Sumaya M. Noush maintains a corporate, transactional, and regulatory practice focused on the representation of hospitals and health systems. She has significant experience with innovative and high-stakes strategic corporate transactions that require skilled navigation of complex regulatory, financial, and operational challenges, including negotiations with federal and state regulators.

Sumaya works closely with clients as they explore strategies for the future health of their communities, missions, and business goals. With a deep understanding of the unique issues facing hospitals and health systems today, she also regularly advises clients on day-to-day operational matters and recent regulatory developments.

Prior to joining McDermott Will & Schulte, Sumaya was a lawyer at a large national firm, a visiting scholar at The Hastings Center, and an instructor and research fellow at Yale University’s Sherwin B. Nuland Summer Institute in Bioethics. During law school, she served as a law clerk for a nationally recognized health law practice, a legal intern at a regional community hospital, a client advocate and social policy advocate at Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Health Justice Project, and a published author and managing and coordinating editor for the Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences. 

Elise J. McGee advises high-net-worth individuals and business owners on all aspects of wealth-transfer planning, including estate and trust administration, leveraged wealth-transfer techniques, tax matters, cryptocurrency and QSBS planning, real estate transactions and closely held business matters. Elise has extensive experience working with owners of closely held businesses to develop governance and succession plans, and on corporate, tax and compliance matters relating to those businesses.

Elise specializes in the formation and operation of private trust companies, and has advised clients on these structures in multiple jurisdictions. Elise has worked with state regulators to develop customized private trust company structures for clients, including for international families. Most recently, she co-drafted Wyoming’s 2019 trust company legislation including 2021 legislative updates. Elise has analyzed SEC and regulatory compliance issues facing private trust companies, and has helped clients develop policies and procedures for their private trust companies. She also advises clients on the litigation and regulatory risks facing private trust companies and their decision-makers.

Elise works with clients, including registered investment advisers and multi-family offices, to establish and transition trusteeship to retail trust companies. She also advises retail trust companies on cryptocurrency custody matters. She helps clients structure the multi-jurisdictional relationships between trust companies, family offices and closely held businesses.

Elise speaks frequently on the subject of estate planning, state income tax strategies, digital assets and trust companies. She has lectured at the University of Wyoming College of Law and serves on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Bar Association Trust Law Committee.

While in law school, Elise was an executive editor for The Michigan Journal of Race & Law. Prior to law school, she worked as a senior research analyst for Lexecon, where she performed research and statistical analyses focusing on the application of economics to litigation.

Julian André helps clients achieve the best outcomes when facing government enforcement actions, prosecutions and investigations, defending against complex civil litigation and performing internal investigations. Leaning on his experience as an Assistant US Attorney in Los Angeles prosecuting financial crimes, Julian adds an inside perspective when devising defense strategies for companies and individuals facing criminal and civil investigations by state and federal agencies such as DOJ, HHS-OIG, SEC, and DOL. He also regularly advises clients on matters involving corporate governance and regulatory compliance, including anti-money laundering and anti-corruption issues.

Julian’s experience prosecuting complex fraud cases and acting as a first chair trial attorney make him a valuable asset to healthcare clients, who regularly call on him to navigate False Claim Act investigations and civil litigation. Throughout his career, he has helped healthcare companies save hundreds of millions of dollars in potential government fines and civil judgments.

In recent years, Julian has also defended several companies in ERISA litigation involving Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Julian’s strategic approach and strength in the courtroom have led to favorable outcomes for ESOP plan sponsor companies, their directors and officers, and plan fiduciaries in class action lawsuits brought by plan participants.

Prior to rejoining McDermott in 2021, Julian spent six years as an Assistant US Attorney. During this time, he served in the Major Frauds Section and was the US Attorney’s Office’s Securities Fraud Coordinator and Education Fraud Coordinator. Julian prosecuted and investigated a wide range of financial crimes, including healthcare fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud, public corruption, tax evasion, and money laundering. Two marquee cases handled during his time as a federal prosecutor include the prosecution of Michael Avenatti and the prosecution of China Zhongwang, the world’s second-largest aluminum extrusion producer at the time.

Other notable trial experience includes education fraud, bribery and tax cases in the US District Court for the Central District of California, and patent infringement trials in the US District Courts for the Northern District of Texas and Middle District of Florida.

Julian is also an accomplished appellate advocate, having handled dozens of appeals before the US Supreme Court, and the US Courts of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits. Prior to entering private practice, Julian served as a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Pregerson of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Michael Silva focuses his practice on international tax law, with an emphasis on US investment structures, cross-border transactions, tax treaty planning and US activities of foreign banks. He has significant experience forming investment funds and advising family offices. Michael currently serves as head of the Miami Tax practice and co-head of the Latin America practice.

Michael also advises Brazilian and Asian investors on investments in US real estate projects, and assists multinational corporations on establishing a business presence in the United States.

Maintaining an active private client practice, Michael regularly advises families on trusts and private trusts companies and other techniques to transfer wealth and business assets. Michael advises foreign clients on the US income, estate and gift tax consequences of alternative inbound investment structures while utilizing income, estate and gift tax treaties to minimize tax and regulatory burdens. He coordinates the formation of foreign trusts, corporations and advises clients the US reporting requirements imposed on foreign trusts with US beneficiaries. Michael also assists international banks and trustees on dealing with US clients.

Michael represents financial institutions, insurers, broker-dealers, custodians, funds, fund advisers and managers, trust companies and other financial intermediaries in connection with the requisite protocols and procedures to validate compliance with FATCA requirements.

Michael is board-certified by the Florida Bar in Tax Law and in International Law, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Michael previously served as adjunct professor of Law in the University of Miami Law School Graduate Tax Program.