corporate and commercial matters, equity and debt financings, licensing, collaborations, co-promotions, and strategic transactions, including royalty and revenue financing and M&A.
Charles A. Sommers, Regulatory and Enforcement, advises financial services firms on a broad range of regulatory, compliance, enforcement, and transactional matters. His practice also focuses on issues related to cryptocurrency, blockchain and distributed ledger technology, and tokenized assets.
Sarah Tucker, Energy, Transportation, and Infrastructure, represents financial institutions, energy and commodity companies, and trade associations in a variety of transactional, regulatory, and risk management matters, with a particular focus on energy products, and the development and operation of energy projects.
Marisa S. West, Litigation, represents individuals and corporate clients in white collar criminal matters, internal investigations, and government enforcement actions. She has handled matters and investigations involving, among other things, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the False Claims Act, accounting fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, and various securities laws and regulations.
The following lawyers will be counsel effective January 1, 2023.
Boston
Kenneth Ashton, Regulatory and Enforcement, conducts a comprehensive securities and regulatory practice in which he represents broker-dealers, banks, investment advisers, and their employees before FINRA, the SEC, state securities regulators, and others. Ken also regularly counsels the industry on a variety of regulatory reporting and collateral consequences issues, including regulatory reporting on Forms BD/U4/U5 and FINRA Rule 4530.
Century City
Sheri Porath Rockwell, Regulatory and Enforcement, focuses on privacy and cybersecurity law. She advises companies on privacy compliance and corporate data protection programs, including compliance with federal and state privacy laws.
Chicago
Sara N. Africano, Insurance, represents insurance companies and financial services institutions in connection with a variety of corporate, securities, and regulatory matters. She has gained experience in corporate finance matters, securities offerings, M&A transactions, and insurance regulatory matters, including work on insurance funding agreement-backed medium-term note programs, structured finance transactions, and insurance holding company transactions.
Jacqueline Pruitt, Litigation, focuses her practice on white collar criminal matters, internal investigations, government enforcement actions, professional liability matters, and litigation, including matters involving challenging accounting and financial issues.
Dallas
Andrew T. Langford, Litigation, has experience in all phases of patent litigation, such as pre-suit investigation, managing discovery, developing invalidity and infringement contentions, claim construction, taking and defending fact and expert depositions, dispositive motions, mock trial, and trial.
Houston
Chris Folmsbee, Energy, Transportation, and Infrastructure, focuses his practice on representing public and private businesses and private equity funds with investment transactions, primarily in the energy and infrastructure space. He has experience representing clients with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, debt and equity financings, and investments in distressed companies.
London
Jonathon M. Hamill, M&A and Private Equity, focuses on advising private equity firms and other financial institutions on transactions, including leveraged buy-outs, carve-outs, asset portfolio M&A, distressed M&A, venture and growth capital investments, and joint-ventures.
Ed Perry, M&A and Private Equity, advises clients on a range of corporate matters, with a particular focus on private and public M&A transactions, and consortium and joint venture arrangements. He works with a wide variety of clients, but has particular experience advising on transactions in highly regulated industries, such as the insurance and life sciences/healthcare sectors.
Los Angeles
Todd Gilbert, Capital Markets, focuses on U.S. securities offerings and a broad range of domestic and cross-border financing transactions. He has experience representing issuers, borrowers, and investment banks in debt and equity capital markets transactions, syndicated bank lending transactions, and secured lending transactions.
Sean Raven, Litigation, focuses on discovery within complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts, as well as white collar and internal investigations. He advises clients on information management and preservation, working with expert and fact witnesses, drafting substantive discovery motions, analysis of expansive data sets, and managing large-scale electronic discovery.
Munich
Jörg Fischer, Tax, advises German and international clients on German and international tax matters, focusing on the structuring of private equity and restructuring transactions, M&A deals, and fund structuring.
San Francisco
Naomi A. Igra, Litigation, focuses her practice on a diverse range of civil and criminal matters, including antitrust and securities litigation, white collar criminal proceedings, consumer class actions, cases brought under the federal False Claims Act, and internal investigations.
Singapore
Sam Johnson, Litigation, focuses his practice on internal and regulatory cross-border investigations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East arising from a range of alleged misconduct issues, including corporate governance concerns, bribery and corruption, accounting fraud, cybersecurity incidents, supply chain concerns, and broader employee misconduct. He works for clients across a range of sectors, with a particular focus in life sciences, financial institutions, technology, and energy.
Washington, D.C.
Brittany A. Bolen, Regulatory and Enforcement, counsels and advocates on complex environmental regulatory and policy matters across the executive branch and on Capitol Hill. She brings extensive federal government experience with a deep understanding of the rulemaking and legislative processes.
Courtney Hikawa, Litigation, focuses her practice on international dispute settlement, with an emphasis on investor-state arbitration. She represents both cross-border investors as well as respondent governments in proceedings before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and its Additional Facility, as well as in arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
Sean A. Smith, Banking and Financial Services, represents financial institutions on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters.
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