Akin

Abid Qureshi is a partner in the financial restructuring group, and the partner in charge of the New York office, at Akin. He is a dedicated financial restructuring litigator, giving him comprehensive experience in virtually every issue that arises in the course of a complex restructuring. Abid has litigated cutting-edge issues in the highest-profile chapter 11 cases, complex restructuring-related issues in state and appellate courts and has extensive experience in cross-border insolvencies and chapter 15 proceedings. Some recent highlights include Diamond Sports, Revlon,  Travelport, Frontier Communications Corporation, PG&E, Aeroméxico, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Intelsat. To learn more about Abid, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/abid-qureshi.html

Aimee Smart is counsel in Akin’s litigation group. She has experience conducting complex cross-border commercial litigation and arbitration. Aimee advises companies and individuals on a wide range of commercial and financial matters, with a particular focus on cases involving allegations of misconduct, fraud and money laundering. To learn more about Ms. Smart, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/aimee-smart.html

Alan Yanovich advises foreign governments and multinational corporations on litigation of disputes before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international dispute-resolution bodies; on international business and policy issues; and on legislation, regulation and interagency policy formation. To learn more about Mr. Yanovich, please visit his full profile: http://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/alan-yanovich.html

Alex is an energy lawyer who advises market participants on complex greenfield and brownfield project development, project and structured financing, electricity regulation and industry codes and mergers and acquisitions in the Renewable Energy and Power sectors. He has particular experience of Electricity Market Reform, Contracts for Difference, carbon capture and storage, solar, wind, tidal, energy from waste and electricity and heat power purchase, off-take and supply agreements, as well as regulated asset and PPP models.Alex also advises clients in the Transport, Utilities, Oil and Gas and Mining sectors.

Partner

Alison Chen advises clients on the federal income tax aspects of business transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other partnership arrangements, recapitalizations, restructuring (in- and out-of-court) and other financing transactions, with a focus primarily in the energy sector. She also frequently serves as tax counsel in capital markets transactions, advising public companies (including MLPs) and underwriters in connection with initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on equity and debt offerings, public mergers and spin-offs. To learn more about Ms. Chen, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/alison-l-chen.html

Alissa Miller is a partner in the media, entertainment & sports practice, and the partner in charge of the Los Angeles office. She advises a variety of clients in the entertainment and media industry, including borrowers, distributors, studios, independent production companies, equity investors, high-net-worth individuals, completion guarantors and others involved in a broad range of entertainment-related transactions, with a focus on media finance and distribution. She also advises film and television clients in connection with tax-advantaged financing and co-production arrangements. To learn more about Alissa, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/alissa-l-miller.html

Focuses on acquisition finance transactions, representing private equity sponsors in leveraged buyouts. Drives direct lending and special situation transactions, as well as leading the finance aspects of complex restructuring transactions. Experience structuring a range of fund financings, as well as investment grade and corporate lending. Co-leader of the firm’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) group. Amy Kennedy structures leveraged financing arrangements for complex leveraged buyouts and other private equity transactions. Her clients include private equity sponsors, banks and other financial institutions (including non-bank alternative capital providers and direct lenders) and corporates (including client portfolio companies). To learn more about Ms. Kennedy, visit her full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/amy-kennedy

Amy Wollensack represents private equity and other corporate clients in a wide range of complex transactions including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, divestitures, recapitalizations, joint ventures, going private transactions, PIPEs, venture capital and growth equity investments and other transactions. Amy also advises on corporate governance matters. She has extensive experience representing clients in domestic and cross border transactions in a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including health care, life sciences, technology, entertainment, logistics, media, consumer products, food and beverage, franchise, automotive, software, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, defense and hospitality. As a result, she can anticipate and address industry-unique issues that often arise in the transaction process and structure the transactions efficiently. To learn more about Amy, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/amy-wollensack.html.

Focuses on a wide range of leveraged finance transactions with a focus on representing private equity sponsors and other borrowers in leveraged acquisition and asset-based financings, senior secured debt, high yield, bridge and mezzanine financings, distressed financings, recapitalization transactions and general corporate finance matters. Has successfully led significant debt financing transactions throughout the United States and in international markets. Has significant experience in financing in-court and out-of-court restructurings, including complex liability management transactions. Has advised on more than $50 billion of financing arrangements over the course of his career, with transactions ranging in size from tens of millions to in excess of $20 billion. To learn more about Andrew, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/andrew-e-sagor

Senior Counsel To learn more about Andy, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/g-andy-rosbrook

Represents clients through the full lifecycle of public sector contracting with unique insight and ability to efficiently resolve issues and problems with federal departments and agencies without litigation. Focuses on suspension and debarment proceedings and show cause responses, internal investigations and resulting disclosures under the mandatory disclosure program for federal contractors, the Procurement Integrity Act, the Anti-Kickback Act, issues arising from revolving door and conflict of interest restrictions on public sector employees, and federal gift and gratuity restrictions. Counsels extensively on commercial item contracting, cost accounting, GSA and VA schedule contracting, federal leasing, and the Buy American and Trade Agreements Acts. To learn more about Angela, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/angela-b-styles.html

Ann Tadajweski advises established and emerging investment managers on the structuring, launch and ongoing operation of alternative investment funds. With over two decades of experience, she has acted as counsel with respect to a wide range of alternative investment products, including real estate funds, credit funds, hybrid funds, private equity funds, hedge funds, funds of funds, family offices, strategic partnerships, managed accounts and co-investment arrangements. Ann works closely with fund sponsors on all aspects of their operations, including governance, compensation arrangements and succession planning, as well as regulatory compliance matters. To learn more about Ann, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ann-e-tadajweski.html

Partner

Anne-Marie Godfrey has extensive experience of advising investment managers throughout Asia on the establishment and regulation of hedge funds, private equity funds and retail funds. She counsels extensively on Hong Kong and European regulatory issues (including AIFMD). She has considerable experience regarding the acquisition of fund management companies and in seed agreements. She advises sovereign and institutional investors on private equity, seed and hedge fund investments. Anne-Marie has also advised on the listing of investment funds on various stock exchanges, and she advises extensively on prime brokerage agreements, ISDA master agreements, netting agreements and credit support documentation, as well as on other derivative instruments. She obtains SFC authorization for UCITS funds for distribution to the retail public in Hong Kong.To learn more about Ms. Godfrey, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/anne-marie-godfrey.html.

Tony Pierce is the partner in charge of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Tony draws on more than three decades of trial and litigation experience to deliver positive results. Clients look to Tony as a problem-solver, an aggressive advocate and a reliable source of practical legal advice. His clients span an array of industries, including technology, telecommunications, health care, energy, media and entertainment, financial services and government contracting. His range of cases is equally broad. Tony has defended large class actions and complex commercial disputes involving breach of contract, consumer protection, data privacy, trade secrets, product liability, intellectual property and high-level employment claims. He also has conducted numerous internal investigations. An experienced trial lawyer, Tony brings well-honed litigation skills, ingenuity and a vigorous presence. To learn more about Tony, please visit his full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/anthony-t-pierce.html

Represents informal and official committees of creditors, ad hoc groups, debtors, individual creditors, rights offering backstoppers, and rescue, DIP and Exit lenders in both in-court and out-of-court restructurings. Has also represented lenders and administrative agents in non-restructuring-related loans, including leveraged loan transactions, mezzanine financings and more traditional loans. In addition, has represented creditors in the analysis of all types of debt documents and capital structures. Recent representations include Rite Aid, Endo International, Mallinckrodt, Purdue Pharma, Insys Therapeutics, HONX, Boy Scots of America, Achaogen, among others. To learn more about Arik, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/arik-preis.html

Arina Lekhel’s practice focuses on the formation of private investment funds and their management, and representing these clients on an ongoing basis, including alternative investment vehicle structuring and restructuring, compliance issues and secondary transactions. Arina also represents institutional investors investing in private funds. She has significant experience with domestic and offshore closed-ended funds, hedge funds and hybrid funds pursuing a variety of investment strategies, including aviation, credit, distressed, event-driven, funds of funds, litigation finance, life settlements, macro, and real estate. Arina regularly advises management companies in connection with internal structuring issues, such as joint venture arrangements, mergers, spin-offs, profit sharing and vesting plans, seeding transactions and risk retention vehicles. To learn more about Arina, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/arina-lekhel.html

Arshi Siddiqui is a leading Democratic strategist and lobbyist with a national practice focused on synthesizing public policy and politics into successful federal strategies. She is consistently sought out for her ability to form bipartisan coalitions, navigate intractable public policy challenges and help companies build their brands in Washington. Her practice focuses on a wide range of issues, and some recent client milestones include -- Securing a delay in implementation of an overly broad and burdensome 1099-K tax reporting requirement that would have forced millions of Americans to pay more taxes than they owed for selling items via online platforms; Working with an innovative start-up to secure regulatory guidance by the Environmental Protection Agency that integrated a path for newer technologies to destroy PFAS “forever chemicals,” ensuring that local communities will have viable options to burning or landfilling toxic chemicals. To learn more about Arshi, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/arshi-siddiqui.html

Avi Luft is a committed restructuring litigator, taking the lead on all aspects of complex financial restructuring litigation matters.  Having litigated some of the most complex chapter 11 cases and cross-border insolvencies, Avi focuses on impactful and creative advocacy to facilitate the strongest outcomes for his clients within the broader bankruptcy case or restructuring process. Avi frequently serves as lead trial counsel in bankruptcy and district courts throughout the country, and commonly advises clients on the litigation implications of restructuring decisions and corporate transactions. Recent representations include Enviva, Ho Wan Kwok, Diamond Sports Group, 4D Factory, Celsius Network, Chesapeake Energy, Cred Inc., LATAM Airlines, Eagle Hospitality Trust, among others. To learn more about Avi, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/avi-e-luft

Barbara Niederkofler represents some of the most prominent private equity and hedge fund sponsors, as well as a broad range of other investment clients, including credit funds, hybrid funds, family offices and institutional investors. Barbara’s practice focuses on the formation and operations of private investment funds along the liquidity spectrum, including structuring funds and managers in multiple jurisdictions, providing guidance on fundraising and solicitation issues, advising on seed arrangements, spinouts, joint ventures and “upper tier” arrangements, handling registrations and exemptive filing under securities and commodities laws with regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Futures Association (NFA), and advising on ongoing maintenance of fund structures as well as compliance issues for managers. Barbara has substantial experience with all aspects of investment adviser compliance and registrations. She has extensive experience in relation to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and she also regularly advises clients with respect to regulatory examinations and investigations. To learn more about Barbara, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/barbara-niederkofler.html

Barry Russell is a partner in Akin’s financial restructuring group. Representing noteholders, bondholders and other creditor groups, Barry is a leading force in the cross-border financial restructuring and institutional private placement market. For more than 25 years, he has advised on many of the most significant cross-border workouts and financial restructurings—some involving complex political and economic issues—of European companies. Insurance companies, pension funds, investment funds and other institutional investors rely upon Barry’s highly commercial, pragmatic approach and his ability to reach beneficial and successful outcomes for his clients. Barry focuses his practice on complex workouts and financial restructurings, as well as cross-border institutional private placement issuance. To learn more about Mr. Russell, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/barry-g-russell.html

Bernd Janzen advises clients around the globe across a range of trade litigation proceedings arising under U.S. law. These include AD/CVD and safeguard law, U.S. customs requirements, Section 232 of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962, and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. In his practice, he assists corporate and sovereign clients in Canada, China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Singapore, navigate duty and penalty risk, and develop litigation strategy geared to current U.S. trade policy. He represents clients in appeals before U.S. courts and international tribunals. Bernd works with clients across multiple industries—including the automotive, building materials, chemicals, energy, softwood lumber, aerospace, seed, tire, paper, steel and consumer electronics industries—taking care to understand the unique challenges each faces in the context of rapidly evolving and complex U.S. and international trade requirements. To learn more about Bernd, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/bernd-g-janzen.html

Blayne Grady regularly represents private equity fund sponsors in connection with both U.S. and international funds throughout the life cycle of a private equity fund.  He also represents registered investment advisers with respect to regulatory compliance, and has significant experience counseling new and emerging managers through the numerous issues that impact a first-time fund sponsor.  In addition, he counsels institutional investors in connection with investments in private equity funds, hedge funds and direct co-investments.  Blayne brings a breadth of market knowledge to bear in helping clients handle complex fund structuring and negotiation.  He handles transactional matters involving private equity fund formation, fund investment, fund manager transactions and seed investments, mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, stock and asset purchases, equity and debt financings, strategic growth opportunities, and exit strategies. To learn more about Blayne, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/blayne-a-grady.html

Drawing on more than 25 years of litigation experience representing employers and executives in a diverse array of industries, Bob Lian represents clients in their most challenging workplace legal issues. These include class and collective action claims, internal and regulatory investigations, disputes with executives, and restrictive covenant and competitive hiring claims. He also provides strategic advice to companies on a range of workplace legal issues. Mr. Lian also works with clients on a full range of occupational health and safety matters. For over a decade, he has led the firm’s labor and employment practice. To learn more about Bob, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/robert-g-lian.html.

Brad is a financial restructuring practitioner, focused on large, complex in-court and out-of-court corporate restructurings. Brad’s experience includes representing ad hoc and official creditors’ committees, as well as debtors, in high-profile chapter 11 cases. He also advises clients in multijurisdictional and cross-border insolvency proceedings. Brad’s restructuring matters encompass a variety of industries, including financial services, energy, telecommunications, shipping, technology and printing. Recent representations include SVB Financial Group, Talen Energy, Nordic Aviation Capital, FirstEnergy, Intelsat, among others. To learn more about Brad, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/brad-m-kahn

Brandon focuses on patent infringement litigation in federal district courts and at the U.S. International Trade Commission and post-grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He represents high-tech companies in a broad range of sectors, including electronics, computer hardware and software, Internet and network communications, wireless, and semiconductors. Brandon counsels clients in IP transactions, due diligence, strategic patent portfolio management, and other IP-related matters. Brandon has more than a decade of experience in all aspects of patent litigation, from pre-litigation through trial and appeal. He has served as lead counsel in district court actions and ITC investigations. He has substantial experience in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, known as the “Rocket Docket,” where he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Henry E. Hudson. To learn more about Brandon, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/c-brandon-rash.html

Brian Pomper serves as co-leader of the firm’s lobbying & public policy practice and recently completed a 7-year term on the firm’s management committee. He offers public policy, political and strategic business advice to Fortune 500 and other domestic and multinational companies. He represents clients before Congress, the White House and federal agencies on a diverse set of public policy matters, including market access, investment, international trade disputes, intellectual property, international tax and customs issues. To learn more about Brian, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/brian-a-pomper.html

Brian Patterson focuses on representing employers in a wide range of employment-related matters, including noncompetition agreements, wage and hour claims, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement actions, whistleblower issues, executive employment contracts and employment discrimination. His litigation experience extends to class action cases brought under Title VII and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and employment-related claims brought in state and federal courts. Mr. Patterson has represented clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Labor, OSHA and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). He has counseled employers on numerous other employment matters, including the Family Medical Leave Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, Civil Rights laws, OSHA compliance, employee disciplinary actions and terminations, severance agreements, executive compensation packages and covenants not to compete. To learn more about Mr. Patterson, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/brian-glenn-patterson.html.

Counsel

Brian Daly advises fund managers on regulatory, compliance and operational matters. He has extensive experience helping clients navigate their regulatory compliance obligations under the rules and regulations of the SEC, CFTC and NFA. Brian also regularly represents clients in regulatory examinations, enforcement actions, trading inquiries and in seeking no-action or similar relief. Having spent nearly a decade in-house as general counsel and chief compliance officer at several global investment management firms, Brian is well versed in the wide range of legal and business challenges facing investment advisers, commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors. To learn more about Brian, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/brian-t-daly

Co-head of Akin’s white collar defense & government investigations practice group. Represents companies and individuals in government investigations, white collar criminal defense matters, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation.  Substantive areas include Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-money laundering (AML) statutes, financial fraud, federal procurement, public corruption, sanctions regimes, and False Claims Act (FCA) litigation.  He has conducted investigations in multiple domestic jurisdictions, as well as in Latin America, China, Europe and the Middle East. To learn more about Charles, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/charles-francis-connolly.html

Chiara Klaui is known for her pragmatic and to the point advice on EU trade compliance matters addressing anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, customs, export controls, foreign direct investment as well as economic sanctions.  She provides compliance trainings, conducts internal investigations, assists with voluntary self-disclosures, and develops internal compliance programs for clients in the aviation, commodities, cyber-surveillance, defense, industrial, investment funds, IT, leisure, offshore, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and shipping sector. To learn more about Ms. Klaui, please visit her full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/chiara-klaui.html

Chris Spicer serves as the head of the firm’s media, entertainment & sports practice. He focuses on entertainment and media transactional matters, advising on projects throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He represents financial institutions, mezzanine investors, equity providers and other investors with respect to their film, television, digital media and music financings as well as in other media investments. He also advises borrowers, distributors, independent production companies and others involved in various aspects of the production, financing and distribution of content. To learn more about Chris, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/christopher-s-spicer.html

Christian Davis advises on foreign investment, export controls, sanctions, anticorruption and customs laws. Christian represents clients in the merger, acquisition and divestiture process before CFIUS and on accounting for associated risks. He also advises in negotiating and implementing CFIUS mitigation agreements, developing and administering international trade compliance programs and conducting internal investigations. He has also advised sovereign entities in the formation of law and policy. To learn more about Christian, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/christian-c-davis.html

Claudius offers extensive enforcement experience across a broad range of capital market regulatory and corporate governance matters, including representing corporations, accounting and other professional services firms and financial firms before the DOJ, SEC, PCAOB and other regulators. He also conducts internal investigations on behalf of board of directors, audit committees and senior management. Claudius’s practice builds on 25 years of government and regulatory service, including as a DOJ prosecutor, an SEC enforcement attorney and, most recently, as the PCAOB’s first enforcement director. As PCAOB enforcement director, he led investigations of U.S.- and foreign-based accounting firms, many of which involved parallel SEC investigations. He also played a key role in the PCAOB’s collaboration with its foreign audit regulator counterparts. To learn more about Claudius, please visit his full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/claudius-b-modesti.html

Cole leads transactions in the oil & gas industry with an emphasis on acquisitions and dispositions of exploration and production (E&P) and midstream assets and companies. He has extensive experience in connection with hydrocarbon marketing and transportation agreements, farmouts and farmins, participation and joint development agreements, and water disposal and transportation agreements. To learn more about Cole, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/cole-bredthauer

Cono Carrano is a trial lawyer and a registered patent lawyer who focuses his practice on complex patent litigation. His experience primarily involves semiconductors, electronics, software, wireless and optics technology. Cono has worked with patent trial counsel in numerous European and Asian countries. Cono brings a sophisticated technical understanding to matters involving a wide range of IP issues. Cono represents clients before the International Trade Commission, U.S. district courts, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. To learn more about Cono, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/cono-a-carrano.html

Corey Roush leads the firm’s antitrust/competition practice and heads its Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-facing consumer protection practice. He represents clients in federal antitrust and consumer protection investigations and litigation. He has specific expertise guiding clients through the merger review process before the FTC, DOJ and various attorneys general around the country. He is one of only a handful of antitrust lawyers to litigate against both the FTC and DOJ to preserve proposed and consummated mergers. He also regularly serves as lead counsel in multi-defendant class and non-class action matters and has experience in various industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, chemicals, fuel, advertising, and retail products. To learn more about Corey, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/corey-w-roush.html

Partner

Daniel Cohen handles complex, cross-border disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, a significant number of which involve acting for investment funds, banks and insolvency practitioners. Daniel’s matters typically concern cross-border debt and equity investments; activist investor matters, including shareholder, partnership and bondholder disputes; contentious corporate insolvencies and restructurings; commercial fraud; securities laws matters; and contentious regulatory investigations.  Daniel is admitted in England & Wales and Hong Kong and has significant experience litigating before the courts in those jurisdictions, as well as coordinating proceedings on behalf of international clients before the courts in other jurisdictions in Asia and Europe. To learn more about Mr. Cohen, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-cohen.html.

Daniel L. Moffett’s practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property (IP) procurement and protection, with a focus on complex patent, trade secret and trademark litigation. He has served as lead technical counsel in cases involving claims of patent infringement, antitrust violations and theft of trade secrets. He also has first-chair experience representing clients before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in inter partes review proceedings. PTAB review, including the effect of PTAB decisions in district court proceedings, is a rapidly changing area affecting patent litigation. Daniel’s experience helps him provide clients with the best strategy for navigating parallel PTAB and district court proceedings. He represents a diverse group of clients, including clients in the medical device, biotechnology, animal genetics, digital communications, database software, Internet software, retail grocery, restaurant and entertainment industries. In addition to district court and patent office litigation, Daniel’s practice includes prosecution of trademark applications; licensing and assignment of patents, trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property. To learn more about Daniel, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-l-moffett.html

Dan Lynch’s practice encompasses derivative transactions, project finance and development, battery storage agreements, energy marketing and trading, renewable energy and M&A. He represents clients in a wide range of energy projects, including: • Developers • Commercial users • Energy marketers • Investors • Financial institutions • Utilities. To learn more about Dan, please visit his profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-lynch.html

Daniel Tavakoli represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in transactions, including follow-on acquisitions, dispositions and corporate governance matters. He focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of both public and private companies and other complex corporate transactions, including leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, carve-out transactions, private equity investments, co-investments, joint ventures and divestitures. Daniel also has experience advising public companies and their boards of directors in connection with governance, securities and strategic matters, including takeover preparedness and shareholder engagement. To learn more about Daniel, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-tavakoli.html.

Dan Giemajner advises on the cross-border financing of energy, infrastructure and natural resources projects globally, with a particular focus on transactions driven by the energy transition. Dan’s expertise is in multi-sourced debt finance, where he advises across the full credit spectrum, including project finance, leveraged finance, acquisition finance, sustainable finance, pre-export finance, trade finance, receivables finance, royalty finance and streaming. He has worked on core and non-core infrastructure, telecoms, power, renewable energy, biomass, waste, energy from waste, oil and gas and mining transactions with a value of more than $20 billion. He is currently acting on a number of a first-of-a-kind transactions, including advising on projects across the battery value chain, advising on a $4.8 billion green hydrogen project and on a $2 billion sustainable aviation fuel project. Dan also has significant expertise acting on cross-border financings in emerging markets. His clients include banks, funds, development finance institutions, export credit agencies, monolines and other financial institutions (including non-bank alternative capital providers and institutional investors), corporates, traders, governments, developers and private equity sponsors.

Daniel Walsh represents both acquirors/investors and their targets/investees in acquisitions and investments in major markets around the world. His clients span industries including energy, telecommunications, technology, mining and manufacturing. He also handles public and private international and U.S. equity and debt offerings, representing both issuers and underwriters. Key Experience: Handles international and U.S. domestic acquisitions, joint venture and private equity transactions, as well as public and private international and U.S. equity and debt transactions. Assists with transactions in Europe, Latin America, Russia and the CIS, Africa, Asia and the United States. Counsels boards and management of public companies on corporate governance matters. Member of the firm’s management and compensation committees. To learn more about Mr. Walsh, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-g-walsh.html

Dan Fisher, the leader of Akin’s integrated special situations group, practices at the nexus of M&A, restructuring, securities and finance. Dan has nearly two decades of experience representing large-cap private equity, hedge and credit funds and has market-leading experience in the unique issues raised by distressed and special situations. Dan is one of the nation’s leading experts with respect to the governance, liability management, securities compliance, tax and other issues specific to a post-restructured company. Dan also has significant experience advising companies, boards of directors and special committees on crisis management, including in connection with regulatory and public scrutiny and executive transitions. To learn more about Dan, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-i-fisher.html

Represents clients in federal and state courts and before various administrative agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the US Department of Labor. Represents employers in class and complex employment litigation and arbitrations. Clients include employers in the retail, publishing and professional sports industries. To learn more about Dan, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-l-nash.html

Daniel Witkowski focuses his practice on international trade remedies and customs. Dan represent governments and companies in antidumping (AD), countervailing duty (CVD), and safeguard proceedings before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission, and in appeals before the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and NAFTA binational review panel, and in disputes before the World Trade Organization.  Dan also assists companies in navigating issues involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection. To learn more about Mr. Witkowski, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/daniel-m-witkowski.html

Partner

David Sewell is an English lawyer who concentrates on cross-border corporate transactions. He focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity transactions. David has advised on a number of high profile cross-border transactions in the energy and telecoms sectors in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States. To learn more about Mr. Sewell, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/david-n-sewell.html

David Quigley advises lenders, sellers and buyers on evaluating the environmental liabilities associated with commercial, multifamily and industrial transactions. He develops solutions that are cost-effective and realistic in terms of the role of client as lender and the value of the property or portfolio. David solves problems so that clients can return assets to beneficial use. He has established a strong profile in this space, having developed an environmental due diligence model for use in the foreclosure of commercial properties. More generally, David has handled due diligence in connection with acquisitions totaling more than $1 billion in assets. David works closely with clients and other firm practitioners to anticipate changes to the environmental regulatory landscape and assists clients in complying with those changes. He can manage the defense of enforcement actions, having done so most recently in the Clean Air Act and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) contexts. David can also resolve, through mutually agreeable settlements where possible, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) cost recovery and allocation suits. To learn more about David, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/david-h-quigley.html

David Vondle represents clients in intellectual property (IP) disputes at the International Trade Commission (ITC), in federal court, and in proceedings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. David has extensive experience as lead counsel in patent and trade secret cases having significant commercial value involving computer hardware and software, wireless and satellite communications, clean technology, semiconductors, medical devices, and consumer electronics. He has successfully represented U.S. and foreign companies in more than thirty ITC investigations through trial, appeal, and proceedings before the United States Customs and Border Protection. David advises buyers, sellers, investors, and creditors on domestic and global transactions involving IP, including acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and joint ventures. David also advises clients on the implementation of programs to protect trade secrets and other confidential information for clients developing autonomous vehicle systems. To learn more about David, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/david-c-vondle.html

David Antheil focuses his practice on complex matters for investment fund clients, including guiding fund sponsors and managers in forming new funds. He also advises clients on a variety of financial transactions involving their investment activities, including acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio investments and corporate financing transactions. David provides advice to his clients on a broad range of investments, including real estate, energy, pharmaceutical, natural resources, transportation, infrastructure and mezzanine. To learn more about David, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/david-antheil

David Sweeney’s experience spans the full natural resource value chain, from exploration, production, processing and infrastructure, to monetization. He has advised on energy transactions with an aggregate value of over $70 billion and numerous operational matters in over 30 countries.  In addition to a partner at Akin Gump Straus Hauer & Feld, he has served as Vice President, Legal and General Counsel of an independent energy company and Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of a business unit of a major, integrated energy company. Mr. Sweeney is the author of a comprehensive book on world-wide joint operating agreements and another on worldwide farmout and participation transactions, as well as numerous book chapters and articles. His speaking engagements include programs for the International Senior Lawyers’ Project, the African Development Bank, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and various U.S. Embassies, as well as the Universities of Texas, Houston, Oklahoma, Tulsa, and LSU and commercial CLE providers.  He has served on the executive committee of the Institute for Energy Law and has held various leadership roles both in that organization as well as the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. To learn more about David, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/david-h-sweeney.html

Davina Garrod is co-head of Akin's global antitrust & competition practice and head of Akin's international competition group. She advises multinationals, corporates and financial institutions on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and restructurings. With more than 24 years’ experience, in addition to navigating and obtaining antitrust and regulatory approvals for complex transactions within and outside of Europe, and negotiating remedies packages, Davina represents sovereign wealth funds, private equity (PE) firms and banks in the context of their strategic and financial investments (transactional and contentious). Davina also represents companies active in, inter alia, technology, communications, chemicals, energy, transportation, defence, retail and industrials in behavioural EC Article 101/102 and UK Ch.I/Ch.II investigations, and other investigations by government agencies and regulators globally, including UK National Security & Investment Act/European FDI, EU/UK State aid/subsidies, competition/regulatory appeals, and private damages claims before the CAT/courts. To learn more about Ms. Garrod, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/davina-garrod.html

Dennis Pereira’s practice focuses on the domestic and international fund industry. He represents fund sponsors in the formation, structuring and operation of private investment funds, including private equity and hedge funds that employ groundbreaking investment strategies. Dennis handles funds matters involving fund formation, capital-raising activities, ongoing operational activities, fund investment, and carried interest programs. To learn more about Dennis, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/dennis-p-pereira.html

Devin Sikes helps clients across the globe deftly navigate complex international trade laws and policies to seize opportunities and avoid risks. Devin has represented corporations, big and small, across numerous industries, as well as counseled industry associations and sovereigns.  Thanks to his extensive experience before U.S. courts and international tribunals, Devin regularly leads clients through high-stakes litigation challenging unfavorable international trade laws and determinations.  Each year since 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative has named Devin to the U.S. roster of panelists who may resolve certain trade disputes under the North American Free Trade Agreement (now the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement). To learn more about Devin, please visit his full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/devin-s-sikes.html

As chair of Akin’s American Indian law & policy practice, Don Pongrace provides strategic advice and advocates on behalf of tribal groups, governments and corporations. He has been involved in significant policy issues around the world, and he currently focuses his attention on policy issues relating to U.S. domestic policy at the federal, state and tribal levels. Don’s work on the federal aspects of tribal policies in the United States includes serving as lead counsel on the two largest Indian water settlements in U.S. history and one of the largest trust mismanagement claims in U.S. history. He also provides guidance to his clients on federal, state and tribal responses to the Colorado River mega-drought and the corresponding federal regulatory processes. To learn more about Don, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/donald-r-pongrace.html

Donna Mezias advises employers on a wide range of employment issues, including management of risks associated with employee terminations; sexual harassment and other employee investigations; reductions in force and facility closures; discrimination issues; trade secret and employee mobility issues; disability accommodation; family and medical leave laws; wage and hour compliance; drug testing; and employee privacy rights. She represents employers in all types of employment litigation including class action and individual discrimination cases; wage and hour class actions and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective actions; retaliation; whistleblower; wrongful termination and employment contract cases; trade secret; employee solicitation; defamation; and unfair competition litigation. To learn more about Ms. Mezias, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/donna-m-mezias.html.

Partner

Doug Rappaport is a litigator focusing on complex commercial and securities disputes. In recent years, he has served as counsel in trials involving disputes over secured assets, partnership interests, securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, trade secrets, options backdating, tax appraisals and the fraudulent sale of securities. Doug has won numerous dispositive motions and appeals in both state and federal court. On a daily basis, Doug advises clients on matters of regulatory compliance and corporate governance. He also provides advice on activist investing issues, devising strategies regarding the solicitation of board seats, the displacement of existing corporate management and contests for corporate control. To learn more about Doug, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/douglas-a-rappaport.html

Ed Pagano provides advice to clients in the artificial intelligence, antitrust, communications, small business, privacy and emerging technology, among others. He has a profound understanding of the federal government’s inner workings, given his tenure with the Obama administration as Senate liaison and deputy assistant to the President for legislative affairs and with Sen. Leahy and the Senate Judiciary Committee for more than 20 years. Ed began his professional career as an associate at a large law firm before moving on to serve as a field director for the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1992. During college, he played power forward for four years for the Vermont Catamounts basketball team. He remains active at the University of Vermont as a member of the board of trustees and through alumni and student engagement. To learn more about Ed, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ed-pagano.html

Eliot Raffkind represents investment managers, including advisors to domestic and offshore hedge funds and other private investment funds. He provides advice in connection with fund formations and portfolio investing activities. He assists clients with navigating changing legal and regulatory frameworks. He also assists in formulating innovative structures to accommodate evolving investment strategies and the impact of changing market terms. Eliot’s clients value his strong technical knowledge and his ability to factor in business realities when providing legal advice. He is a frequent speaker before investment fund trade groups on issues affecting the investment management industry. To learn more about Mr. Raffkind, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/eliot-d-raffkind.html

Emma Simmonds is a partner in Akin ’s financial restructuring group. She has advised creditors on numerous high-profile restructurings of distressed bonds, private placement notes and loans in Europe. She has more than 15 years of experience working with a broad range of financial institutions on complex cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters across various industries and jurisdictions. Emma is a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and chair of the London office’s Inclusion Council. To learn more about Ms. Simmonds, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/emma-simmonds.html

Esther Lander’s practice focuses on complex employment disputes, high-stakes internal and government investigations, and client counseling regarding discrimination, harassment, reasonable accommodation, leave entitlements, workforce reductions, and employee misconduct; allegations of systemic discrimination, such as pattern or practice and class action claims; disparate impact discrimination involving hiring, promotion, and testing validation; diversity and inclusion initiatives and pay equity; and government enforcement activities. Esther represents clients in lawsuits arising under EEO laws such as Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and federal, state and local employment laws. To learn more about Esther, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/esther-g-lander.html

Ezra Zahabi is a partner in Akin’s financial regulatory group. She advises on relevant developments and considerations regarding changes to the UK and EU financial regulatory framework, particularly with regard to the UK financial services regulatory framework, including the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the EU legislative and regulatory framework, including MiFID II; AIFMD; the Market Abuse Regulation; EMIR; the revised Shareholder Rights Directive (SRD II) and the new EU ESG rules. Ezra counsels investment managers across strategies and geographies on regulatory compliance and provides strategic advice in connection with new or forthcoming regulatory requirements, including trading queries; market abuse and market conduct issues; interactions with regulatory authorities, regulatory applications and approvals; fund marketing and distribution; regulatory issues relating to the structuring of investment advisory platforms, and remuneration. To learn more about Ms, Zahabi, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ezra-zahabi.html

Fadi Samman represents domestic and international fund sponsors in connection with organizing, structuring and operating private investment funds, including private equity funds, real estate funds, venture capital funds, fund of funds, secondary funds and hedge funds. He advises institutional investors in connection with their investments in private investment funds. In addition, Fadi has extensive experience representing sponsors and investors in connection with liquidity solutions transactions, including acquiring and selling private fund investments on the secondary market and complex GP-led secondary transactions. To learn more about Fadi, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/fadi-g-samman.html

Gabe Procaccini is a leading practitioner in the carbon offsets space and advises a diverse range of clients, from battery technology start-ups to LNG project developers to large industrial energy users, across the global energy value chain. Gabe has advised on transactions with a notional value of over $125 billion and leads transactions at the heart of the energy transition, including matters involving the (i) monetization of oil, gas and mining assets through new and emerging pathways made available by structured carbon finance, (ii) implementation of emissions reductions solutions through targeted avoidance, technology-based removal and novel penalty-reward systems and (iii) development and commercialization of new energy innovations, including hydrogen hubs. He led the Akin team on one of the world’s first carbon-neutral energy transactions and his February 2021 article on Key Considerations for Carbon-Neutral Oil and LNG Transactions Using Carbon Offsets is an authoritative guide on the creation of carbon-neutral energy products. Notable transactions include his representation of CNX Resources in a transformational fuel strategy agreement involving the development of a sustainable fuel hub at the Pittsburgh International Airport and Enterprise Products Partners in the launch of the Houston Crude Oil Futures Contract on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). His speaking engagements include programs at Gastech, NAPE and the ABA. Mr. Procaccini also serves on the Thomson Reuters Practical Law Oil and Gas Advisory Board and Institute for Energy Law Advisory Board. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his profile here.

Garrett DeVries has led public equity and debt offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions in a wide range of industries, including energy, retail, restaurants, infrastructure, manufacturing, aviation and finance, for more than 25 years. He has extensive experience in public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, including initial public offerings and Rule 144A offerings.  He also regularly advises public companies and investors on securities law compliance and exemptions, SEC reporting issues, securities exchange compliance, shareholder relations and communication and other corporate governance matters.  He serves as the co-head of the firm’s Capital Markets practice. To learn more about Garrett, please review his full profile at: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/garrett-a-devries.html

Partner; Disputes & Investigations, Antitrust To learn more about Gorav, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/gorav-jindal.html

Partner

Regulatory practice head. Advises multinational corporations, U.S. trade associations and foreign governments on international business and policy issues; legislation, regulations and interagency policy formation; international trade agreements; litigation of disputes before the WTO and other international dispute-resolution bodies. To learn more about Hal, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/hal-s-shapiro.html

Harry Keegan’s practice focuses on international mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets transactions, with a particular emphasis on emerging markets. He has considerable experience in equity offerings, stock exchange listings and UK Takeover Code governed transactions. The corporates in these transactions have operated in various industry sectors, including oil & gas, mining, telecommunications, technology, manufacturing, biotechnology/nanotechnology and financial services. Harry has previously been seconded to two investment banks. He also advises issuers on continuing obligations and corporate governance issues. He has considerable experience in international public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity transactions, across a range of sectors, involving numerous countries including in Europe, Russia/CIS, Africa, the Middle-East, India and North America. To learn more about Mr. Keegan, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/harry-keegan.html

Helen Marshall is a partner in Akin’s financial regulatory group. She has over 25 years of experience advising on UK financial regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). She provides assistance to her clients in a number of areas, including FCA and PRA compliance issues, authorisations and approvals, information requests, FCA thematic reviews, FCA investigations and enforcement, Regulatory Decisions Committee hearings and Upper Tribunal hearings. Helen helps clients to implement effective strategies to meet regulatory requirements and anticipate future obligations. She also assists clients in forging a positive and cooperative relationship with the relevant regulator to ensure they are well-positioned to engage with the FCA and/or the PRA. Helen was a Former Head of Enforcement at the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and has an excellent knowledge of the UK regulatory system. To learn more about Ms Marshall, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/helen-marshall.html

Hunter Bates is co-leader of Akin’s lobbying & public policy practice and on the firm’s Management Committee, bringing more than 20 years of law, policy and advocacy experience to his client work. Hunter combines his extensive knowledge of policy and process with his close connections to key players to provide strategic advice and advocacy on behalf of a wide range of clients, including Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, coalitions and nonprofit organizations. Hunter brings to his client engagements a deep understanding of the intricacies of the legislative process and extensive experience working with members of the Senate and House on wide-ranging issues such as tax, trade, appropriations, healthcare, labor and sports law. Repeatedly named among the country’s “Top Lobbyists” by The Hill, Hunter’s ability to mobilize support and drive meaningful policy outcomes is a testament to his unwavering commitment to achieving tangible results for his clients. To learn more about Hunter, please visit his profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/hunter-bates.html

Ikenna “Ike” Emehelu focuses his practice on energy and infrastructure project finance transactions. He represents lenders, developers, private equity and infrastructure funds, credit and sovereign investors and other capital providers in the development, financing, acquisition and disposition of renewable energy projects—including wind, solar, battery storage, carbon capture and biomass—as well as traditional power generation, gas and non-generation infrastructure projects. To learn more about Ike, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ike-emehelu.html.

Inderveer Hothi’s practice focuses on finance and corporate transactions covering a wide variety of industries and jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets. She represents corporate borrowers, high-net-worth individuals and financial institutions on a broad range of financing arrangements, including: cross-border acquisitions, project finance transactions, leveraged finance transactions, corporate finance transactions, private placements, Eurobonds and financial restructuring. To learn more about Miss Hothi, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/inderveer-hothi.html

Ing Loong Yang offers extensive experience in the Greater China region, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, focusing on international arbitration and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Yang advises corporate clients in international arbitrations, complex commercial litigation, shareholders' disputes, joint venture and technology licensing disputes, financial services disputes, internal investigations and regulatory issues. He has represented clients in international arbitrations under the rules of ICC, HKIAC, CIETAC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, KLRCA, SCC and KCAB, as well as in the Hong Kong Courts. Besides Counsel work, Mr. Yang has significant experience sitting as Arbitrator and has been appointed to numerous institutions’ panels.

Ira represents official committees, ad hoc groups of unsecured and secured creditors, debtor in possession lenders, institutional investors, hedge funds and acquirers of businesses and assets. His restructuring matters encompass a variety of industries and involve multijurisdictional and cross-border matters. Recent engagements include Diamond Sports, SVB Financial Group, Avaya, Talen Energy, Travelport, Sears, Intelsat, Frontier Communications, among others. To learn more about Ira, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ira-s-dizengoff.html

Ira focuses his practice on representing sponsors and investors in complex hedge, credit and private equity funds. He provides counsel to private fund advisers on international investment platforms, including in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Ira’s clients include market-leading global asset managers, start-ups, and mid-sized and larger managers. Ira has extensive experience counseling established, global investment advisers, as well as start-up managers on most aspects of their operations and regulatory compliance matters. He advises investment fund managers faced with complex restructurings, succession planning, crisis/conflict resolution and consent solicitations. Ira’s practice includes advising clients on the structuring of arrangements between investment managers’ principals, seeding transactions, co-investment and secondary transactions, and LP-side investments in private funds. To learn more about Ira, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ira-p-kustin

James Roome is the senior partner of the London office and a member of the firm’s management committee and financial restructuring group. An English lawyer who concentrates on complex and cross-border insolvency, restructurings and disputes, James has advised on numerous restructurings of distressed bonds, notes and loans in Europe. He possesses a wealth of experience spanning more than 35 years, acting for investors on some of the largest and most high-profile UK and cross-border restructurings, as well as litigation and a wide range of debt and equity investments. To learn more about Mr. Roome, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-roome.html

James Terry is a partner in Akin's financial restructuring group. He practices in the areas of cross-border and domestic financial restructuring, workouts and insolvency, and advises clients in relation to strategic and legal issues concerning their distressed debt and special situations investments. James has broad knowledge in a range of different business sectors including telecommunications, packaging, paper, transport, mining, automotive, energy and power. James is known as the leading practitioner in the London market for Norwegian and other Scandinavian restructurings, as well as restructurings in the offshore, oil and gas and shipping sectors. His clients include hedge funds, bondholders, institutional lenders, secondary market investors and creditor committees. To learn more about Mr. Terry, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-terry.html

Trial lawyer focusing on high stakes litigation in federal and state courts and before arbitration panels. He routinely represents companies in the energy; waste and recycling; transportation and logistics; and heavy equipment industries. He also advises health care entities in a variety of litigation matters, including antitrust and complex commercial matters. He has litigated in matters involving business torts, venture agreements, breach of contract, breach of sale agreements, intellectual property disputes and antitrust. He is similarly experienced in intellectual property litigation within the chemical, oil and oil service industries. To learn more about Jim, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-r-wetwiska.

James Deeken represents private fund managers in fund formation activities and in investments into a wide range of investment funds and preferred equity structures. Jim's experience with fund formation consists of representing managers in the formation of buyout funds, growth equity funds, oil and gas and other energy funds, loan origination funds, secondary funds, opportunistic funds, real estate funds, fund of funds and hedge funds, as well as special-purpose vehicles, “funds of one” and co-investment vehicles. He is a regular speaker about issues related to investment funds, private equity, venture capital and related regulatory issues before the Texas State Bar, the Dallas Bar Association, investment banking groups, law school associations and the business community at large. To learn more about Mr. Deeken, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-a-deeken.html

James Tysse is a member of the Supreme Court & appellate practice. He regularly argues cases, develops strategy, and authors briefs both on appeal and in high-stakes trial litigation. While his practice is as varied as the firm’s is broad, he has focused on labor and employment, administrative, constitutional, energy, and class action law. James helps clients develop appellate strategy before the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal and state courts throughout the country. He has prepared more than 75 appellate briefs at the merits and certiorari stages in the U.S. Supreme Court, nearly every federal appeals court, and numerous state and tribal appellate courts. He has also argued multiple appeals and dispositive motions in five separate federal circuit courts of appeals and numerous state and federal trial courts. To learn more about James, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-e-tysse.html

Leader of Akin’s white collar defense and global investigations practice group.  Represents individual and corporate clients in a wide variety of government and regulatory investigations and litigation, including matters arising from alleged insider trading, improper accounting and disclosure, market manipulation, commodities regulation and foreign corrupt practices/anti-corruption violations. To learn more about Jim, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-j-benjamin.html

Practice focuses on corporate restructurings and bankruptcy law, with an emphasis on creditors’ committees and informal and formal bondholder and lender representations in large, complex chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. Represents bondholders, noteholders, lenders, post-petition lenders, acquirers of distressed assets and debtors. Representations encompass a variety of industries and involve multijurisdictional and cross-border matters. Significant matters include those involving SVB Financial Group, Revlon, Hertz, Crédito Real, Pacific Drilling and Foresight Energy, to name a few. To learn more about James, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-savin.html

Jamie Tucker has more than 25 years of government relations experience developing and implementing strategies to solve complex legislative and regulatory policy challenges. He provides strategic advice and persuasive advocacy for clients in regulated industries to achieve policy outcomes. Jamie manages all facets of issue campaigns including building and leading teams to undertake lobbying, third party engagement and communications. In addition to substantive knowledge, he maintains a strong network on Capitol Hill and in the administration and closely monitors the ever-evolving political landscape in order to better advance clients’ engagement in the policy making process. He also has significant political experience, having worked on four presidential campaigns as well as a number of Senate and congressional campaigns. To learn more about Jamie, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/james-r-tucker.html

JP Bruynes works with a range of professionals in the private investment space, focusing on the formation and operation of quantitative investment managers and funds. He actively participates in structuring, negotiating and documenting fund formation, seed capital and other transactions. He also advises hedge fund managers, investment advisers, commodity trading advisors (CTAs), commodity pool operators (CPOs) and third-party marketers with regulatory compliance, including responses to SEC, CFTC, NFA and exchange audits and investigations. JP advises clients with respect to a broad variety of investing activity, including securities, commodities, futures contracts, options, swap transactions and cryptocurrencies. To learn more about JP, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jan-paul-j-p-bruynes

Jason Rubin assists clients in corporate restructurings and creditors’ rights. He represents debtors, secured and unsecured lender groups, and official committees of unsecured creditors in large, complex chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings, as well as private equity investors pursuing strategies in distressed assets. Jason has advised clients in restructurings in a variety industries including energy, oil and gas, retail, travel and telecommunications. His recent engagements include Enviva, GWG Holdings, Aeromexico, Global Eagle Entertainment, CEC Entertainment, Sanchez Energy, Nine West, among others. To learn more about Jason, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jason-p-rubin.html

Jason Hauter advises clients regarding American Indian law and policy, with an emphasis on economic development on American Indian lands, business entity formation and governance, and development of tribal tax, labor and resource management laws. He also advises tribal clients on implementation of Indian water rights settlements, assists tribal clients with water resource management, advocates on behalf of tribes before Congress and federal agencies, and advises tribal clients on marketing water rights and leveraging water rights to protect tribal government interests. Prior to joining Akin, Jason served for eight years as in-house counsel for the Gila River Indian Community, representing the Community on a variety of matters, including economic development, construction, taxation and internal policy. To learn more about Jason, please visit his full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jason-t-hauter.html

Jason Daniel focuses on securities trading and reporting advice, investment adviser compliance and registration, and securities advice in respect to mergers and acquisitions. Jason has represented multiple fund clients that were affiliates of issuers with the resale of securities under the Securities Act of 1933. He has also advised multiple fund clients in connection with filing exemptions from Schedules 13D and G and Forms 3, 4 and 5, and in connection with determining potential exemptions from disgorgement. Jason frequently reviews Forms ADV Part 1A and Parts 2A and 2B, as well as compliance manuals in connection with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Securities Act of 1933. To learn more about Jason, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jason-m-daniel

Jasper Helder’s practice focuses on international trade and corporate compliance matters addressing economic sanctions, export controls, customs, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. He also advises on other aspects of trade regulation, including customs matters, trade remedies, free trade agreements and rules of origin. Jasper frequently assists U.S. clients with their EU compliance issues, advising a range of multinationals on EU and U.N. sanctions compliance for countries such as Iran, Russia, Crimea, Venezuela, North Korea etc. and on the interaction between those restrictions and U.S. sanctions. Additionally, he provides advice on the interaction between EU and U.S. export control rules, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Jasper’s practice further comprises EU customs compliance, in particular, customs classification, including Binding Tariff Information, and customs valuation and transfer pricing. To learn more about Mr. Helder, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jasper-helder.html

Jeff McMillen is one of the premier tax lobbyists in Washington, D.C. advising domestic and major multinational companies on a variety of tax policy and regulatory issues. To learn more about Mr. McMillen, please visit his full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jeffrey-d-mcmillen.html

Jeff Cohen represents a wide range of lenders, developers and investors in the development, financing, acquisition and disposition of large-scale infrastructure projects and energy projects, including renewable energy, telecommunications and emerging technology. He represents clients in all stages of development, from the initial stages of diligence through development, financing, construction, acquisition and divestiture. To learn more about Mr. Cohen, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jeff-cohen

Jeff McMillen advises domestic and major multinational companies on a variety of federal tax policy and regulatory issues. He served as the staff director of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, where he served under Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) and Subcommittee Chairman Jim McCrery (R-LA). During the course of his tenure with the Committee, he assisted in drafting the Energy Tax Policy Act of 2003, developing the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003, and crafting the American Competitiveness Act of 2002 and the Community Solutions Act of 2001. He also served on the staff of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and was the tax counselor for the 3,000-member American Electronics Association. To learn more about Jeffrey, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jeffrey-d-mcmillen.html

Represents clients on drone applications, strategies and compliance; spectrum sharing, small cells and the evolution to 5G; wireless transactions and wireless policy including merger support; VRS for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Smart Cities and the IoT; TCPA compliance, rulemakings and litigation support; satellite regulations and transactions; tower and infrastructure development; air-to-ground services and in-flight broadband; USF and TRS; connected health care; digital education; device and technology licensing and Internet Service Provider regulatory compliance. She negotiates and advises technology and communications companies and their investors on a wide range of industry-specific agreements. She has served as a voting member on the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee that studied and made recommendations to the FAA Administrator regarding remote tracking and identification technologies for UAS. She actively participates in NASA’s UTM working groups and is a subject matter expert on the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council on UAS and the DHS’s CIPAC that is studying how to protect critical infrastructure from drones. Ms. Richter is active with FCC and the FAA on spectrum solutions for the UAS CTIA/NASA UAS Working Group. To learn more about Jennifer, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jennifer-l-richter.html

Jenny Arlington has more than 10 years’ experience in representing a wide range of clients in high-value, complex international arbitrations under most of the main arbitral rules. She also acts in top end, intricate cross-border commercial litigations in the English High Court and, in conjunction with local counsel, in off-shore jurisdictions. The international disputes she handles have a particular focus on Russia, CIS, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Middle East. Native Bulgarian, she is fluent in English, Russian and German, trained at a Magic Circle firm and has a LL.M. in European Union law. Jenny also has long-standing expertise in data protection, privacy and cybersecurity matters and is a CIPP/E. She assists technology companies, clients handling Big Data and multinational conglomerates with compliance and in investigations involving cutting edge issues in this area, and advises multinational clients, including those developing and deploying machine-learning and AI technologies, on related UK and EU legislation and regulation. To learn more about Ms. Arlington, please visit her full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jenny-arlington

Jessica focuses her practice on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and securities matters, with particular focus in the upstream and midstream energy sectors. Her experience encompasses public and private M&A, across a broad spectrum of transaction types; public and private securities offerings; Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and general securities compliance; and general corporate, partnership, limited liability company and contract matters.   To learn more about Jessica, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jessica-w-hammons

Jo-Ellyn Klein has more than 20 years of experience counseling clients on complex privacy and data security matters and is a leading practitioner on health privacy and data protection matters. She devotes a substantial portion of her practice to assisting clients with issues arising under state and federal privacy, security and data breach notification laws and regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH), Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, and myriad state privacy, security and breach notification laws. Jo-Ellyn examines privacy and data protection issues arising in settings ranging from hospitals to professional sports to the medical device industry to the telecommunications industry. She assists clients with compliance activities, data breach preparedness and response efforts, complex contracts and litigation. To read more about Jo-Ellyn, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jo-ellyn-sakowitz-klein.html

Joe Hewton is counsel in Akin's financial regulatory group. He advises financial institution clients on matters of regulatory compliance, with particular experience in defending clients in investigations and enforcement proceedings brought by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). Joe’s recent contentious regulatory experience includes assisting clients (both corporates and individuals) in internal and regulatory investigations, including Regulatory Decisions Committee hearings; preparing for regulatory interviews; evaluating individual accountability, including fitness and propriety assessments; notifying and preparing reports for the FCA; and responding to information requirements. He also has experience advising on authorisations and approvals, including change of control; regulatory change projects, including the regime for individual accountability and associated post-implementation advice; cross-border compliance advice; market conduct and governance; and perimeter issues. To learn more about Mr Hewton, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/joe-hewton.html

John Daghlian is a partner in Akin’s investment funds group. He has advised on some of the largest and most complex secondary transactions for over two decades. He acts on a broad range of international and domestic private equity-driven transactions, including the establishment of private funds; private equity portfolio transactions; management buy-outs; secondary buy-outs; publicly traded funds; mergers and acquisitions; and general partner removal. He specializes in problematic situations. To learn more about Mr Daghlian, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/john-daghlian.html

John Holton represents asset managers on the launch and restructuring of private equity funds, venture capital funds, real estate funds, and hedge funds. He advises on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulations and is an acknowledged expert on how these regulations apply to non-U.S. firms. Advising numerous funds targeting emerging markets including Asian, African, South American and Middle Eastern markets, John has particular experience with Indian private equity fund launches. To learn more about Mr. Holton, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/thomas-john-john-holton.html

John Goodgame helps clients navigate strategic transactions, primarily in the energy business. He advises public and private companies and private equity funds in initial public offerings (IPOs) and other public and private equity and debt offerings, as well as complex joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, John counsels public companies, their boards of directors and board committees in strategic and governance matters, including mergers, sales of control and conflict situations, as well as Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and compliance. Recently, among other high-profile transactions, he advised Talos Energy Inc. in its $1.29 billion agreement to acquire QuarterNorth Energy; Viper Energy, Inc. in its $1 billion acquisition of Permian Basin mineral and royalty interests, $264 million secondary common stock offering and $400 million senior notes offering; and Diamondback Energy, Inc. in its joint venture with Five Point Energy to form Deep Blue Midland Basin LLC. John was the partner in charge of the Houston office and the co-head of Akin’s global corporate practice until 2022. To learn more about John, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/john-goodgame.html

Represents healthcare systems, major academic medical centers, device manufacturers and healthcare IT companies and has extensive experience with regulatory counseling, compliance, reimbursement and litigation matters. Advises health industry entities on a wide range of reimbursement and compliance issues; legislative and regulatory policy analysis and advocacy; potential fraud and abuse and overpayment matters and disclosures; federal investigations; and due diligence and strategic analysis associated with health care business arrangements. To learn more about John, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/john-r-jacob.html

John Hamilton focuses his practice on advising private fund managers on the formation and operation of a broad range of investment vehicles across the liquidity spectrum, including hedge funds, private equity funds and credit funds, as well as funds of funds and managed account structures. He also advises clients on the incorporation of sustainability and impact-focused investment themes into their product offerings. John regularly counsels clients on related transactional and compliance matters, with particular expertise in advising non-U.S. managers seeking to raise capital from U.S. investors. To learn more about John, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/john-p-hamilton

John Bain advises purchasers, sellers, lenders, landlords and tenants in a wide variety of real estate and real estate finance transactions. In particular, John represents clients in the hospitality sector in transactions involving purchases, sales, financings, refinancings and debt restructuring. To learn more about Mr. Bain, please review his full profile at: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/john-a-bain.html

Jonathan Ross advises new and existing credit fund real estate, and hedge fund managers regarding closed-end, open-end and hybrid fund launches in a range of strategies. Jonathan’s deep familiarity with all aspects of his clients’ businesses, developed through years of relationship-building, as well as his ability to guide complex documents and questions through a client’s internal processes, make him a valuable partner to sophisticated fund sponsors. He also helps clients navigating the challenges of succession in leadership, assisting with the drafting of key documents and in negotiations with investors. To learn more about Jonathan, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jonathan-a-ross.html

Jonathan Poling’s practice focuses on international trade, with significant experience handling complex civil and criminal matters. Jonathan is a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, where he handled prosecutions involving violations of U.S. economic sanctions, money laundering and export control laws. Additionally, he’s represented companies in anti-corruption matters before DOJ, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and various multilateral development banks. He has served as an independent monitor of companies, including those that have entered into the World Bank disclosure program or are the subject of audits by multinational development banks relating to allegations of corruption, collusion and undisclosed agents. His practice also covers anti-money laundering, economic sanctions, export control and fraud investigations involving international trade and trade finance, including investigations relating to potential violations of U.S. anti-money laundering statutes; tax laws and regulations; the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; the Trading with the Enemy Act; and the Arms Export Control Act. To learn more about Jonathan, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/jonathan-c-poling.html

Counsel

Joseph Sorkin is a trial attorney who has consistently achieved favorable results for clients in a wide range of settings, including federal and state courts around the country, as well as arbitrations. Joseph regularly represents clients engaged in contentious disputes related to corporate restructuring and handles a full range of contested matters and adversarial proceedings in complex Chapter 11 proceedings. To learn more about Joseph, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/joseph-l-sorkin.html

Joshua R. Williams advises clients in various industries on domestic and international tax matters. He focuses primarily on the organization, structuring and operation of private investment funds, including private equity funds, real estate funds, secondary funds, distressed debt funds, funds of funds and hedge funds. He has extensive experience advising credit funds on structuring inbound U.S. investments, including with respect to loan origination activities. Joshua has substantial transactional experience in the real estate area. He regularly counsels real estate funds and other market participants on a wide array of domestic and international tax issues presented by investments in real estate, including issues raised under the real estate investment trust (REIT) rules and the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) regime. Joshua also advises creditors of bankrupt and financially troubled companies on a variety of issues, including the restructuring of debt, preservation of tax attributes and issues arising under the consolidated return regime. Additionally, he is experienced in structuring tax-driven vehicles, such as sale-leasebacks, flip partnerships, inverted leases and other structures for the acquisition and financing of renewable energy assets. To learn more about Joshua, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/joshua-r-williams

Julia Pashin provides tax advice to clients on a broad range of M&A and private equity transactional matters with a particular focus on energy transactions. She has advised on various structuring aspects of upstream oil and gas asset acquisitions and divestitures, drilling and midstream joint venture transactions and like-kind exchanges. To learn more about Julia, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/julia-pashin.html.

Julius Chen represents clients at all stages of appellate litigation. He is the principal drafter of more than 150 briefs filed in the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal courts of appeals, and he has argued cases in the 6th, 9th, 11th, D.C., and Federal Circuits, as well as the Florida Supreme Court. He has also counseled clients on numerous briefs filed in trial courts nationwide. Julius’s practice spans the range of Akin’s complex litigation and regulatory matters. In particular, he has been involved in many of the firm’s most significant matters concerning constitutional and Administrative Procedure Act challenges; high-stakes bankruptcy appeals on behalf of debtors and creditors; patent-related appeals arising out of both district court and inter partes review proceedings; and litigation relating to an array of Indian law issues. In addition, Julius maintains a broad appellate pro bono practice in which he has represented major trade associations, national nonprofit organizations, local governments, academics and incarcerated individuals. To learn more about Mr. Chen, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/z-w-julius-chen.html

Justin Williams is an English qualified solicitor with 25 years’ experience of handling complex international disputes, both in international arbitration and before the English High Court. He heads Akin’s London international arbitration practice and has a broad practice, but with particular focus on energy and on technology. He has acted in numerous complex and high-value international arbitrations in Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Europe, CIS countries, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Asia. His practice includes both commercial and treaty arbitration. In addition, Justin has acted in some of the largest and most complex litigation cases in England and (together with local counsel) in off-shore and other jurisdictions, including Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent. To learn more about Mr. Williams, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/justin-williams.html

Kambiz Larizadeh is a partner in Akin’s litigation group. He focuses on civil fraud and complex, cross-border commercial litigation and arbitration. He has extensive experience in leading teams in a wide range of high-value, complex international disputes, often involving allegations of misconduct and fraud. He has acted for both claimants and defendants. His clients have included large international corporations, major financial institutions, media and technology companies, airlines and a number of high-net-worth individuals. Kambiz has also advised on a diverse range of commercial disputes, mandatory and prohibitive injunctions, international and domestic freezing injunctions, and anti-suit proceedings in support of domestic litigation and arbitration. He has acted in a number of “bet the company” litigations and arbitrations involving claims in excess of $1 billion. To learn more about Mr. Larizadeh, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kambiz-larizadeh.html

Kapil V. Pandit regularly counsels investors, including sovereign wealth funds, fund of funds, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals, in connection with their investments in private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, and managed accounts. He also represents fund sponsors in connection with the formation and operation of private equity funds, credit funds, hybrid funds, real estate funds, secondaries funds, continuation funds, and other alternative investment matters in various jurisdictions. To learn more about Kapil, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kapil-v-pandit

Karen Christian has spent nearly 13 years conducting and overseeing congressional investigations. She counsels clients who may find themselves subjects of congressional probes or who are contending with potential associated regulatory, legislative or litigation challenges. Karen has served as former general counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and chief counsel to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. In her role as general counsel to the Committee, Karen oversaw and ran some of the most high-profile, complex congressional investigations of the last decade. Karen brings her background to bear to advise clients in congressional investigations and related oversight. She helps them develop a comprehensive strategy that addresses parallel civil, criminal, state attorneys general, inspector general, Government Accountability Office and other regulatory investigations. She also lends her experience to formulate defensive and/or affirmative corresponding legislative strategy and to address a broad range of regulatory issues. To learn more about Karen, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/karen-elizabeth-christian.html

Kate represents debtors, creditors, official and unofficial committees, secured lender groups, debtor in possession (DIP) lenders, institutional investors, alternative investment management firms and other parties on a wide range of complex financial restructuring matters. Kate assists clients on in- and out-of-court restructurings and strict foreclosures across industries, including traditional and renewable energy, health care & life sciences, media & entertainment, investment management & private equity, retail and technology. Recent representations include Rite Aid, Endo International, Yak Access, HONX, Intelsat, Talen Energy, among others. To learn more about Kate, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kate-doorley

Counsel

Katherine’s practice focuses on international trade matters, including CFIUS reviews, export controls, economic sanctions, national security and litigation strategy in international investment and arbitration. She has significant experience representing both foreign investors and U.S. companies across different sectors before CFIUS, as well as with respect deal related-considerations such as transaction structuring and deal term negotiations. To learn more about Katherine, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/katherine-p-padgett

Katie is co-head of Akin’s white collar defense & government investigations practice. She represents banks, private investment funds, corporations and their senior executives in investigations and enforcement proceedings arising under federal securities and commodities laws. She also counsels clients on sensitive internal investigations. She has extensive experience with the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, New York Attorney General’s Office and other regulators. An experienced trial lawyer, Katie’s practice builds on nearly 12 years of experience as a federal prosecutor where she served in several significant leadership roles. After joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in 2004, she prosecuted a wide range of securities fraud cases, among others, and was promoted to Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force after serving as Deputy Chief for one year, and before that Co-Chief of the General Crimes Unit. During her tenure as Chief, Katie supervised a team of senior prosecutors in connection with some of the most complex and high-profile white collar and securities matters in the country. To learn more about Katie, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/katherine-rachel-goldstein

Katie Brossy’s practice focuses on representing Indian tribes, tribal governmental instrumentalities and tribally owned enterprises. She has worked on several highly significant tribal matters, including one of the largest Indian water rights settlements in U.S. history and the largest tribal trust claim settlement. She represents tribal clients on a variety of matters, including: Indian water law, including Congressional enactment and implementation of Indian water settlements S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services funding opportunities Tribal trust accounting litigation and settlement Withdrawal of trust assets pursuant to the American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act Negotiating 105(l) leases with the Department of Interior and Indian Health Service Federal appropriations and Congressional representation Bureau of Indian Education school construction and financing Tax law Indian gaming law Land trust and restricted-fee land matters Environmental regulation Contract support costs under the Indian Self-Determination Education and Assistance Act Tribal sovereign immunity To learn more about Katie, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/katie-brossy.html

Kelly M. Cleary represents clients on a diverse range of health care regulatory and policy matters, helping clients understand and navigate an increasingly complex and often changing regulatory code. She provides strategic advice and counsel to the full range of health care and life sciences participants—including hospitals, academic medical centers, cancer centers, health IT companies, and pharmaceutical and device manufacturers—on health care policy, regulatory and enforcement matters. As an advisor to health industry participants, she supports in-house legal and business teams in structuring complex transactions and other strategic initiatives in a manner that minimizes regulatory risk. Kelly has particular experience in matters involving state and federal fraud and abuse laws, including the federal Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute and their state analogs, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act marketplace regulations. She also has successfully represented clients before administrative and judicial tribunals on matters relating to Medicare and Medicaid enrollment and reimbursement, as well as in lawsuits arising under the False Claims Act. In addition, Kelly advises clients on privacy, security and breach notification issues arising under state and federal laws. To learn more about Kelly, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kelly-m-cleary.html

Kerry Berchem, with more than three decades of M&A, securities and governance experience, is a trusted advisor to boards of directors and C-suites. She principally represents public and private companies, including pre- and post- reorganized companies, on transactional, special situations, business, operational and fiduciary matters. Ms. Berchem has particular expertise in complex, event driven transactions. Recent matters include representing Starboard Value Acquisition Corp. in its $3.4 billion merger with Cyxtera Technologies, Verso Corp. in connection with its $400 million asset sale and hostile proxy contest, a private company in connection with a $1.2 billion asset acquisition and related financing, and a public company in connection with its strategic alternatives review. Ms. Berchem also acts as outside general counsel to several companies. She is currently a member of Akin Gump’s Management Committee, co-chairs the firm’s ESG and Corporate Governance groups, and is the former chair of both the firm’s Corporate Practice and Audit and Finance Committee. To learn more about Kerry, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kerry-e-berchem.html

Experience encompasses the laws, regulations and policies pertaining to national security, foreign policy and other controls over foreign direct investment, and the export, reexport and transfer of military, dual-use and other commodities, technologies, software and services; focuses on U.S. regulations implementing these controls, including the EAR, ITAR, sanctions administered OFAC, antiboycott regulations, the FCPA and multilateral trade controls. To learn more about Kevin, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kevin-j-wolf.html

Kevin McBride has a nationwide intellectual property litigation and licensing practice. He has represented clients in matters involving a wide range of technologies. He routinely appears in patent matters in federal district courts and before the International Trade Commission. Kevin has established a record of sustained success in complex patent disputes over his more than 30 years of practice. He has been successful as lead counsel in more than 60 patent cases in the past 10 years. His success is attributable to his ability to handle technical subject matter, combined with a deep understanding of his clients’ businesses, people and culture. Kevin has represented a wide range of clients, including consumer electronics companies, software developers, semiconductor manufacturers, digital television broadcasters, media and entertainment companies, cellular phone manufacturers, medical device companies, and automobile manufacturers.To learn more about Kevin, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/kevin-g-mcbride.html

Lars Hjelm represents Fortune 500 companies whose imports are regulated by the Department of Homeland Security agencies of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as other federal agencies. To learn more about Lars, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/lars-erik-a-hjelm.html

Senior counsel

Lauren practices at the nexus of traditional labor and pension law and cutting-edge restructuring and corporate transactions. Particularly in the context of high profile special situations and restructuring transactions and “off the run” corporate matters, she has significant experience with managing workforce liabilities; collective bargaining agreements; defined benefit pension plans; layoffs; transfers, hiring or separation of executives and employees; executive and employee agreements; anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training and counseling; employee communications and crisis management; and complex HR counseling and investigations. In addition, Lauren serves as the firmwide hiring partner. To learn more about Lauren, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/lauren-h-leyden

Mr

Scott Barnard handles business litigation matters in both federal and state court, with particular experience in securities litigation. Mr. Barnard defends and advises public companies, directors and officers, broker-dealers and board committees in matters involving securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, suits for breach of fiduciary duty and other business torts, internal investigations, investigations and other regulatory actions by FINRA, the Securities and Commission (SEC), and other authorities, allegations of insider trading, and corporate governance matters. He is the partner in charge of the Dallas office, a member of the firmwide Litigation Steering Committee, and a member of the Dallas office Inclusion Council. To learn more about Scott, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/scott-barnard.html

Mahmoud (Mac) Baki Fadlallah is the partner in charge of Akin’s Dubai office. He focuses his practice on the application of U.S. law to non-U.S. entities and operations, particularly with respect to global investigations and compliance with international sanctions, export controls and anticorruption laws. Mr. Fadlallah has been based in the United Arab Emirates since 2012, where he counsels clients across a variety of sectors, including aerospace and defense, satellite, logistics and freight forwarding, communications and technology, financial/banking, energy, automotive, health care, industrial and chemical. To learn more about Mr. Fadlallah, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/mahmoud-b-fadlallah.html

Marc Epstein counsels owners, developers, landlords, tenants and investors in a wide variety of real estate transactions, including sales, acquisitions, financing, leasing, development, management and construction. He also represents clients in forming and structuring vehicles for investments in real estate. These include funds, joint ventures, partnerships, limited liability companies and real estate investment trusts (REITs). In his career, Marc has negotiated more than a billion dollars’ worth of design, engineering and construction contracts and has assisted clients in the acquisition and disposition of countless dollars of commercial real estate. He also structures and negotiates agreements related to the management, operation and leasing of commercial real estate, including data centers, hotels and assisted living facilities. To learn more about Mr. Epstein, please review his full profile at: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/marc-n-epstein.html

Partner

Marissa Román Griffith is a recognized leader in media finance and entertainment transactional matters. She handles sophisticated financings, asset acquisitions, distribution arrangements and other transactions involving storied entertainment companies, as well as recent entrants that are transforming the sector. Her clients include domestic and foreign lenders, borrowers, distributors, producers and others involved in various aspects of financing, distributing and producing film, television and digital content, including co-financing arrangements and credit facilities. To learn more about Marissa, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/marissa-roman-griffith.html

Mark Mansell has represented noteholders, bondholders and other investors in numerous cross-border private placements and other financings. Mark also advises creditors on complex UK and cross-border workouts and financial restructurings. To learn more about Mr. Mansell, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/mark-mansell.html

Mark Herring is co-leader of Akin’s state attorneys general practice and served for eight years as attorney general of Virginia, during which he led many litigation and appellate teams that won high-profile cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and other state and federal courts involving issues such as consumer protection, antitrust, health care fraud, constitutional challenges, environmental protection, civil rights and education. He also spearheaded large, complex investigations in the technology, financial services, pharmaceuticals and insurance sectors and led high-profile investigations internal to state agencies and institutions. Mark has substantial experience working closely with state attorney general offices—on both sides of the aisle—across the country and, while in office, further strengthened those connections through his significant efforts with leading national organizations of state attorneys general. Mark is also a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he lectures on state attorney general law. To learn more about Mark, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/mark-r-herring

Marta Thompson has over a decade of experience in the government contracts and grants space, with a broad practice that involves representing clients in high-stakes government investigations, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and complex regulatory issues. In the investigations space she routinely represents clients in the defense and life sector industries in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation, including major research institutions in cases involving allegations of grant fraud and undue foreign influence.  In the transactional arena, she guides clients in buy-side and sell-side M&A, as well as private equity investments involving government contractors. She is also a member of the firm’s Space Law and Policy practice, advising both established and emerging companies in the space industry on issues related to cybersecurity, compliance, NASA and DOD funding agreements, and federally funded research and development (R&D). To learn more about Marta, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/marta-a-thompson

Martine Cicconi is co-leader of Akin’s state attorneys general practice and focuses her practice on high-profile litigation and government investigations matters, particularly those brought by state attorneys general. With experience in both the public and private sectors, she provides clients with comprehensive, strategic advice to guide them through state attorney general investigations and enforcement actions. Martine served as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel. Martine also served as Associate Counsel in the same office during the Obama administration. Prior to joining the Biden White House, Martine served as Deputy Solicitor General in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, where she was an appellate and trial litigator. She argued major cases in federal and state courts and drafted numerous multistate amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. Martine was a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. To learn more about Martine, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/martine-e-cicconi

Marty Brimmage is the lead litigation partner on a full range of disputes in complex chapter 11 proceedings and other restructuring related issues for debtors, official committees of unsecured creditors, other secured and unsecured creditors, bondholders and ad hoc groups. Marty is also lead trial counsel for litigation teams in restructuring, energy, mining, real estate and telecommunications matters across the country. He is particularly adept at developing litigation and trial strategies and addressing matters on appeal. Significant matters include those involving Diamond Sports Group, TPC, Talen Energy, Pipeline Health, Sungard Availability Services, HONX, Loyalty Ventures and Alex E. Jones, to name a few. To learn more about Marty, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/marty-l-brimmage-jr

Mary advises strategic and financial buyers, sellers and investors in various sectors, including oil & gas, traditional power, renewable energy and private equity. She specializes in public and private M&A, stock and asset acquisitions, minority investments, joint ventures, equity and debt financings, and other complex transactions. Additionally, Mary counsels public companies, their boards and committees on strategic matters like mergers, control sales, conflict situations, SEC compliance and corporate governance. To learn more about Mary, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/mary-w-lovely

Matthew Puhar focuses on public and private cross-border corporate, corporate finance, debt and equity investment and restructuring transactions. He has particular experience in private equity, debt and equity investment deals, buyout transactions, shareholder activism matters, M&A, joint ventures, flotations and investment funds. Matthew is recognized by Chambers Asia, Chambers Global and IFLR1000 as a leading lawyer for Corporate/M&A. Qualified in both Hong Kong and England and Wales, Matthew has significant experience advising on sophisticated cross-border transactions in Asia. To learn more about Mr. Puhar, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/matthew-puhar.html.

Matt Kapinos leads the firm’s projects & energy transition practice. He advises on project development, acquisitions, divestitures and strategic joint ventures involving a range of energy and infrastructure assets. Matt guides energy and infrastructure clients through all phases of drafting and negotiating agreements for the purchase, sale, development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects.  His experiences includes representing clients in traditional and renewable generation, RNG production and utilization, petrochemical, LNG export and import, and CCUS projects. To learn more about Matt, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/matthew-a-kapinos.html

Matthew Durward-Thomas represents investment funds as well as private and multinational public companies on a broad range of corporate tax matters, including domestic and international corporate and finance transactions and investment fund structuring. He has a particular focus on UK and EU financial restructurings. These matters often involve the resolution of novel and complex tax issues. Matthew helps to develop and apply tax-efficient structures while achieving desired commercial outcomes for clients. To learn more about Mr.  Durward-Thomas, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/matthew-thomas.html

Matt’s practice covers the full range of the U.S. trade regulatory regime, including trade policy, trade remedies, customs, export controls, economic sanctions, antiboycott and anticorruption laws. He also advises clients on opportunities and risks presented by international obligations under bilateral, regional and multilateral trade and investment agreements, including World Trade Organization dispute resolution and counseling. Matt represents clients across multiple industries in antidumping, countervailing duty and safeguard litigation, and provides counsel on the business implications of day-to-day trade and customs regulation. Matt represents clients before multiple U.S. government agencies and U.S. courts. His clients vary in scope and span the globe: governments, exporters of goods and services, importers, and producers and users of various metals, high-tech goods, auto parts, chemicals and many different consumer items from all over the world. Matt serves as President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association. As an adjunct law professor at American University Washington College of Law, Matt teaches a course called The U.S. Trade Regime and coaches the school’s WTO moot court team. To learn more about Matt, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/matthew-r-nicely

Dr. Pearson’s practice focuses on patent litigation, representing numerous key industry players in pharmaceuticals, chemistry and biology, with a particular focus on biologics and antibody technology. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and, before transitioning to law, worked at the National Institutes of Health. His scientific background has allowed him to successfully litigate major patent disputes involving biologics, an extremely competitive and technically complex field. Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation; Life Sciences; Strategic IP Counseling; Inter Partes Review; Supreme Court & Appellate: IP To learn more about Matthew please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/matthew-a-pearson

Melissa Laurenza heads Akin’s Political Law practice, specializing in advising clients on navigating complex legal frameworks surrounding interactions with federal and state officials encompassing pay to play laws, lobbying, campaign finance, ethics and other regulatory areas. She assists clients spanning financial services, private equity, hedge funds, corporations, media and entertainment companies, law firms, lobbying firms, trade associations and high-net-worth individuals. Melissa helps establish and maintain compliance systems, covering laws such as the Lobbying Disclosure Act, Foreign Agents Registration Act and rules like Rule 206(4)-5 for investment advisors. She provides counsel on political activities, including testifying before legislative bodies, drafting op-eds and representing clients in federal and state investigations, including before the Department of Justice, Federal Election Commission and Government Accounting Office. Melissa's practice assists politically active entities to ensure adherence to applicable regulations. Her recent work involves clients from commercial banks, energy companies, insurance firms, hedge funds, private equity firms, entertainment companies and individuals transitioning between government and private sectors. To learn more about Melissa, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/melissa-l-laurenza.html

Counsel

Partner

Meredith Lahaie advises on complex restructuring cases of all sizes, both in and out of court. She represents debtors, creditors, bondholders, debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders and acquirers of businesses and assets in large, complex chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. Meredith advises clients from a wide variety of industries, including energy and energy services, shipping, entertainment, and retail. To learn more about Meredith, please visit her profile here:https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/meredith-a-lahaie.html

Michael A. Asaro’s practice focuses on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) investigations, white-collar criminal defense, corporate internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Asaro has extensive litigation and investigatory experience involving matters arising under the federal securities laws, including insider trading, market manipulation, accounting irregularities, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, and broker-dealer and investment advisor regulation. To learn more about Michael, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/michael-a-asaro.html

Michael Gustafson is a finance lawyer with significant experience leading complex debt financings across the credit spectrum. He focuses on institutional private placements, direct lending and financial restructuring matters. To learn more about Mr. Gustafson, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/michael-gustafson.html

Partner

Michael Kahn’s practice focuses on patent infringement and trade secret litigation. He represents innovative companies in a broad range of sectors, including life sciences, medical devices, engineering, consumer products and communications. Michael carefully and efficiently evaluates and addresses patent infringement and trade secret claims in the context of his clients’ market position and business goals. His trial practice includes matters in district courts across the country and before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Michael is also called upon regularly for IP due diligence, both in transactional circumstances and in anticipation of litigation. To learn more about Michael, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/michael-p-kahn.html

Michael Stamer represents official and unofficial committees of unsecured creditors, secured lender groups, debtors, boards of directors and special committees, DIP lenders, plan sponsors and acquirers of businesses and assets in large, complex chapter 11 cases and domestic and international out-of-court restructurings. He has led many high-profile recent restructurings in the energy, oilfield services, power, real estate, healthcare, retail and media industries. His recent engagements include GWG Holdings, TV Azteca, CURO Group, GEO Group, PG&E, CBL & Associates, among others. To learn more about Michael, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/michael-s-stamer.html

Michelle Chan focuses on complex business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and divestitures for private equity clients and private companies across various industries. She also represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in related matters, including day-to-day corporate issues and corporate governance matters. To learn more about Michelle, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/michelle-s-chan.html.

Mitch Hurley is a trial lawyer with over 20 years of experience litigating complex commercial, bankruptcy, corporate and securities disputes. He regularly represents investment funds, fund professionals and portfolio companies, public companies and executives in state and federal court litigation and arbitrations, as well as debtors, creditors’ committees, bondholders, ad hoc groups and others in bankruptcy proceedings. To learn more about Mitch, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/mitchell-p-hurley.html

Naomi Moss focuses on both in- and out-of-court restructurings in large, complex cases. She represents debtors, official and unofficial committees of unsecured creditors, secured lender groups, bondholder committees, DIP lenders, institutional investors, hedge funds and acquirers of businesses and assets. Recent representations include Diamond Sports Group, Avaya, GTT Communications, Carestream, Sungard, TPC Group, iHeartMedia, among others. To learn more about Naomi, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/naomi-moss

Natasha is a recognized leader in complex, U.S. and cross-border investigations and litigation involving financial institutions, sovereign entities, investment funds and technology companies. With over two decades of experience, Natasha has become a trusted advisor to boards of directors and sovereign entities. She navigates complex dynamics involving foreign investment, national security, crisis management and corporate governance. Natasha advises global entities at the intersection of national security and foreign investment, particularly in areas that intersect with technological advancements such as AI, cybersecurity and data protection. Natasha is the global co-leader of Akin’s cross-disciplinary technology and artificial intelligence & machine learning groups, as well as the firm’s cybersecurity, privacy & data protection practice, which was ranked in Band 1 by Chambers Global 2023. Natasha’s practice is at the forefront of emerging technologies, advising global companies on complex issues involving artificial intelligence, biometrics, autonomous vehicles, the metaverse, digital assets and cryptocurrency, among others. To learn more about Natasha, please visit her full profile: http://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/natasha-g-kohne.html

Drawing upon his 20+ years of diverse health care industry and governmental experience, Nate provides clients with strategic, practical advice on cutting-edge regulatory, compliance and policy matters. He has worked extensively in the FDA regulatory field and on coverage and reimbursement matters, allowing him to make connections across disciplines and take a multifaceted, creative approach to advising clients. Nate is a leading authority in the regulation of medical devices, particularly medical software, digital health and diagnostics. He has served in prominent roles at FDA and on the Senate HELP Committee. He is outside counsel to a broad cross section of the most innovative and influential entities in medical technologies, including the most well-established device and diagnostics companies, leading academic medical centers, visionary start-ups, digital technology companies newly entering health care and the leading trade association for the device industry. He has played an active role on behalf of clients in shaping many recent legislative reforms for medical technologies. To learn more about Nate, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/nathan-a-brown.html

Nathan Oleson has served as counsel in several precedent-setting cases and arbitrations, particularly in the area of wage and hour and sports law. He defends employers in complex litigation involving a range of employment issues, including wage and hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour laws, employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and labor disputes under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).  Nathan also has handled several high-stakes disputes between sports entities and athletes and officials regarding compensation, discipline, benefits, workplace injuries, and labor-management rights under collective bargaining agreements. To learn more about Nathan, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/nathan-j-oleson.html

Neal Marder is a seasoned trial lawyer with a diverse civil litigation practice. He works with in-house counsel, senior management and boards of directors for companies, oftentimes facing multimillion dollar, high-profile, bet-the-company business disputes. Neal heads the firm’s consumer class actions practice and brings his nearly 35 years of experience as lead trial counsel to bear in defending against class action suits of all types. He defends against securities litigation and consumer fraud class and mass actions and has done so with a high rate of success: dismissals at the pleading stage, rulings striking entirely or narrowing class claims, decisions denying class certification and highly favorable settlements are all among the results he regularly delivers to clients. Neal also handles a broad range of other litigation, including business and consumer torts, intellectual property, securities, white collar, RICO and real estate. In addition to trying over 25 cases, he also has extensive experience in arbitrations and cross-border litigation. To learn more about Neal, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/neal-ross-marder.html

Nnedinma (Nnedi) counsels U.S. and non-U.S. companies and individuals on U.S. laws and policy affecting cross border transactions and international trade, including export control laws, economic sanctions and trade embargoes, anticorruption laws including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and anti-money laundering laws. Nnedi represents clients in trade matters before various U.S. government agencies, including the Departments of Commerce, State and the Treasury. She has helped clients in various industries to effectively manage due diligence investigations in connection with investment fund formation, mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions. Nnedi advises on how to respond to U.S. government investigations, develop and implement compliance policies and procedures, prepare voluntary self-disclosures, and conduct internal reviews, audits and investigations. Her practice extends to preparing license applications, OFAC sanctions lists delisting petitions, advisory opinion requests and other submissions to relevant U.S. government agencies that administer U.S. trade laws and regulations. To learn more about Ms. Nweke, please visit his/her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/nnedinma-c-ifudu-nweke

Olivier De Moor advises private fund sponsors and their investors on the U.S. federal tax and tax treaty aspects of the structuring and restructuring of their investments, specifically focusing on cross-border transactions. He regularly counsels U.S. clients on U.S. and international tax issues associated with outbound investments, including controlled foreign corporation issues, and advises on a range of withholding issues. Olivier is a co-leader of the sovereign investment tax practice, focusing on investments by non-U.S. sovereigns, pension plans and their affiliates, representing these investors across a variety of strategies and asset classes. Olivier actively engages in pro bono work, representing exempt organizations in tax issues and assisting refugees and other clients on immigration matters. He is fluent in Dutch, French, English and Portuguese, with a good understanding of German and Spanish. To learn more about Olivier, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/olivier-de-moor

Parvin Moyne represents individuals and corporations in government investigations, white collar criminal defense matters, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. She handles matters involving alleged violations of market manipulation, insider trading, accounting fraud, securities fraud, sanctions law, investment advisor fraud, money laundering, public corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations. She has extensive experience conducting investigations and advising on government enforcement matters involving international jurisdictions. To learn more about Parvin, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/parvin-daphne-moyne.html

Patrick Fenn focuses on the tax aspects of a variety of domestic and multi-jurisdictional investment vehicles, including private equity funds, hedge funds and credit funds, and investments by foreign sovereigns, and on the tax aspects of domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships, restructurings, corporate finance and financial instruments. He co-heads the firm’s Tax Group and was a founding partner of the firm’s New York office in April 1993. To learn more about Patrick, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/patrick-b-fenn.html

Represents clients in a wide variety of matters relating to federal criminal and regulatory enforcement actions and corporate internal investigations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, export control and sanctions laws and regulations, securities laws, federal contracts, electronic surveillance and other national security-related issues. He has particular expertise in the investigation and trial of cross-border criminal matters from his time in private practice and as a terrorism prosecutor including his role as trial prosecutor in United States v. Usama bin Laden (the East Africa Embassy Bombing Trial). To learn more about Paul, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/paul-w-butler.html

Paul Hewitt is the former long-time head of Akin’s U.S. antitrust/competition practice and has more than 40 years of experience litigating and advising on complex, high-stakes antitrust matters. Paul’s practice focuses on providing antitrust and Hart-Scott-Rodino representation regarding mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He has provided antitrust representation in involving a broad range of industries and products including oil, natural gas and NGL extraction, processing, refining, transportation and storage, electricity generation, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, health care services, construction materials, agricultural processing and retail food products, shipping, computer software, intellectual property, motion picture exhibition, commodity trading, defense contracting, advertising, and waste management. To learn more about Paul, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/paul-b-hewitt.html

Peter represents investment management firms, public and private companies, and individuals in highly sensitive white collar and government investigations, enforcement proceedings, regulatory examinations, investment fund and securities litigation, and internal investigations. He has extensive experience in matters before the SEC, CFTC, DOJ and other regulators. He is a go-to lawyer in the investment funds space, assisting investment management clients with respect to regulatory compliance with federal securities and commodities laws. Peter is a leader in Akin’s digital assets, cryptocurrency & blockchain practice, representing senior executives, trading firms and exchanges in some of the most sophisticated and high-profile government investigations involving cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. Peter’s practice draws from experience as an enforcement lawyer at the SEC, where he worked in the Division of Enforcement’s Market Abuse Unit. To learn more about Peter, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/peter-i-altman

Represents debtors, official and unofficial committees of creditors, secured creditors, investors, DIP lenders and acquirers of businesses and assets in chapter 11 cases of all sizes and complexity as well as in connection with out-of-court restructurings. Recent representations include Yellow Corporation, Avaya, Cineworld, Travelport, GTT Communications, Carestream, iHeartMedia, J.C. Penney, Sears, Sungard, Loyalty Ventures, to name a few. To learn more about Phil, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/philip-c-dublin.html

Prakash Mehta advises some of the world’s most prominent fund sponsors, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and other institutional investors. He provides strategic advice on private equity-style investments, exit transactions, joint ventures, and stock and asset sales. He also counsels on investor portfolio company matters and serves as corporate counsel to public and private portfolio companies. Representative work includes advising on economically transformative private equity, venture capital and infrastructure fund manager-level transactions, including seed arrangements, joint ventures and minority stake sales; counseling funds on restructuring shale-play investments impacted by volatility in the energy sector; providing advice on debt and equity investments in shipping and entertainment assets around the world; assisting Asian clients on U.S. inbound investments in a variety of sectors; and representing limited partner advisory boards regarding zombie fund manager disputes, with extensive work on funds divorce matters involving fund principals and investors. He is co-leader of the firm’s investment management practice, leader of the India practice and member of the management committee. To learn more about Prakash, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/prakash-h-mehta.html

Head of Akin’s Supreme Court & appellate practice. Pratik has argued 15 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court (winning all but three), and over 50 cases in the federal courts of appeals (including in every circuit). Under Pratik’s leadership, Akin has been a mainstay on NLJ’s Appellate Hot List, named one of the top three appellate practices in the Best of Corporate Counsel rankings, and recognized as Law360’s Practice Group of the Year. Previously, Pratik served for more than five years as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the DOJ. He received a number of awards for his advocacy before the Supreme Court during that time, including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his role as lead drafter of the successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor. To learn more about Pratik, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/pratik-a-shah.html

Dr. Elsby is an experienced trial lawyer who represents clients in intellectual property disputes in a range of technology areas, most notably in the life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and medical device space. Her practice primarily focuses on patent and trade secret litigation in district courts and appeals to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. She also has significant experience handling cases before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the International Trade Commission (ITC). She is a leader on our trial teams and plays a key role in strategy development, case management, and trial presentation in highly-complex technical areas. Additionally, she often serves as the appellate specialist on our trial teams. Dr. Elsby has participated in numerous appeals as both counsel and in consulting roles, arguing several cases at the Federal Circuit. Furthermore, she is frequently called on by members of the biotech and life sciences industry to write amicus briefs in patent cases before the Federal Circuit and Supreme Court. To learn more about Rachel, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/rachel-j-elsby

Ranesh is co-leader of the special situations & private credit practice. He has deep and diverse experience advising global asset managers on a wide variety of matters, as well as advising private equity firms and their portfolio companies in a range of traditional large-cap and middle-market acquisition and financing transactions. He has experience negotiating, structuring and managing complex transactions globally—across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia—including acquiring diverse multijurisdictional portfolios of assets and extracting entire business units from distressed sellers. Ranesh was the lead attorney on several deals for Bain Capital, including a $1 billion senior unsecured notes offering issued by GGAM Finance Ltd, a subsidiary of Griffin Global Asset Management Holdings, Ltd and the investment it co-led with Pollen Street Capital in the £1.2 billion merger between The Markerstudy Group and Atlanta Group. To learn more about Ranesh, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ranesh-ramanathan

Rafi Prober co-leads the firm’s congressional investigations practice. Throughout his career in private practice and the public sector, Rafi has advised companies, institutions and individuals in some of the most high stakes, complex and consequential congressional and governmental investigations. He also assists with internal investigations, compliance audits and the development of effective compliance programs. In 2015, after over a decade in private practice, including as a partner at Akin, Rafi was appointed to a key role at DOJ, serving as an Associate Deputy Attorney General. He handled all facets of the DOJ’s responses to congressional oversight and investigations, often involving parallel DOJ investigations and enforcement matters. He was also responsible for engagement with the DOJ Inspector General’s Office, the Government Accountability Office, and DOJ’s Office of Information Policy (overseeing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the executive branch). Rafi’s experience on both sides of high-profile investigations allows him to develop strategies that address not just the immediate scrutiny itself, but also broader reputational and business considerations, including the investigation’s potential impact on parallel criminal, civil and regulatory proceedings. To learn more about Rafi, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/raphael-a-prober.html

Richard Hornshaw leads Akin’s London litigation group and the Firm’s international disputes practice. He primarily acts for investment firms and a range of other financial institutions on high-value, complex and cross-border disputes and focuses his practice on finance and securities law matters, as well as distressed debt, insolvency and restructuring situations and shareholder activism. He has experience in conducting and resolving disputes—both in arbitration and litigation—in the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world. Richard qualified as a Solicitor Advocate in 2002 and is also qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong, where he previously practiced. Richard is a CEDR accredited mediator. To learn more about Mr Hornshaw, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/richard-hornshaw.html

The head of Akin’s New York labor & employment practice, Rich Rabin advises clients on their most complex and sensitive employment matters. He litigates employment-related disputes in federal and state courts, as well as before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), JAMS and the Major League Baseball Arbitration Panel. Rich regularly represents clients in the financial services industry, including hedge fund and private equity firms, in connection with their labor and employment matters. He also represents executives, directors, portfolio managers and other senior personnel in connection with employment and partnership-related disputes. Rich also regularly speaks and writes on litigation and employment issues and has provided legal analyses in television and radio interviews, as well as in print media. To learn more about Rich, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/richard-j-rabin.html

Rizwan Kanji’s practice focuses on debt capital markets, finance and securitizations using both conventional and Islamic finance structures. He advises investment banks, financial institutions, multilateral development banks, sovereign states, insurance companies and multinational regional corporations on high-profile transactions across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. To learn more about Riwan Kanji, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/rizwan-kanji.html

Rob advises clients on a variety of projects and transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors, with a particular focus on upstream and midstream oil and gas, LNG and LNG shipping matters. Rob assists clients with the structuring and development of projects, joint venture arrangements, asset sales and purchases, and corporate acquisitions, disposals and financings. His experience includes negotiating, drafting and advising on commercial arrangements including liquefied natural gas (LNG) sale and purchase agreements, LNG terminal use agreements, common facilities agreements, gas sale and purchase agreements, crude oil offtake agreements, pipeline transportation agreements, vessel charter agreements, joint venture agreements, and asset sale and purchase agreements.

Robert Aulsebrook’s practice focuses on international debt finance, project finance, capital markets and derivatives. Robert has particular experience providing advice on financing and investment in Russia and elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). He advises corporate borrowers, lenders, investment funds, investment fund managers, corporate investors, high-net-worth individuals and other market parties on a wide variety of finance and derivatives issues in the London market. For borrowers and lenders, Robert provides advice on terms of primary market loans, loan participations and secondary market trading of debt. He also provides advice to issuers and purchasers of equity and debt instruments, depository receipts, Eurobonds, convertible debt securities and commercial paper. To learn more about Mr. Aulsebrook, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/robert-w-aulsebrook.html

Mr. Griffin advises investment fund managers in the United States and internationally on structuring investment fund complexes, conducting private placements and complying with various regulatory regimes. His clients can be found in private equity and other global funds, and he also advises sovereign wealth and other government-backed investors on their global investments. With a deep understanding of the international funds business and regulatory landscape, Mr. Griffin helps clients develop practical solutions to complex challenges. He has assisted with regulatory and legal compliance issues raised in multiple jurisdictions—including Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Abu Dhabi—and in harmonizing compliance policies with respect to each jurisdiction. In his decade-long tenure of service in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Griffin honed leadership and project management skills that prove valuable in managing large, complex international transactions. To learn more about Mr. Griffin, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/robert-m-griffin.html.

Bob Pees’s practice focuses on commercial litigation and domestic and international arbitration arising from securities offerings and corporate transactions. He has extensive experience in the area of class actions, including securities class actions, derivative actions and multidistrict litigation and has served as counsel in many large, complex lawsuits, including high-profile, multidistrict litigation and significant arbitration. His clients include Fortune 500 corporations, financial services firms, broker-dealers, insurance industry intermediaries, investment funds, and real estate limited partnerships. He also frequently counsels investment funds and others regarding counter party risks. To learn more about Bob, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/robert-h-pees.html

False Claims Act/Qui Tam Defense Fraud & Abuse Compliance and Litigation To learn more about Robert, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/robert-s-salcido.html

Rosa Testani advises private equity funds, portfolio companies and other corporations in complex corporate finance transactions. In particular, she regularly advises on high-yield debt offerings; tender offers; consent solicitations; and equity offerings, including IPOs. She also has extensive experience in advising distressed companies, creditors, and special situations investors on financing and securities matters in out-of-court and in-court restructurings. Rosa regularly advises on securities law compliance, corporate governance and covenant compliance matters. She serves as a long-term legal advisor to C-suite executives and senior management. Over the course of her career, she has worked on a large number of sophisticated deals and has represented one of the largest private equity funds in the world. To learn more about Rosa, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/rosa-a-testani.html

Rubén Muñoz represents public and privately-held companies in patent and trade secret litigation involving a wide array of technologies, including medical devices, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and electronics. He represents clients in federal and state courts, before the International Trade Commission and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the United States Patent Office in inter partes review proceedings. He has been counsel of record in over 50 inter partes review (IPR) proceedings with nearly half of them as lead counsel. To learn more about Ruben, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ruben-h-munoz.html

Partner

Ryan Stronczer is an experienced patent litigator who handles complex litigation before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), U.S. district courts, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). He leverages his prior experience as a patent examiner with the USPTO to guide clients in all phases of patent litigation and has taken multiple cases from inception through trial, including leading discovery efforts, drafting key motions, taking and defending depositions, and examining fact and expert witnesses at trial. In addition to litigation, Ryan’s practice also includes intellectual property counseling in connection with corporate restructuring and investment, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy for multinational corporations. To learn more about Ryan, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/ryan-stronczer

Sara Brauner represents official creditor committees, bondholders, noteholders, institutional investors, hedge funds and other interested parties in large-scale financial restructurings. Sara has experience across an array of industries, including retail, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals & life sciences, media, gaming & hospitality. Sara is also the firm’s Hiring Partner for the New York Office and oversees student recruitment efforts and the summer associate program. Recent representations include Alex Jones, Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt, Sears, HONX, Seadrill, among others. To learn more about Sara, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/sara-l-brauner

Sarah Schultz handles large, complex restructuring cases and out-of-court corporate reorganizations for public and private companies, as well as for alternative investment funds. She routinely handles representations for both debtors and creditors and works across a broad range of industries, including oil and gas, shipping, retail and health care. Recent engagements include CURO Group, Pipeline Health, Brazos Electric Power, Just Energy, Remington Outdoor, among others. . To learn more about Ms. Schultz, please visit her full profile:  https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/sarah-link-schultz.html

Sarah counsels multinational clients on a range of international regulatory and trade policy matters, including market access, customs, and export controls. Sarah represents corporate and government clients in antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) proceedings before the U.S. Commerce Department, the U.S. International Trade Commission, federal courts and international tribunals, as well as in World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement proceedings. She also advises clients on other import and export compliance matters, including duty and penalty risk mitigation and litigation strategy, and assists them with product classifications, duty waivers, licenses and voluntary self-disclosures. She has worked with clients across a range of industries, including steel, softwood lumber, tires, automotive, aerospace, paper, consumer electronics, technology and insurance. To learn more about Sarah, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/sarah-sprinkle

Award winning and nationally profiled government relations expert, Scott Parven is a strategist and communicator operating at the intersection of politics, policy and global issues with a special focus on clients from Asia and Latin America. He works closely with high-ranking officials of sovereign governments and C-level executives at Fortune 500 companies to craft solid messaging; build brand awareness; and develop targeted, effective networks to advance and protect his clients’ interests. For his entire career, Scott has been affiliated with centrist Democrats and has developed close associations with members of Congress and staff, driving market-based solutions to challenges in global economics and trade. To learn more about Scott, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/scott-d-parven.html

Scott Heimberg advises on federal contract formation and administration issues, contract disputes litigation, including litigation of construction claims, mergers and acquisitions, facility security clearances, government investigations and compliance counseling. He frequently represents technology and start-up companies seeking to identify potential government markets and evaluate the benefits and liabilities associated with selling to the government. In addition, he counsels clients on issues of fraud, waste and abuse, including suspension and debarment matters. Scott has successfully defended Fortune 500 technology and health care companies, as well as construction companies, against civil False Claims Act actions. He also regularly represents government contractors involved in transactions with foreign entities, advising on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process, and obtaining and maintaining security clearances. To learn more about Scott, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/scott-m-heimberg.html

Scott Pettifor advises on merger cases (at an EU, U.K. and multijurisdictional level), behavioral issues and the application of sectoral regulations. Scott’s understanding of the merger control landscape is significant and affords him the ability to provide succinct, actionable advice. He provides multijurisdictional advice on large global transactions for merging parties as well as for the financial institutions with related exposure. Scott regularly obtains merger control approvals for clients before the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and is well placed to assist clients in a post-Brexit environment. He acted for a client on one of the first transactions to be approved by the CMA under the revised de minimis regime introduced in 2017. His work has spanned myriad industry sectors, including: Telecommunications Food and retail Investments Pharmaceutical Aviation Energy services Media Insurance To learn more about Mr. Pettifor, please visit his full profile: www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/scott-pettifor.html

Focuses on corporate restructurings, with an emphasis on distressed issuers and borrowers, official and unofficial creditors’ committees, bondholder groups, and bank steering groups in large, complex cases both out of court and in chapter 11. Represents companies, bondholders, lenders, institutional investors, private equity firms, hedge funds and other interested parties. Has also represented debtors in possession, bank agents, post-petition lenders and acquirers of distressed assets. Significant matters include those involving Diamond Sports, Intelsat, Talen Energy, Yak Access, GenesisCare, Frontera and FirstEnergy Solutions, to name a few. To learn more about Scott, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/scott-l-alberino.

Focuses on corporate restructurings, with an emphasis on distressed issuers and borrowers, official and unofficial creditors’ committees, bondholder groups, and bank steering groups in large, complex cases both out of court and in chapter 11. Represents companies, bondholders, lenders, institutional investors, private equity firms, hedge funds and other interested parties. Has also represented debtors in possession, bank agents, post-petition lenders and acquirers of distressed assets. Significant matters include those involving Diamond Sports, Enviva, Intelsat, Talen Energy, Yak Access, GenesisCare, Benefytt Technologies, Frontera and, to name a few. To learn more about Scott, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/scott-l-alberino.

Sebastian Rice is the partner in charge of Akin’s London, Geneva and Hong Kong offices. Mr. Rice’s practice focuses on providing advice on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions.

Serena Lee is a partner in Akin’s tax group. She advises on all aspects of corporate tax, including domestic and international corporate and finance transactions, financial restructurings and corporate reorganizations. She also advises on a broad range of funds and investment structures, oil and gas tax issues and handles activist shareholder matters. To learn more about Ms. Lee, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/serena-lee.html

Sergio Urias represents leading private equity funds and their portfolio companies in a wide range of corporate transactions, including domestic and cross-border (primarily in Latin America) M&A, recapitalizations, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, reorganizations, growth equity investments and other corporate transactional matters. In addition, he negotiates, structures and executes corporate transactions on behalf of strategic buyers and sellers. Sergio has extensive industry experience representing clients across a broad spectrum of sectors, including technology, media, telecommunications, consumer products, energy, mining, health care, life sciences, food and beverage, software, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, aerospace, defense and hospitality. As a result, he can anticipate and address industry-unique issues that often arise in the transaction process and structure the transactions efficiently. To learn more about Mr. Urias, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/sergio-a-urias.html.

Shariff represents clients involved in the acquisition, development and financing of power generation and infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on tax equity financing. His experience spans billions of dollars in closed and funded investments supporting gigawatts of renewable energy, including large and small utility-scale solar and wind projects, large and small residential solar portfolios, community solar projects, C&I solar projects, geothermal projects and biomass projects. More recently, Shariff has also worked on carbon capture, hydrogen and waste-to-product projects currently under development. To learn more about Shariff, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/shariff-n-barakat

Shaun Lascelles has more than 20 years of experience advising on cross-border M&A and private equity transactions. He focuses on transactional public and private cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity and international joint ventures. He advises private equity firms, infrastructure investors and corporates in relation to complex, high-end transactions and has deep knowledge of the oil & gas and energy sectors, often across emerging market jurisdictions that include Africa and Russia. To learn more about Mr. Lascelles, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/shaun-lascelles.html

Partner

Simon Rootsey works with private equity firms, infrastructure investors and corporates on complex cross-border M&A (both public and private) and private equity transactions across a broad range of sectors and in multiple regions.  He frequently represents clients in the energy (especially downstream and midstream), infrastructure and healthcare / life sciences sectors where he has particularly deep experience.  Mr. Rootsey regularly works with clients on transactions across Africa (where he has worked on deals covering over 30 African jurisdictions), Latin America and transatlantic take private transactions or other transactions where U.S. clients are investing (often for the first time) in Europe. To learn more about Mr. Rootsey, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/simon-rootsey.html

Corporations turn to Stacey for representation in complex federal environmental enforcement matters with DOJ and EPA, including internal investigations, and in high-stakes and crisis management situations. Having held senior roles at both the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, Stacey brings a deep understanding of the inner workings of both agencies to assist clients in navigating these regulatory compliance and enforcement matters. Her practice also includes providing strategic advice to domestic and international companies and funds on a wide range of environmental regulatory and policy matters. Stacey is a leader of the firm’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) and climate work. Clients include private equity and hedge funds and companies from the chemical, shipping, energy, automotive manufacturing (OEM) and printing industries. To learn more about Stacey, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stacey-h-mitchell.html

Stacey Eisenstein regularly represents employers in high profile and significant arbitrations involving contract and labor disputes, as well as benefits and other Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) disputes. Ms. Eisenstein’s clients include employers in the entertainment and professional sports industries. She counsels them on a variety of employment-related matters, including collective bargaining agreements; employment agreements and policies; employee benefits; leave and disability laws; contract disputes; discrimination and harassment issues; and wage and hour matters. To learn more about Stacey, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stacey-recht-eisenstein.html.

Stephen Peppiatt is a finance lawyer with significant experience advising lenders in relation to domestic and international financings. He advises financial institutions in relation to debt restructurings, as well as derivatives and other financial instruments. To learn more about Mr. Peppiatt, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stephen-peppiatt.html

Stephen Kho’s practice focuses on international trade and investment policy, and dispute resolution, including WTO proceedings and investor-state arbitrations. He represents companies and governments on matters ranging from market access and investment to public international law. To learn more about Mr. Kho, please visit his full profile: http://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stephen-s-kho.html

Stephen Kho focuses on trade and investment policy, and dispute resolution, including WTO and other international proceedings, such as investor-state arbitration under free trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties. He represents companies and governments on matters ranging from market access and trade negotiations, to non-tariff barriers and public international law. Steve serves as the partner-in-charge of the firm’s Geneva office. To learn more about Steve, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stephen-s-kho.html

Partner

Stephen Baldini is the global head of Akin’s disputes & investigations practice with more than 25 years of practice. His practice focuses on resolving high-stakes disputes involving private equity and hedge funds and he has represented companies, investors and boards of directors in state, federal, and cross-border litigation and arbitrations worth billions of dollars. Mr. Baldini works closely with owners, management companies, investors, creditors and portfolio companies. Mr. Baldini emphasizes solutions that allow companies to resolve disputes according to their business needs, avoid reputational damage and move operations forward. He handles matters involving partnership and investor disputes, regulatory and compliance issues, international arbitration, complex bankruptcy litigation, securities and derivatives fraud litigation, Securities and Exchange Commission inquiries and investigations, breach of contract claims, fiduciary duty and investing issues, merger and acquisition disputes, class action litigation and commercial corporate disputes. To learn more about Stephen, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stephen-m-baldini.html

Mr. Maslowski’s practice focuses on patent litigation and client counseling in the life sciences, including complex biological and chemical inventions, such as antibodies, small molecule drugs, and polymers, as well as medical devices. He has litigated in courts throughout the country and before the U.S. International Trade Commission. He has also represented clients in numerous inter partes review proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Maslowski also represents clients in matters involving trade secrets and related intellectual property issues. To learn more about Mr. Maslowski, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/steven-d-maslowski.html

Steven Franklin’s practice focuses on public and private cross-border transactions, including M&A, debt and equity investments, merger arbitrage opportunities, joint ventures and restructuring transactions.  He has significant experience providing investor-side advice on complex corporate transactions and investment opportunities across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Steven also advises on many high-profile shareholder activism situations in Europe and Asia. Qualified in England and Wales, Steven often acts in a quasi-general counsel role for his clients - managing multidisciplined advisor teams across multiple jurisdictions throughout the lifecycle of an investment. To learn more about Mr. Franklin, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/steven-franklin.html

Stuart Leblang is co-head of the firm’s tax practice. His practice includes planning and negotiating domestic and international business transactions, corporate and financial tax counseling and representing clients on tax legislative and policy issues before the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Treasury and other federal agencies. He also focuses on various investment fund matters. To learn more about Stuart, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/stuart-e-leblang.html

Susan Lent heads the firm’s infrastructure & transportation practice and co-heads the firm’s autonomous vehicles initiative. Susan represents clients before the DOT, other federal agencies and the U.S. Congress. She advises clients on federal, state and local procurement laws and other laws and regulations applicable to developers and operators of infrastructure projects, other recipients of federal funding and companies regulated by the DOT. Susan regularly provides guidance on the complexity of how infrastructure projects come together and are monetized in the United States, including evaluating and managing regulatory risks and navigating the government procurement process. She also advises clients on the range of issues around smart cities, including infrastructure planning and development, monetizing investments and rules around safety and liability. To learn more about Susan, please visit her full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/susan-h-lent.html

Susan Kovarovics focuses her practice on matters involving the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. antiboycott laws and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). She leverages this specialized experience to play a vital role in merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, helping her clients conduct due diligence and evaluate risk related to export and sanctions compliance, antiboycott and anticorruption matters. To learn more about Susan, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/susan-mc-kovarovics

As a partner in Akin’s international trade practice, Tatman Savio counsels clients on U.S. law and policy affecting international trade and business, including sanctions, export controls, and anti-corruption laws. She represents clients in national security reviews conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Tatman regularly works with companies to develop and implement international trade compliance programs and manage internal investigations and related enforcement issues. She also assists clients with cross-border transactions by conducting due diligence and developing strategies to mitigate international trade compliance liabilities. Tatman advises companies in a range of industries throughout Asia, including China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. To learn more about Ms. Savio, please visit her full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/tatman-r-savio.html.

Terence Rozier-Byrd represents private fund sponsors in connection with the formation and ongoing operation of private funds across a wide range of alternative investment asset classes, including private equity, growth equity, real estate, fund of funds, hedge, and hybrid funds. In addition, Terence advises institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, public and private pension plans, endowments, and family offices, in connection with their investments in, and co-investments alongside, various private funds. Terence also offers valuable guidance to investors in negotiating funds-of-one and managed accounts tailored to meet their specific investment objectives. To learn more about Terence, please visit his profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/terence-rozier-byrd

Thomas McLish is an experienced commercial litigator with a special focus on cases involving government contract disputes, including bid protests and matters involving allegations of fraud or false claims. He has represented defense, construction, electronics and other companies in complex lawsuits involving disputes with the federal government and other contractors. His experience also includes advising clients on government contract issues arising in M&A transactions. Mr. McLish litigates before U.S. appellate and district courts, state courts, the Court of Federal Claims, federal boards of contract appeals and arbitration panels. He has handled government contract disputes before various U.S. agencies, including the General Services Administration; the departments of Defense, Navy, Air Force, Army, Interior and Homeland Security; and bid protests before the Government Accountability Office. To learn more about Mr. McLish, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/thomas-p-mclish.html

Tom Dupuis represents owners and sponsors, developers, lenders, and other participants in a wide array of renewable energy and real estate transactions. Tom handles matters related to the development, acquisition, sale and financing of commercial real estate and conventional and renewable energy projects, particularly wind, solar and geothermal energy projects. He works with clients on projects across the United States. Tom uses his wide-ranging experience in commercial real estate and energy development and financing transactions to make sense of complicated projects and issues and to provide succinct, effective guidance to his clients. To learn more about Tom, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/thomas-i-dupuis.

Tom has been a long-standing, trusted advisor for 7-Eleven, AT&T and multiple private equity funds in their M&A activities.  With over 25 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and corporate governance matters, Tom has been repeatedly recognized as one the top M&A lawyers in Dallas and a leading M&A lawyer of color in the US. During the past 4 years, Tom has been primary lead on over 40 transactions with a value in excess of $40 billion, including the $21 billion acquisition of Speedway by 7-Eleven from Marathon Petroleum Corp. Tom is active in the Korean, Asian-American communities and The National Asian Pacific Bar Association and is a former President of the Dallas Asian-American Bar Association and is the current Chair of the Dallas Bar Association M&A Committee. To learn more about Tom, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/thomas-h-yang.html.

Tom McCarthy serves as head of the firm’s international trade practice and a member of the regulatory practice steering committee. He counsels clients on U.S. law and policy affecting international trade and business, including export control laws, sanctions programs, customs law, anticorruption laws, antiboycott regulations and foreign investment in the United States. To learn more about Tom, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/thomas-james-mccarthy.html

Tom Bannister is a partner in Akin’s financial restructuring group. He focuses his practice on cross-border financial restructurings and workouts. Tom represents a broad range of institutional and distressed investors. His clients include private placement noteholders, senior secured noteholders, syndicated lenders, senior lenders, mezzanine lenders, ad hoc committees and official committees of unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings. To learn more about Mr. Bannister, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/tom-bannister.html

Complex commercial litigation, investment funds litigation, real estate litigation, securities litigation

Vance Chapman focuses his practice on special situations, equity offerings and equity investments. He also has considerable experience in financial restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Chapman has advised hedge funds, private equity funds and other investors in numerous UK and cross-border transactions. He also has extensive experience in activist investments across a range of sectors. To learn more about Mr. Chapman, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/vance-chapman.html

Vanessa is a key player on Akin’s renowned entertainment team and throughout the corporate entertainment world. She is regularly found at the table with seasoned professionals who seek her guidance and advice in finalizing their deals. Vanessa provides counsel in various aspects of the production, financing and distribution of film, television, digital media and music projects. She is keenly focused on helping clients address issues related to the rapidly-changing landscape of the entertainment industry, including the proliferation of streaming services and the rise of virtual reality. She leverages positive relationships across the sector to facilitate efficiencies in transactions. To learn more about Ms. Roman, please visit her profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/vanessa-f-roman.

Partner; US Chair, Energy and Natural Resources Sector

Rob Shearer has 25 years of experiences guiding public and private companies through more than 100 mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and capital markets transactions. He brings significant experience in public and private mergers and acquisitions to his work for energy, utility, oilfield services, manufacturing and technology companies. His capital markets practice encompasses debt and equity offerings, including initial public offerings, follow-on offerings and 144A offerings, as well as 1934 Act reporting. Drawing on his deep knowledge of the energy industry, Rob provides practical and proactive advice to his clients during the course of highly consequential transactions. He efficiently maximizes the deep resources available at a global law firm, passing these advantages on to his clients. In 2019, among other high-profile transactions, Rob advised CenterPoint Energy in its $6 billion acquisition of Vectren Corporation and counseled a leading oilfield services company in its acquisition of a proppant mining operation in West Texas from a private equity seller. To learn more about Rob, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/w-robert-shearer.html

Wael Jabsheh serves as co-partner in charge of the Abu Dhabi office and concentrates on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity as well as general corporate and commercial matters. He also advises on complex matters relating to technology, communications, cybersecurity and intellectual property. Mr. Jabsheh is fluent in Arabic, has been based in the United Arab Emirates since 2005 and has extensive experience advising on corporate and TMT transactions in the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. He advises a variety of sovereign and private clients, including Middle East-based and international companies and financial institutions in multibillion- and multimillion- dollar deals. To learn more about Mr. Jabsheh, please visit his full profile: http://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/wael-jabsheh.html

Wes Williams has more than two decades of experience structuring complex transactions across the oil & gas space, with a particular emphasis on upstream and midstream transactions. He also represents private equity sponsors and public and private companies in M&A transactions, joint ventures, equity and debt financings, other complex business transactions and SEC compliance. In addition, Wes advises private investment fund sponsors in structuring and forming private equity investment funds and oil and gas resource and minerals funds. He also counsels public companies in connection with public equity and debt offerings, corporate governance, SEC reporting, and general securities compliance. Wes is the co-head of Akin’s energy practice, and previously served as the firmwide corporate and securities practice leader at a prior firm. To learn more about Wes, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/wesley-p-williams

Bill is a partner in the special situations & private credit practice. He works with many of the market’s most active private credit investors and direct lenders. He advises on complex finance transactions and credit arrangements, including financings that include multiple tranches of debt. He regularly structures and negotiates a wide range of financing facilities, such as mezzanine debt, second-lien loans, unitranche facilities, first-out/last-out and term "B" facilities, and holdco note purchases. Bill has extensive experience in intercreditor and interlender issues, secured creditor and bankruptcy rights and debt restructurings. He regularly negotiates intercreditor and subordination agreements, agreements among lenders and other complex interlender agreements. Bill joined Akin in March 2024 from Paul Hastings. To learn more about Bill, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/william-brady

Partner

Yujin advises U.S. and foreign clients in trade litigation before U.S. agencies and international organizations.  She has significant experience representing foreign companies in trade remedy proceedings before the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  Yujin also advises governments and companies on U.S. and international trade policy issues, and has represented several governments before the World Trade Organization on trade remedy and other issues. To learn more about Ms. McNamara, please visit her full profile here: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/yujin-kim-mcnamara.html

Focuses his practice on federal and state appellate litigation. Julius has particular experience relating to administrative and constitutional law, financial restructuring, intellectual property and Native American tribes. To learn more about Julius, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/z-w-julius-chen.html

Zach Wittenberg represents public and private companies, debtors, funds and ad hoc and official committees in the structuring, negotiation and implementation of complex mergers and acquisitions and restructurings, often in distressed and special situations. He advises companies and investors on a broad range of corporate, securities law, corporate governance and strategic matters, including rights offerings, shareholder and inter-creditor agreements and disclosure issues. To learn more about Zach, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/zachary-n-wittenberg.html