Adam Fee
Partner, Litigation & Arbitration Group
Paul Hastings LLP
paulhastings.comLawyers
Alex Kaufman
Alex S. Kaufman is a partner in the Private Equity practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Palo Alto office. Mr. Kaufman advises private equity funds and standalone technology companies on mergers and acquisitions transactions, including leveraged buyouts, growth equity investments, and divestitures, with an emphasis on the software and technology sectors. His clients have included many of the leading technology-focused buyout and growth equity funds in the Bay Area. Mr. Kaufman also serves as U.S. counsel to numerous Israeli technology companies.Mr. Kaufman graduated, with honors, from the Emory University School of Law, where he served as senior editor of the Emory International Law Review, president of the Jewish Law Students Association, and senior advisor to the Federalist Society. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Brad Bondi
Brad Bondi is Global Co-Chair of the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings and a nationally recognized litigation partner. He focuses on securities and financial investigations (SEC and DOJ) and securities and complex litigation. He also advises boards of directors and audit committees concerning significant governance matters. He is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and New York offices.
The publication Law360 recognized Brad as a national MVP in white collar in 2022, 2021, and 2019, Benchmark Litigation lists him as “national practice area star” in both securities and white collar, and The National Law Journal named him a Washington D.C. Trailblazer in 2020 to recognize his significant contributions to the field of securities law. The National Association of Corporate Directors has twice honored him for his work in the board room. Securities Docket describes Brad as “the first choice among Boards of Directors and Audit Committees of the Fortune 500 when their company is faced with SEC or DOJ problems.”
Mr. Bondi has two decades of experience representing and counseling companies, financial institutions, boards of directors, audit committees, and senior executives in a broad range of investigations and complex business litigation, with an emphasis on securities and financial regulations and corporate governance matters. He previously held senior positions in government, including at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Mr. Bondi leads the representation of significant legal matters including major litigation in trial and appellate courts and in arbitrations (securities litigation, derivative litigation, and complex business litigation), SEC, FINRA, and PCAOB enforcement matters, criminal inquiries (including FCPA, DOJ, and USAO matters), and various investigations (including independent investigations overseen by audit committees and special committees).
Mr. Bondi regularly serves as a senior advisor to boards of directors, audit committees, special committees, independent directors, and senior executives during corporate crises, significant transactions, and governance challenges. He has guided boards and board committees through the most extraordinary corporate events, including independent investigations, defense of derivative lawsuits against directors and officers, class actions, accounting irregularities and Restatements, auditor disputes, hostile takeover attempts and activist shareholders, mergers and acquisitions disputes, cyber intrusions and data breaches, and investigations of alleged misconduct by executives.
Mr. Bondi advises clients in connection with regulatory enforcement actions, private lawsuits, and governmental and congressional investigations arising from suspected violations of securities laws, accounting irregularities, auditor disputes, internal controls, market manipulation, revenue recognition issues, tax-related matters, insider trading, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other commercial bribery law compliance, matters involving LIBOR and other reference rates, compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts, potential antitrust concerns, and cybersecurity. He also oversees complex civil and criminal litigation, such as securities litigation, corporate control litigation, commercial litigation, contractual disputes, arbitrations, and criminal proceedings. Mr. Bondi has litigated significant legal disputes in various state and federal courts, including serving as counsel of record for successful briefs before the Supreme Court of the United States: for an investment bank in Credit Suisse First Boston Ltd. v. Billing (interpreting securities laws as implicitly precluding the application of antitrust laws in the IPO process) and for an amicus curiae in Yates v. United States (construing Sarbanes-Oxley’s criminal provision for document destruction, 18 U.S.C. § 1519). He also served as counsel of record for an amicus curiae brief before the Supreme Court of the United States in Salman v. United States (concerning the personal benefit element of insider trading law) and Liu v. SEC (concerning the SEC’s authority to seek disgorgement), and he has advised on other cases before the Court.
Mr. Bondi regularly advises financial institutions, including banking institutions, broker-dealers, investment advisers, mutual funds, and hedge funds, and their respective boards on issues relating to compliance with securities laws, criminal laws, SEC and FINRA rules, and governance requirements.
Mr. Bondi defends clients in enforcement actions, prosecutions, and investigations initiated by federal and state agencies and departments, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ), United States Attorneys and grand juries, State Attorneys General, Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC), Office of the Controller of the Currency (OCC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Federal Reserve, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). On occasion, he has served as an expert witness regarding issues relating to securities law and insider trading law.
Bruce Wexler
Bruce Wexler is the Global Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property practice at Paul Hastings, overseeing the firm's 100-plus lawyer IP practice. Mr. Wexler is a trial lawyer with extensive experience litigating high-stakes patent cases in a range of technologies. He has represented clients as lead counsel in enforcement and defense matters involving multi-million and multi-billion-dollar drug products.
He forms close partnerships with his clients to support successful outcomes, including in their bet-the-company cases. In Hatch-Waxman Act matters, he has opposed challenges by most generic drug companies. He has helped his clients with important drug products such as Aricept®, Pradaxa®, Mirapex®, Cyltezo®, Basaglar®, Entereg®, Emend® oral and Emend® for Injection, Aciphex®, Banzel®, Gocovri®, Comirnaty®, and Opsumit®.
He is a former judicial law clerk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he served under Chief Judge Glenn L. Archer, Jr. He clerked for Chief Judge Archer during the Chief Judge’s preparation of influential Federal Circuit decisions including Markman v. Westview.
Mr. Wexler is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, where he teaches an advanced course in “Life Sciences and Patent Law.”
Chris Daniel
Chris Daniel is the Chair of Paul Hastings’ market-leading Global Fintech & Payments Group and is a partner in the Corporate Department. As the founder of the firm’s Band 1 and Tier 1-ranked Fintech team, Chris is recognized as one of the country's leading attorneys in payment systems law, including electronic payments, mobile payments, virtual and digital currencies, and money transmission.
Recognized as a “Fintech MVP” by Law360 and ranked Band 1 by Chambers, Chris is one of the most sought-after payments and cryptocurrency practitioners in the market. His unique strength lies in his ability to blend his financial services regulatory focus with unparalleled transactional experience in the Fintech industry.
Chris has significant experience advising clients on issues related to investments into payment systems companies and banks, the creation of settlement networks, transactional matters involving payment systems companies, global money transmission, and anti-money laundering issues associated with payments. He regularly practices before every state banking department, all federal banking agencies, FinCEN, and OFAC, and his client base generally consists of:
Private equity and venture capital firms.
Fintech startups as they develop and commercialize their product offerings.
Cryptocurrency companies along the entire range of crypto offerings from blockchain development to crypto exchanges, DeFi and DApps, and ecosystem development.
Legacy depositories, payments companies, and card networks who are innovating or contracting with fintech companies.
Trusted Platform Companies, for which financial services contribute a significant percentage of their business.
Chris regularly practices before every state banking department, all federal banking agencies, FinCEN, and OFAC.
Daniel Fliman
Dan Fliman is a partner in the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office.
Mr. Fliman has nearly two decades of experience working on high-profile restructurings and related litigations. He most often represents creditors, committees, debtors, shareholders, sponsors, and fiduciaries looking to mitigate exposure, or maximize recoveries, in contentious contexts.
He is experienced handling a wide variety of disputes (from differing sides) in Federal and state courts, with particular focus on bankruptcy plan-related litigation and lawsuits involving claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent conveyance, and equitable subordination.
David Broderick
David Broderick’s practice focuses on complex real estate transactions, including debt and equity transactions, and all types of restructurings, workouts and dispute resolutions. David concentrates on mortgage and mezzanine financing, construction lending, debt syndication, preferred equity, bridge financing and other structured financings. He also focuses on asset management, mortgage loan foreclosures, UCC public actions, intercreditor/co-lender disputes, real estate-related litigation, partnership disputes and bankruptcies.
David also works on loan securitization transactions, real estate fund formations, financing facilities and private equity asset level transactions, sale/leaseback transactions and related financing.
David Patrick Elder
David Elder focuses on mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, corporate governance and general corporate securities matters. He represents major corporate clients across a broad array of sectors, as well as issuers, underwriters and investment banking firms in public and private offerings. Along with various other mergers, acquisitions and capital markets transactions, David has represented a major international oil and gas company in a $2.5 billion tender offer and merger proposal, and counseled a major energy company in its negotiation of the largest naming rights transaction of its kind. David has been a member of the firm’s management committee, audit and finance committee, and partnership admissions committee.
To learn more about Mr. Elder, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/david-p-elder
Elena Baca
Elena Baca is the Global Chair of the Paul Hastings Employment Law Department and leads a diverse group of more than 80 lawyers in 10 offices around the world. Elena is a first-chair litigator who regularly navigates high-stakes litigation, conducts sensitive investigations and advises C-suite executives and corporate boards on compliance and regulatory issues involving human capital. In her role as practice Chair, Paul Hastings’ Employment Department has anticipated and led the response to evolving employment issues, including employee and shareholder activism, AI, COVID, DEI and CSR. Elena is recognized as a leading trial lawyer by many notable publications.
She has been consistently ranked by Chambers USA and The Legal 500 as one of the top employment defense lawyers in California. Chambers USA has noted that her “litigation track record and outstanding trial victories stand out in the legal marketplace, due to both her sheer volume of wins and the ways in which these decisions are helping to shape future employment and labor law, particularly in California.” In Chambers, Elena has been described as “second to none,” a “phenomenal lawyer and creative thinker,” “one of the preeminent labor and employment lawyers in Los Angeles,” and “one of the best attorneys I have ever worked with.”
Elena also has been selected continuously since 2006 as one of the Best Lawyers in America in employment law. She has repeatedly been named as one of California’s “Top Women Lawyers” and as one of California’s “Top Labor and Employment Attorneys” by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. She has been selected as one of Lawdragon’s Top 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers. The American Lawyer also recognized her in its “Top 45 Under 45” list.
An experienced trial lawyer, Elena has established an impressive record of defense verdicts and arbitration wins representing a wide variety of corporate clients. Her adversarial practice is primarily focused on employment-related issues, such as employee mobility, discrimination, wage and hour, and whistleblower issues. She is considered a “go-to” employment lawyer for many large employers with high-profile disputes involving high-level executives and contentious high-stakes litigation (including class action claims). She is regularly called upon to assist with crisis litigation, with its unique demands and need for an experienced, sophisticated and broad strategic focus. Elena is frequently called upon to turn around cases that have been mishandled by other law firms and take them to trial. Her clients include talent agencies, entertainment companies, web-based services, online social media and networking platforms, video game developers and publishers, financial institutions, medical technology and research companies, law firms, public utilities, major manufacturers, and leading consumer brands.
Eric Allendorf
Rick Allendorf is the head of the Real Estate Finance practice group and a partner in the Real Estate practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Allendorf’s practice is concentrated in real estate lending with a national scope, with a particular emphasis on complex debt finance. He represents institutional lenders, alternative lenders, debt funds, and construction lenders in all aspects of real estate finance and restructurings.
Mr. Allendorf’s experience includes representing lenders in originating loans intended for balance sheet, syndication, and securitization secured by commercial real estate projects of all asset types, including office, retail, hotel, multifamily, and industrial. He has extensive experience in structuring multi-stack deals with multiple layers of subordinate financing, representing both senior lenders and mezzanine lenders.
Additionally, Mr. Allendorf has extensive experience in workouts and bankruptcies, having been involved in some of the largest restructurings in multiple real estate cycles.
Eric Sibbitt
Eric Sibbitt serves as both Co-Chair of the Global Fintech & Payments and Vice Chair of the Securities & Capital Markets practice groups. As one of the most trusted legal advisors in the Fintech industry, Eric represents major trading platforms and other market intermediaries, leading innovators, and prominent investors in navigating the regulatory complexity presented by blockchain and new financial technologies and legacy regulation.
Eric has broad experience advising issuers and underwriters on IPOs and other complex equity and debt capital-raising and liability management transactions, as well as M&A and other strategic transactions, and provides clients with boardroom counsel on SEC and corporate governance matters.
Eric Landau
Eric Landau is a partner and Chair of the Real Estate Department at Paul Hastings, based in the firm’s New York office. He has developed a real estate practice representing a diverse group of clients and interests, focusing on sophisticated joint ventures, hospitality, borrowing, preferred equity, acquisitions and mixed-use development transactions. Representative of the clients who Mr. Landau regularly represents on their most complex real estate transactions include Millennium Partners, Related Fund Management, Fisher Brothers, The Witkoff Group, Lightstone Development Group, Investcorp International, Lionheart Strategic Capital, Ian Schrager Company, Silverstein Properties, Nobu Hospitality, Extell Development, Cipriani, Faena Group, Morgan Stanley and Turnbridge Equities.
Eugene Ferrer
Eugene Ferrer is the chair of the Structured Credit practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the New York office. His practice focuses on securitization and structured finance, with a particular emphasis on structured credit products and collateralized loan obligation transactions. In the past, he has represented investment banks, financial institutions, collateral managers, issuers, investors, and end-users in a wide array of securitized financial products, including: cash and synthetic CDO/CLOs, credit-linked notes, and securities repackagings.
Felicia Davis
Felicia Davis is the Chair of the Los Angeles Employment Law Department of Paul Hastings and works in the firm’s Los Angeles and San Francisco offices.
Ms. Davis represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including pay equity, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, religious accommodation, and wage and hour issues in both single-plaintiff and class-action matters. She also represents clients in background check litigation under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, government and workplace investigations, labor grievances, and collective bargaining. Ms. Davis’ clients span all industries, with an emphasis in media, entertainment, and technology companies.
In addition to litigation, Ms. Davis regularly helps employers review and revise their employment policies and procedures, including policies on employee background checks, paid sick leave, and wage and hour issues, and provides anti-harassment training to management and executives.
She also works with employers to review and analyze their compensation practices for pay equity and legal compliance.
Ms. Davis frequently advises and speaks on the intersection of technology and employment law and is a past Co-Chair of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Committee on Technology in the Practice and Workplace. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
Gary Giampetruzzi
Gary Giampetruzzi is a partner in the Litigation Department of Paul Hastings, based in the firm’s New York office, and is the Global Chair of the Life Sciences Department and an active member of the Paul Hastings Litigation Diversity Working Group. Mr. Giampetruzzi routinely advises clients on day-to-day compliance matters, represents corporations in high-profile federal and state investigations, including those involving federal and state False Claims Act (qui tam suits), State Attorney General consumer protection statutes, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), and oversees other complex civil and criminal litigation matters.
While his practice cuts across numerous sectors, including defense, energy, and private equity, Mr. Giampetruzzi possesses particularly deep experience in the life sciences sector, representing many of the world’s most prominent biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies.
Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Mr. Giampetruzzi most recently served as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, and Head of Government Investigations at Pfizer Inc., with responsibility for government investigations across the company’s multiple business units and operations globally, as well as associated government litigation with U.S. and international prosecutor offices. He was previously a Deputy Compliance Officer responsible for international compliance investigations and programs with responsibility for the implementation and maintenance of compliance programs and systems across the company’s international operations, with an enhanced focus on emerging markets.
Mr. Giampetruzzi has extensive experience with all facets of the anti-corruption and FCPA landscape. He has been a leader in this growing area for approximately two decades, having led the development of cutting edge compliance programs and measures, conducted and overseen hundreds of internal investigations, and been on the ground in more than 40 markets worldwide (including Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America). Mr. Giampetruzzi was instrumental in the development of proactive market review approaches that have been incorporated into recent government resolutions, and acquisition due diligence techniques that were cited in the Justice Department’s FCPA Guidance document. He has the proven and longstanding ability to provide end-to-end support, from front-end compliance counseling and program build-outs and enhancements, to the efficient conduct of global internal investigations, and the defense of companies before U.S. and international authorities, while keeping an appropriate eye towards the increasing risk of follow-on civil litigation.
On the U.S. healthcare side, Mr. Giampetruzzi provides day-to-day compliance counseling around program design, monitoring, and proactive testing, and conducts internal investigations regarding a variety of issues, including those involving anti-kickback and off-label promotion laws, patient support programs, and specialty pharmacies. He has overseen several of the more significant government investigations in the pharmaceutical industry over the years, as well as the defense and resolution of numerous whistleblower qui tam suits involving claims under the False Claims Act and related state statutes. Mr. Giampetruzzi has more recently been asked by pharmaceutical companies to defend their practices associated with patient support programs and specialty pharmacies in connection with federal investigations by several prominent prosecutor offices. He settled the first opioid prosecution on highly favorable terms, and has achieved several walkaways with state and federal prosecutor offices.
Mr. Giampetruzzi is highly regarded by counsel, healthcare industry insiders, and regulators for his strategic thinking and sound judgment. He understands how to engage appropriately with the regulators, and how to litigate effectively. He brings unique experience and perspective to each client representation, having been a client himself for more than a decade at one of the largest multi-national corporations in the world. During that time, he partnered closely with business colleagues, and helped navigate a complex organization through some of the most significant compliance and enforcement issues faced in the pharmaceutical industry. As a senior in-house leader, Mr. Giampetruzzi operated at executive leadership team and board levels, and understands from his firsthand experience that the particular needs and circumstances of each client are different, and that the approach and solutions must be too. He genuinely appreciates the pressures and realities facing clients and in-house counsel, and works with them to understand and achieve their specific goals.
Gregory Tan
Gregory Tan is co-chair of the Energy and Infrastructure practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office.
He focuses on global finance, project development, limited recourse and structured financings, and restructurings in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Mr. Tan represents sponsors and lenders, leading financial institutions, funds and corporations, numerous regional development banks and multilateral institutions.
Grissel Mercado
Grissel Mercado is a partner in the Securities and Capital Markets practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's New York office. Her practice focuses on representing and advising financial institutions and corporate issuers in debt and equity capital market transactions primarily in Latin America.
In addition, Ms. Mercado has advised a number of Latin American issuers in their ongoing SEC reporting requirements, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, and corporate governance matters. She has also advised financial institutions and corporate issuers in international project financings and other private financings.
Jeff Pade
Jeffrey A. Pade is an intellectual property litigator with over 25 years of experience in all phases of trade secrets and other intellectual property disputes. He directs complex civil and criminal trade secrets litigations concerning diverse technologies for clients around the globe, and represents clients in internal trade secrets audits and related forensic investigations, as well as trade secrets compliance initiatives. Mr. Pade’s current representations include offensive and defensive trade secrets litigations and arbitrations, internal trade secrets investigations, and pre-litigation counseling for both domestic and foreign clients. He is a frequent speaker and author on trade secrets issues, and is an active member of the Sedona Conference’s working group on trade secrets. Mr. Pade also teaches Trade Secrets Law at The George Washington University Law School.
John Gasparini
John Gasparini is Of Counsel in the Paul Hastings Privacy and Cybersecurity, and Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice groups, and is based in the Firm's Washington, D.C. office.
Mr. Gasparini counsels clients on an array of privacy and data security issues, including transactional matters, contracting, compliance, incident response, internal and government investigations, and related litigation, across an array of industries. His work includes advising on GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, and HIPAA matters, among other data-privacy issue areas.
Mr. Gasparini also guides telecom and media companies and investors, as they navigate an array of communications marketplace issues. He has particular expertise with complex FCC and executive branch approvals, compliance with FCC rules, lending to regulated entities, wireless spectrum policy, and strategic issues in the media and online video marketplace, including platform immunity.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Gasparini was an associate with a midsize law firm, specializing in telecommunications issues. He also worked as a Policy Fellow at Public Knowledge, focusing on communications and technology policy issues. Mr. Gasparini earned his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School in 2015, where he served as a Managing Editor of the Federal Communications Law Journal.
During law school, he worked as a law clerk for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, as a law clerk for a nationwide wireless carrier, and as a legal intern for a telecommunications trade association. Mr. Gasparini earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina – Beaufort, in 2011.
Jon Canfield
Jonathan Canfield is a partner in the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. He represents creditors and investors in restructuring financially distressed companies in chapter 11 and out-of-court restructurings, and in developing and executing distressed investment strategies.
Mr. Canfield’s clients include bondholders, lenders and other creditors, acquirers, investors, DIP lenders, official creditors’ committees, equity holders and debtors. He frequently represents hedge funds, private equity funds, banks and large institutional investors. In addition, he has experience representing major financial institutions and borrowers in a broad range of high value cross-border and domestic asset finance transactions, including syndicated secured loans, acquisition finance, private placements of debt and equity, public offerings and mergers and acquisitions.
Jonathan Hamilton
Jonathan C. Hamilton is Global Co-Chair of International Arbitration with leading global law firm Paul Hastings, based as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
Over more than a quarter of a century, Mr. Hamilton has been a true pioneer in the field of international arbitration. He is a “Hall of Fame” ranked lawyer who is described by professional guides as "a brilliant strategist and leader," "an incredible powerhouse," "a leading figure in the international arbitration sphere," "famous in the arbitration field" and “an incredibly strategic lead lawyer on complex international cases.” (Chambers/Legal 500)
With a worldwide client base, he has successfully advised on billions of dollars in multinational and multilingual disputes and transactions across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. His matters have spanned sectors such as aviation, energy, financial services, infrastructure, mining, telecommunications and transportation. They have involved bet-the-asset legal issues, complex investment planning and "Gordian Knot" negotiations. Mr. Hamilton has deep experience with high stakes disputes involving arbitration, mediation, and litigation, and deals involving complex negotiations, crisis management, and investment protections. His experience encompasses major institutional arbitration centers and rules (such as ICC, ICSID, LCIA, AAA, ICDR, JAMS, PCA, UNCITRAL), as well as regional arbitral institutions and ad-hoc proceedings.
Professional guides and clients describe him as "a fantastic lead partner," "a brilliant lawyer," "a great negotiator," and "a dynamic driving force" with "first-class expertise, outstanding technical capability, shrewd insight in formulating strategy and a radiant leadership charisma" – "he owns the battleground." (Chambers / Legal 500) As one guide summarizes, "Jonathan Hamilton has exceptional strategic insights and tactical know how…. He is unwavering in his desire to win and every minute he invests is about how to drive the case towards a successful outcome." (Legal 500) He is "outstanding in a lead role" as "a brilliant legal strategist who sees the dispute from all angles," and "knows how counterparts behave and the issues that come up." (Chambers/Legal 500) "He is a very strategic lawyer and achieves great results for his clients." (Who’s Who Legal)
Accolades for his landmark matters have included Global Arbitration Review Most Influential Arbitration Award of the Decade, Financial Times Innovative Lawyers (three times), OGEMID Best Arbitration Award (twice), Most Surprising Arbitration Award (twice), Latin Lawyer Deal of the Year (three times), and American Lawyer Global Dispute of the Year/Americas. He is "an incredibly sharp attorney with an exceptional drive that is transferred to his team and transforms into positive results." (Legal 500) He is "a super-lawyer-dealmaker," with "dominance in the field," "single-minded commitment to the client's cause," "exceptional drive," "very impressive advocacy," "impressive grasp of strategy," "deep understanding and efficiency," "experience, expertise, commitment," "great dynamism, extraordinary background and deep understanding," and "experience, tenacity and relationship-building." "He alleviates anxiety because he knows how to lead these situations." (Chambers/Legal 500/LatinLawyer)
With deep experience in Washington and New York, and other global financial centers and foreign capitals, Mr. Hamilton has a strong record of proven strategic and organizational leadership and extensive experience in public affairs, with "unlimited skills on the political side of the fence; his ability to foresee, to judge, to understand, he really covers it all. He prepares for everything, knows what's going on and is always one step ahead." (Chambers) He has an inter-disciplinary background with degrees in history, communications and law, and also completed the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme at the Saïd Business School of Oxford University.
He is also a professor and seasoned thought leader who has served as the Distinguished Faculty Chair of the International Arbitration Institute at the University of Miami School of Law and been a global professor with IE University in Madrid. His though leadership includes more than 250 publications and presentations over more than twenty-five years, including a book on investment protections, a first-of-its-kind survey of regional arbitration institutions and numerous articles and chapters on globalization, investment, procedure, policy, and public affairs. He has spoken at major conferences worldwide and major universities such as Berkeley, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, NYU, Oxford, Penn, Virginia and Yale.
Based in Washington, he previously practiced in New York City and Mexico City, and also worked in Lima. He has profound travel experience worldwide for his clients, such as site visits in Bulgaria, negotiations in Ecuador, strategy sessions in Hong Kong, witness interviews in Italy, and hearings in The Hague, London, Geneva, New York, Paris, Singapore, Washington, Miami, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Bogota, among other locations. He has additional experience as a federal law clerk and a research assistant to legal fiction author John Grisham, and in public policy, the press, and philanthropy.
Josh Zelig
Joshua M. Zelig is a partner in the Global Finance practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office.
Mr. Zelig’s practice is primarily focused on representing leading commercial and investment banks in leveraged finance and asset-based lending transactions, including bank financings and leveraged buyouts, direct lending, bridge lending and loan commitments, and debt and equity offerings. He represented the financing sources in numerous acquisition-related financings, including the investment in Cotiviti by KKR, acquisitions of Scientific Games’ Lottery Business and DexKo by Brookfield Capital, CoreLogic and Ascensus by Stone Point Capital, Rosen Group by Partners Group, Interior Logic Group, Alight Solutions and Team Health by Blackstone, the acquisition of EMC by Dell, and the purchase of Signode by Crown Holdings.
Mr. Zelig has experience practicing in a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services, media and communications, retail and food services, energy, and technology.
Mr. Zelig is recognized as a leading lawyer for Banking & Finance in New York by Chambers USA, where clients note that he is “super commercial and practical,” “technically proficient” and “a very good attorney” who is “really dedicated to his clients.” Mr. Zelig is also recognized as a “Next Generation Partner” for Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt Offerings and is recommended for Commercial Lending by The Legal 500 US. He is recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” for Banking and Capital Markets Debt and Equity by IFLR1000 US. Mr. Zelig was named one of Secured Finance Network’s “40 Under 40” in 2021.
Keith Schomig
Keith Schomig is a partner in the National Security Regulation and Investigations and Global Trade Controls practices of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He focuses his practice in the areas of national security reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), as well as foreign ownership, control, or influence (FOCI) mitigation matters before the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy.
Ken Deutsch
Ken Deutsch is Global Co-Chair of the Entertainment and Media practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Century City office. He represents a broad array of operating entities in the entertainment and media industries, including film and television studios, streaming platforms, and independent media companies, advising on their most significant corporate transactions as well as on a variety of film, television, and other commercial ventures.
Mr. Deutsch also routinely represents financial institutions, investment funds, high-net-worth individuals, and other media and content financiers in evaluating and executing on investment and acquisition opportunities in the entertainment space. He has particular experience in structuring complex equity and debt financings, content funds, and strategic joint venture arrangements.
Mr. Deutsch, who has been referred to as a “Hollywood Heavyweight” by The American Lawyer, is recognized as one of the few Band 1 leading lawyers for Media & Entertainment: Transactional in California by Chambers USA, where clients note that he is “deeply knowledgeable” with a “fantastic ability to handle complex transactions.” He is also recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” for Media and Entertainment: Transactional by The Legal 500 US and is routinely recognized by a number of industry publications, including Variety’s “Hollywood’s New Leaders,” “Dealmaker Impact Report,” and “Legal Impact Report,” and The Hollywood Report’s “Power Lawyers.”
Kristopher Hansen
Kris Hansen is Co-Chair of the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Hansen is a dealmaker and a consummate tactician renowned for his strong judgment, financial IQ and expansive market knowledge.
Kwame Manley
Kwame Manley is the Global Chair of the Paul Hastings Litigation Department, and the former Chair of the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings. Based in the firm's Washington, D.C. office, Kwame focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense, internal corporate investigations, and complex civil litigation.
A former federal prosecutor, Kwame defends individuals and companies before various agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and other federal and state entities. He has worked with multinational companies on all facets of FCPA and OFAC compliance and enforcement, including internal investigations, third-party due diligence, transactional due diligence, compliance audits, and corruption risk assessments. Kwame has performed complex, internal investigations in over 20 countries throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America. Kwame was named "Investigations Professional of the Year" by Global Investigations Review in 2024.
Michael Berman
Michael K. Berman is a partner in the Real Estate Department, and member of the Real Estate Private Equity practice and Local Department Chair of the Real Estate Department in Washington D.C. His practice focuses on the representation of debt funds, lending institutions, private equity funds, developers, investors and operators in a variety of commercial real estate transactions with an emphasis on real estate private equity.
Michael's practice includes both debt and equity representations, including acquisitions, dispositions, senior and subordinate financings, joint ventures and sale-leaseback transactions for a variety of asset classes, including hotels, office, industrial, retail, multifamily, condominiums and specialty projects. Michael has significant experience in the structuring and closing of mortgage loan transactions for securitization in the capital markets and/or participation in secondary market transactions, as well as conventional permanent, construction, acquisition and bridge financings, syndications and participation loans, including A/B structures, mezzanine loans, credit tenant loans and the acquisition and disposition of mortgage loans. Michael has also represented a variety of clients in connection with loan workouts and restructurings, discounted pay-offs, deed-in-lieu transactions and foreclosures.
Michael Rosella
Michael Rosella is a Global Chair of the Investment Management practice at Paul Hastings and a Co-Chair of the firm’s Investment Funds & Private Capital practice. Michael’s experience and client base in the investment management area covers a broad spectrum. His practice reflects a diversified array of registered investment company structures, including representation of mutual funds, closed-end funds, business development companies, tender offer funds, interval funds, exchange traded funds, unit investment trusts and private investment vehicles. Michael also regularly advises investment advisers and broker-dealers on the many issues that embrace those businesses from an asset management perspective. His practice emphasizes the formation of these investment vehicles as well as the various legal issues that are particular to the investment management industry.
Molly Swartz
Molly Swartz is a partner in the Global Fintech & Payments practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's San Francisco office.
Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Law360 in 2023 and a “Next Generation Partner” by The Legal 500 in 2023, Ms. Swartz advises Fintech and financial services companies, internet marketplaces, and commercial and consumer lenders regarding a broad spectrum of product, regulatory, and transactional matters. As part of Paul Hastings’ Band 1-ranked Fintech and Payments practice, she is one of a few preeminent financial services attorneys in the US that companies turn to as they seek to commercialize their product offerings further.
Ms. Swartz has extensive experience with financial services and consumer protection laws, including the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, state money transmission and licensed lending laws, gift card laws, payment network rules such as the Nacha, Visa and Mastercard Rules, and other state and federal statutes related to money movement.
Ms. Swartz advises household name companies regarding a host of product and regulatory issues. From ideation and strategy through launch and beyond, Ms. Swartz assists in all aspects of product development. She frequently negotiates commercial agreements in the financial services space, including bank-Fintech partnership agreements and commercial agreements between Fintech companies. Ms. Swartz drafts user-facing documentation for financial services clients including foundational contracts between clients and their customers, and advises on design elements of the user experience. Beyond product development, Ms. Swartz supports clients through financing services licensing, and registration, and assists clients in responding to regulatory inquiries.
Ms. Swartz is one of the foremost experts in non-recourse liquidity and earned wage access (collectively, “NRL/EWA”). She was part of the original legal team that helped define the space, and has engaged with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and numerous state agencies on a variety of EWA/NRL issues. Ms. Swartz has helped numerous clients to develop no-fee, non-recourse forms of financing.
Morgan Bale
Morgan Bale is a partner in the Global Finance practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Bale has wide experience in all areas of domestic and cross-border bank financing.
Mr. Bale regularly represents investment banks, other financial institutions, and corporate borrowers in acquisition finance and other event-driven lending transactions, encompassing investment grade, leveraged cash-flow, and asset-based syndicated credit facilities (including first and second lien-secured loans), as well as loan restructurings, debtor-in-possession financings, and exit financings. Consistently ranked by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Legal 500 US, and IFLR1000, Mr. Bale is known for his deep market knowledge, and, in particular, as a trusted advisor for high-profile investment-grade financings.
Mr. Bale’s clients include Barclays, Bank of America, CIBC, Citi, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada, Wells Fargo, and other major investment banks.
Mr Bill Choe
Bill Choe is a partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Palo Alto office. He is a leading corporate and securities lawyer with deep expertise in domestic and cross-border technology M&A (including stock and asset sales and purchases, mergers, tender offers, spin-ins, and divisional sales), having led dozens of significant buy-side and sell-side representations of public and private tech companies in deals ranging in value from a few million dollars to billions of dollars.Mr. Choe also specializes in advising high-technology companies at early-through-exit stages of their growth cycle, as well as venture capital and private equity funds that focus on investing in such companies. He advises issuers and investment funds with respect to equity and debt financings, and provides day-to-day counsel to the senior management and boards of directors of issuers concerning fiduciary obligations, corporate governance, options and restricted stock, employment-related matters, intellectual property protection, commercial agreements and disputes, pre-exit strategies and planning, and other business issues.Mr. Choe previously served as co-head of the global technology industry group and global head of tech M&A at another international law firm. He also has served as vice president of legal at a publicly-traded information and analytics company, where he led the department’s M&A, securities, and corporate governance matters.
Naveen Modi
Naveen Modi is the Global Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice at Paul Hastings, overseeing the firm’s Global Intellectual Property Practice consisting of more than 100 attorneys.
Mr. Modi’s practice covers all aspects of high stakes IP-related legal work, including litigation before federal district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and federal appeals courts; post-grant proceedings, interferences and derivation proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB); arbitrations; and due diligence and client counseling. He has led “bet-the-company cases” involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyright issues. He has represented both companies accused of infringement and those whose IP has been infringed in a wide range of technical areas, including electronics, software, business methods, medical devices, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.
Mr. Modi has lectured nationally and internationally on IP law, including in Africa, India, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. He helped develop and has been teaching a course on Federal Circuit Practice at the George Mason University School of Law for over a decade. Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Mr. Modi was a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice of an international law firm. He clerked for the Honorable Alvin Anthony Schall at U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In law school, he served as a Writing Fellow and member of the George Mason Law Review. Before pursuing a legal career, Mr. Modi was an engineer with Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, Raytheon Systems Company, and Hughes Aircraft. Mr. Modi graduated from George Mason University School of Law, magna cum laude, and also holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from George Mason University, with high distinction.
Mr. Modi devotes a portion of his time to serving the legal community, the bar, and the public on pro bono matters. He currently serves on the Federal Circuit’s Advisory Council and GW’s IP Advisory Council (IPAC). He served as the Past‑President for the PTAB Bar Association, an association he helped form. He represents individuals in immigration matters, including current representation of a priest of a local temple in his naturalization proceeding, and past representation of a Nepali-based family in their request for asylum before the Immigration Court.
Mr. Modi has been especially recognized for his appellate experience. He has led over 100 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has been involved in all aspects of the appellate process, including briefing and oral argument. Law360 recognized him as an Intellectual Property MVP in 2019 for racking up nine wins at the Federal Circuit, having successfully represented clients such as Google and Samsung. The Legal 500 also has recognized Mr. Modi as a “key lawyer” for appeals.
In addition, Mr. Modi is one of the foremost experts in challenging and defending patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office under the America Invents Act, including its PTAB. He helped build and lead the firm’s Patent Office practice. He has been involved in well over 500 post-grant proceedings, including inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), covered business method (CBM) review, and ex parte and inter partes reexamination proceedings.
Nicole Bright
Nicole Bright is a partner in the Finance practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's New York office. Her practice focuses on structured finance and securitization transactions, particularly collateralized loan obligation transactions. Ms. Bright's transactional experience includes representing investment banks, investment advisors and issuers in connection with various CLO transactions.
Paul Patrow
Paul is a tax partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on the tax aspects of forming and investing in private equity funds, hedge funds and joint ventures and the tax aspects of private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions.
Paul Genender
Partner and leader of Weil's Texas Litigation practice.
Peter Olsen
Peter Olsen is a partner in the New York office of Paul Hastings and is the Global Chair of the firm's Real Estate Development Group. His practice includes construction and development; acquisitions and dispositions; financings and refinancings; restructurings, recapitalizations and workouts; ground leases; and complex joint venture agreements. Mr. Olsen represents major financial institutions, private equity funds, developers, and owners of real estate in connection with all types of real estate assets including office, hospitality and multi-family.
Robert Freedman
Robert Freedman is co-chair of the Energy and Infrastructure practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office.
He focuses on finance and development, asset acquisitions and dispositions, and complex work-outs and restructurings of infrastructure assets across the breadth of infrastructure sectors, including power, renewables and sustainable development, and transportation. In finance matters, Rob regularly represents parties in the many different types of markets utilized in the current E&I sector, including construction and back-leverage financings, Term Loan A, Term Loan B, acquisition financings, mezzanine financings and private placement financings.
Rob’s clients include banks and financial institutions, major corporations, private equity and other institutional investors.
Robert Wilson
Robert Wilson is Of Counsel in the Tax practice and is based in the firm’s New York office.
Mr. Wilson regularly advises private fund sponsors and investment managers in all aspects of structuring, offerings, and operations of private investment funds (credit, private equity, and real estate). He also focuses his practice on analyzing tax issues with respect to mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, structured credit (with an emphasis on collateralized loan obligation transactions), real estate investment trusts, and regulated investment companies.
Mr. Wilson received his J.D., with honors, from Georgetown University Law Center in 2017. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Notre Dame in 2011. Mr. Wilson is admitted to practice law in New York.
Robert Luskin
Robert Luskin is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He is one of the best known and most highly-regarded litigators in Washington, D.C., concentrating in complex criminal litigation at both the trial court and appellate level. Beginning his career in government service, and having later transitioned into private practice, Mr. Luskin has represented clients in virtually every high-profile matter in Washington, D.C. over the last three decades. Mr. Luskin has special experience in cases involving allegations of official corruption. While at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), he helped supervise the ABSCAM investigation, which resulted in the conviction of several members of Congress, and thereafter represented the DOJ in hearings before Congress concerning the investigation.
Since entering private practice, he has represented a Cabinet Officer and senior White House officials of both parties in criminal investigations by Independent Counsels and the DOJ, the senior staff of a U.S. Senator in the Keating Five Senate Ethics Investigation, and Members of Congress from both parties in criminal investigations. Mr. Luskin successfully represented a sitting U.S. District Judge in a criminal trial and appeal, securing the reversal of his client’s conviction before the U.S. Supreme Court and the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. More recently, he successfully represented Karl Rove in the Special Counsel investigation of a leak of the identity of a CIA officer and a member of Congress in the investigations arising out of the prosecution of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mr. Luskin also represented the U.S. Ambassador to the EU in recent impeachment proceedings before Congress.
Mr. Luskin has devoted his attention recently to the particular challenges posed by the representation of foreign corporations and financial institutions in multi-jurisdictional, cross-border criminal investigations and has reached path-breaking agreements in these areas with the DOJ. He has special expertise in civil and criminal investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and has represented foreign corporations in three of the five largest FCPA investigations ever resolved with the DOJ and the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the Global Investigations Review, since 2008, Mr. Luskin has served as lead counsel in the second most substantial FCPA resolutions. Most recently, his role as lead counsel includes the three-country resolution for Airbus, the largest global anti-corruption resolution ever, as well as TechnipFMC, Braskem, SBM, and Alstom.
From 1980 to 1982, he was Special Counsel to the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was responsible for legal and policy issues concerning the Organized Crime Strike Forces, as well as supervision and review of complex undercover operations. Mr. Luskin is a past Chairman of the Committee on RICO, Forfeitures and Alternative Remedies of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, a former President of the Harvard Law School Association of the District of Columbia, and has been a member of the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference. For two decades, he was a Lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he taught courses in advanced criminal law and labor racketeering, and is currently a member of the faculty of the Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches a course in Global Anti-Corruption. He has lectured at Harvard Law School, the Sorbonne, and other universities.
Sara Tomezsko
Sara Tomezsko is a partner in the Employment Law practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's New York office. Ms. Tomezsko's practice covers all aspects of employment law, with a focus on litigating both single-plaintiff and class and collective actions through trial and appeals. She also provides litigation avoidance and compliance advice to employers in a variety of industries, including technology, telecommunications, financial services, investment banking, private funds, and entertainment.
Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Litigation: Ms. Tomezsko represents employers defending against claims involving federal, state, and local anti-discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower retaliation laws, in both court and private arbitration.
She has successfully-obtained defense verdicts in cases involving claims asserted under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII, Section 1981, and New York City and State Human Rights Laws.
Wage and Hour Class, Collective, and Representative Actions: Recognized by The Legal 500 for her accomplishments in this area, Ms. Tomezsko regularly litigates class, collective, and representative-action lawsuits on behalf of employers. Her successes in this area include dismissal of wage-and-hour claims on Rule 12 motions, limiting certification of a putative nationwide collective to a fraction of the potential scope, and securing employer-favorable resolutions of complex wage-and-hour matters. She also counsels employers and revises employers' policies and to ensure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law.
Pay Equity: Ms. Tomezsko has experience litigating pay-equity claims, both on a single-plaintiff and class-wide basis. She also counsels employers through internal pay-equity audits and analyses, and assists multi-state employers in navigating the complex patchwork of state and local pay-equity and pay transparency and disclosure laws.
Arbitration Programs: Ms. Tomezsko routinely-advises employers on maintaining successful and defensible workforce-arbitration programs in light of recent legislative updates to the Federal Arbitration Act. She has secured several dozen orders enforcing employers' arbitration agreements, both at the trial court level and on appeal, including cases involving issues of first impression.
Ms. Tomezsko received her B.A. from Loyola University in Maryland in 2006, and her M.A. in English Literature and Theory from New York University in 2009. Before attending Cornell Law School, Ms. Tomezsko spent several years working in the financial services sector. She received her J.D. from Cornell in 2013.
Scott Flicker
Scott Flicker is the Chair of the Paul Hastings Washington D.C. office and leader of the firm’s Global Trade Controls practice. Mr. Flicker advises clients in matters arising from cross-border mergers and acquisitions, financings and operations, including foreign investment reviews, export controls and trade sanctions, competition law, and trade agreements. He has been recognized as a leading practitioner before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), having represented both U.S. and non-U.S. companies in connection with some of the most reported cross-border investment transactions of the past decade.
Seo Salimi
Seo Salimi is a partner and the Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets and Co-Chair of the Corporate Life Science Group of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's New York office. His practice focuses on representing life science companies and investment banks in public and private capital markets transactions, such as initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, at-the-market transactions, and private placements. Mr. Salimi has extensive experience in cross-border financing transactions, representing issuers and investment banks in complex dual listings and cross border initial public offerings and follow-on offerings. Mr. Salimi is a trusted advisor to both public and private companies in their capital raising strategy and ongoing corporate matters, including SEC compliance and corporate governance.
Mr. Salimi has been recognized as a “Next Generation Partner” for Capital Markets: Equity by The Legal 500 US, where clients note he is “committed, hard-working and driven; his ability to manage across his team, both up and down, as well as his interactions with counsel from the other party makes [Mr. Salimi] invaluable.” In 2020, Mr. Salimi was nominated for the “US Rising Star – Financial & Corporate” award by LMG Life Sciences.
Sherrese Smith
Sherrese Smith is the Global Managing Partner of Paul Hastings. As Global Managing Partner, Ms. Smith helps direct the growth, management, and strategy of the firm.
Ms. Smith previously served as the Vice Chair of the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity practice. She is known as one of the country’s preeminent Data Privacy and Cybersecurity and Media and Technology attorneys. Consistently ranked as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA and Legal 500, she is recognized throughout the legal, media, communications, and technology industries for her leadership, business acumen, and dedication to clients. Her work includes data privacy, cybersecurity and breach response issues, crisis response, regulatory investigations, and enforcement proceedings, as well as counseling on global privacy and cybersecurity matters.
Ms. Smith is also renowned for superior advisement on crisis issues and, as a result, is regularly sought after by corporate board members and the C-suite.
Before joining Paul Hastings, Ms. Smith served as Chief Counsel to Chairman Julius Genachowski at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She was responsible for determining the agency’s business and policy agenda on a multitude of media and technology matters and for leading the FCC’s cross‑agency efforts to refine and implement new rules on data privacy and cybersecurity for multinational companies navigating complex data and privacy rules in the U.S., EU, and Asia. Ms. Smith’s work also involved extensive interaction with external stakeholders, including wireless, media, cable, and telecommunications companies; industry groups and trade associations; federal and state agencies; and Congress.
Prior to joining the FCC in 2009, Ms. Smith was Vice President and General Counsel of Washington Post Digital. She was in charge of all legal and policy matters across 10 different business units in this role.
Ms. Smith also serves on the Board of Directors of Gen (NASDAQ:GEN) and Cable ONE (NYSE: CABO). She is also Vice Chair of the Northwestern University’s Law School board, a member of the University of Maryland’s Journalism School board as well as America’s Public Television Stations executive board.
Steven Marenberg
Steven Marenberg is the Chair of the firm’s Entertainment and Media Litigation Group. Mr. Marenberg’s practice encompasses a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters in various industries, with particular concentrations in media and entertainment litigation, technology-related disputes, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property litigation, and antitrust and business tort disputes. His clients have included some of the nation’s leading technology companies, motion picture studios, television networks, production companies, music companies, interactive game companies, and high net worth individuals.
Mr. Marenberg has also been recognized as one of the country’s foremost litigators by publications including the The Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, Lawdragon, National Law Journal, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and the Los Angeles Daily Journal, among others. The Los Angeles Business Journal has listed him as among Los Angeles’ most influential attorneys. He has been named to the Variety Impact and Hollywood Reporter’s Power Lawyers list every year since their inception.
Mr. Marenberg has extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts, and arbitrations.
Susan Williams
Susan Williams is a partner in the Entertainment and Media practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Century City office. She is chair of the firm’s Entertainment and Media Finance group.P
Highly regarded as one of the entertainment industry’s top dealmakers, Ms. Williams is frequently sought to represent clients on some of their most significant finance and restructuring transactions. Ms. Williams represents financial institutions, senior, mezzanine, and equity funds, major independent production companies, and high-net-worth individuals in a wide variety of capital transactions involving film and television content.
Her vast experience includes overall company capital raises, slate financings, first and second lien financings, single-picture production loans, print and advertising financing, securitizations, structured financing transactions, co-productions, and domestic and foreign tax-incentivized financings, as well as distressed debt and restructuring transactions. She handles numerous transactions involving new and emerging distribution platforms and represents companies at the intersection of entertainment, media, and technology that are involved in various content transactions, including distribution and co-financing agreements with major studios and with international distribution companies. In addition, she has significant experience handling private equity, M&A, and joint ventures, and has extensive experience successfully guiding secured creditors through the unique issues surrounding entertainment and media assets in bankruptcy.
Widely recognized as one of the most influential women in Hollywood, Ms. Williams has been named multiple times to The Hollywood Reporter’s annual “Power Lawyers” list of the 100 most influential entertainment attorneys in America, has been repeatedly recognized in Variety’s annual “Dealmakers Impact,” “Legal Impact,” and “Women’s Impact” issues, and has been repeatedly named among the Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers. She is also ranked by Chambers USA in California Media & Entertainment, where clients note that she is “highly experienced in the entertainment space” and a “very strong technical lawyer who also brings a commercial sensibility to the legal aspects” of the industry.
Beyond her legal accomplishments, Ms. Williams dedicates a significant portion of her time to mentoring and serving as a role model to the next generation of female lawyers. She is a partner advisor to our Women’s Paul Hastings Affinity Network whose mission is to promote inclusion, while providing various leadership, professional, and business development opportunities for women at the firm. She is also a regular speaker on promoting women in the legal profession.
Susan Leader
Susan Kay Leader is a partner in the Complex Litigation and Arbitration practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Century City office. Ms. Leader litigates and tries cases in high-stakes commercial matters and class actions in federal and state courts. She has chaired more than a dozen trials, arbitrations, and international arbitrations and has represented clients in a variety of industries, including entertainment and media, hospitality, funds, and renewable energy sectors. Ms. Leader’s broad base of experience includes handling a wide variety of commercial litigation matters, employment disputes, products liability disputes, franchise law violations, False Claims Act, and RICO and Sherman Act violations.
Ms. Leader is a sought-after instructor in trial advocacy, frequently lecturing in southern California and overseas.
Talya Hutchison
Talya Hutchison is an associate in the Litigation practice and is based in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Her areas of focus include international trade law and national security regulation and investigations.
Ms. Hutchison has advised multinational clients on a wide range of global trade controls and additional regulatory issues. Ms. Hutchison has counseled domestic and foreign companies on the impact of economic sanctions issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) on Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba, Venezuela, and other countries. She has also advised on compliance with export controls administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”).
Ms. Hutchison regularly works with clients to obtain authorization from OFAC, BIS, and DDTC to engage in cross-border transactions involving export-controlled items or sanctioned jurisdictions and she has drafted compliance policies to ensure compliance with export controls and economic sanctions. Ms. Hutchison has also advised on data breaches, including customer notice requirements and government inquiries.
Ms. Hutchison received her law degree in 2017 from The George Washington University Law School, where she graduated with high honors. During law school, she served as the Senior Online Editor of The George Washington Law Review. Ms. Hutchison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Economics from New York University, cum laude, in 2012. Ms. Hutchison is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.