PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Announces 2024 Partner Promotions
October 31, 2024
Read time: 4 min
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery announced that it has promoted 43 lawyers to partner and six to counsel, effective January 1, 2025. The class, of which nearly half are women, includes lawyers across 15 offices worldwide: Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Düsseldorf; Frankfurt; Los Angeles; Miami; Milan; Munich; New York; Paris; San Francisco; Silicon Valley; Washington, DC; and Wilmington.
“It’s an honor each year to celebrate our promotions to partner and counsel,” said McDermott Chairman Ira Coleman. “We’re beyond proud of these exceptionally talented lawyers who reflect our ambitious, fun, and supportive culture. Their dedication to our clients has helped drive our Firm’s success, and we look forward to their many continued contributions.”
EMPLOYMENT
Abdel Abdellah, Paris*
Barrick Bollman, Chicago
Brian Casillas, Los Angeles
HEALTHCARE
Carole Becker, Miami
Cornelia Dean, Miami
Jayda Greco, Chicago
Sumaya Noush, Chicago
Michael Nowicki, Miami
Emily Palmer, Chicago
Samuel Siegfried, Chicago
George Tzanetakos, Chicago
Mary Waller, Chicago
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Eleanor Atkins, Washington, DC
Jodi Benassi, San Francisco
Charles de Raignac, Paris*
LITIGATION
Timothy Cramton, New York
Richard Diggs, New York
Marina Stefanova Kelly, Dallas
Brigid McCarthy, Chicago
Daniel Menken, Wilmington
Michael Murray, New York
Kelly Shami, Miami
Alex Spisak, Washington, DC
Daniel-Charles (DC) Wolf, Chicago
PRIVATE CLIENT
Colton Castro, Miami
Harry (Ha) Dao, Silicon Valley
Sebastian Orozco Segrera, Washington, DC
REGULATORY
Charlotte Michellet, Paris
TAX
Elle Kaiser, San Francisco
Alex Cheng-Yi Lee, Washington, DC
Giuseppe Mazzarella, Milan
Nicholas Paul, Chicago
Côme de Saint-Vincent, Paris
TRANSACTIONS
Alissa Cardillo, New York
Jeffrey Cassidy, Chicago
Philip Fitzpatrick, New York
Nick Greiner, Chicago
Adrian Helfenstein, Frankfurt*
Dr. Alexander Hoppe, Düsseldorf
Ana Hubert, New York
Emily Keil, Chicago
Andrew Kim, New York
Lucie Martin, Paris*
Dr. Christian Marzlin, Frankfurt
Stanislas Offroy, Paris*
Dr. Monika Richter, Frankfurt
Rachel Rosen, New York
Franziska Sauer, Munich*
Kate Williams, Boston
*Counsel
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers, and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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McDermott Strengthens Global Private Equity Offering With New Hire In London
PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Strengthens Global Private Equity Offering With New Hire In London
October 29, 2024
Read time: 4 min
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery welcomes Jason Zemmel as a partner in its Transactions Practice Group. Based in London, Jason’s practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity (PE) matters within the healthcare sector.
“Jason’s appointment illustrates our ambition to further strengthen and supercharge our London and PE benches,” said Harris Siskind, global head of McDermott’s Transactions Practice Group. “There are many similarities between our clients and Jason’s, which makes him an exceptional fit for both the Firm and the transactions practice. He also has a fantastic reputation in the market, especially with clients.”
Jason is active in the health and social care sectors, having spent nearly three decades in the UK market. He was previously co-head of the international PE group at law firm CMS. Jason has advised a wide range of clients, including PE firms, management teams, corporates, investors, and advisers on PE, M&A, corporate finance, and other commercial transactions
“I’m really excited to be part of McDermott’s growth, and the opportunity to help expand its transactions practice in London is very attractive,” said Jason. “McDermott is also an appealing option to my clients because of its strong international platform and service offering, which includes PE, M&A, healthcare, restructuring, real estate, and finance in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, and Milan.”
Jason was ranked a Band 2 corporate healthcare partner by Chambers UK in 2023 and a Key Lawyer in the Private Equity: Transactions – Mid-market section by Legal 500 in 2023.
“We continue to invest heavily in our London office as we have always said we would, with a focus on attracting top quality talent” said Aymen Mahmoud, co-head of the London transactions practice and London office managing partner. “Jason has an outstanding practice that aligns perfectly with our global strategy as we continue to build out a market-leading private equity offering.”
Jason’s arrival follows the recent hires of Graham White, Fatema Orjela, Christopher Kandel, Darren Rogers, Devina Rana, John Burge, Sebastien Bonneau and Candice Nichol in London.
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers, and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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Turnarounds & Workouts Once Again Recognizes McDermott on European Restructuring Practices of Major US Law Firms List
AWARDS & RANKINGS / PRESS RELEASE
Turnarounds & Workouts Once Again Recognizes McDermott on European Restructuring Practices of Major US Law Firms List
October 28, 2024
Read time: 3 min
October 28, 2024 – For the second year in a row, international law firm McDermott Will & Emery has been named to Turnarounds & Workouts’ European Restructuring Practices of Major US Law Firms list.
The 2024 special report recognized five partners in the Firm’s Business Restructuring Group for their work in corporate restructuring: Mark Fennessy, Timothée Gagnepain, Dr. Uwe Goetker, Dr. Matthias Kampshoff, and Aymen Mahmoud.
McDermott’s Business Restructuring Group offers comprehensive legal counsel for distressed transactions, representing a wide range of clients, including debtors, creditors, and investors, in complex restructuring and insolvency matters. The group excels in navigating cross-border issues, guiding companies through US and international laws such as chapters 11 and 15 bankruptcy. Additionally, with experience across various industries like healthcare and private equity, the team provides strategies for restructuring, asset acquisition, and maximizing recoveries for stakeholders.
Turnarounds & Workouts is a news magazine for corporate restructuring professionals such as bankruptcy lawyers, financial advisors, turnaround managers, investment bankers, distressed investors, claims traders, trustees, academics, and business journalists.
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers, and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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McDermott Represents Inhibikase Therapeutics in its Financing of Up to $275 Million
DEAL ANNOUNCEMENT / PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Represents Inhibikase Therapeutics in its Financing of Up to $275 Million
October 28, 2024
Read time: 3 min
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery represented Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKT) (Inhibikase), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, in connection with its $110 million private placement with potential aggregate financing up to $275 million if all warrants are exercised.
Inhibikase develops Abelson Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor therapeutics to modify the course of Cardiopulmonary and Neurodegenerative diseases like Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) and Parkinson’s. The company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement to finance the execution of their Phase 2b ‘702’ trial in PAH and for general corporate purposes.
The McDermott team was led by Merrill Kraines, Todd Kornfeld, Brandon Sloane, Brian Tratner, and Caroline Samuelson.
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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McDermott Represents Patrick Industries, Inc. in its Pricing and Upsize of $500 Million of Senior Notes
DEAL ANNOUNCEMENT / PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Represents Patrick Industries, Inc. in its Pricing and Upsize of $500 Million of Senior Notes
October 25, 2024
Read time: 3 min
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery represented Patrick Industries, Inc. (Patrick) in a sale of $500.0 million principal amount of its 6.375% Senior Notes pursuant to a Rule 144A offering.
Patrick is a leading component solutions provider serving the RV, Marine, Powersports and Housing markets. It is home to more than 85 leading brands and operates through a nationwide network that includes over 179 manufacturing plants and 62 warehouse and distribution facilities located in 23 states, with a small presence in Mexico, China and Canada.
The McDermott team was led by Heidi Steele with invaluable assistance from John Hammond, Caroline Samuelson, Riley O’Farrell and Dan Zucker.
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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McDermott Litigation Team Wins Dismissal of Argo Blockchain plc Securities Class Action
PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Litigation Team Wins Dismissal of Argo Blockchain plc Securities Class Action
October 22, 2024
Read time: 3 min
A New York litigation team from international law firm McDermott Will & Emery has secured a decisive win for Argo Blockchain plc, a publicly traded cryptocurrency mining company in a securities class action lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. On October 9, 2024, the court granted the team’s motion to dismiss the amended class action complaint with prejudice and denied the plaintiff’s request for leave to replead Murphy v. Argo Blockchain plc, et al.
The plaintiff filed a securities class action lawsuit against Argo and its officers and directors, alleging claims under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. McDermott moved to dismiss on behalf of all defendants.
The Honorable Colleen McMahon, US District Judge for the Southern District of New York, ruled that the plaintiff failed to allege contemporaneous falsity and relied on nonactionable statements and recognized McDermott’s contention that the plaintiff did not provide sufficient facts to infer intent to deceive by any defendant.
In granting the Firm’s motion to dismiss, Judge McMahon noted: “I commend Defendants for doing what the court would otherwise have had to do – identify every statement that must be evaluated and the rules allegedly applicable to that evaluation. It is an ideal way to set up a motion to dismiss in a securities fraud case. It also makes it easier to evaluate Plaintiff’s response to the motion.”
The McDermott team was led by Joel Haims, with support from Christopher Whalen and Chenjia Zhu. Jack Langlois and Darren Azman were also involved.
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McDermott Advises H.I.G. Europe Capital On The Acquisition Of Rainham Industrial Services Limited
DEAL ANNOUNCEMENT / PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Advises H.I.G. Europe Capital On The Acquisition Of Rainham Industrial Services Limited
October 22, 2024
Read time: 3 min
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery advised one of the affiliates of H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative investment firm with $65 billion of capital under management, on the acquisition of Rainham Industrial Services Limited, a leading UK provider of industrial installation, maintenance and refurbishment services to power generation, energy from waste, nuclear and manufacturing sectors. Executive management, who currently own the business, will reinvest alongside H.I.G. The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
McDermott’s team was led by partner Fatema Orjela (private equity) and counsel Zoe Woodhouse (private equity), associates Tom Johnson, Arjun Sehgal (private equity), and trainees Yomna Zentani and Sofia Vargas Velasco (private equity), and supported by partner Aymen Mahmoud (finance) and senior associate Sophie Rezki and associates Chris Smith and Bethany Drayton (finance), partner Kevin Cummings (tax) and associate Francisco Alvarez (tax), partner Paul McGrath (employment) and associate Charlotte Moorhouse (employment), associates Michaela Novakova and Bella North (data privacy), and partner Jack Thorne (litigation).
Rainham provides mechanical, access, insulation, painting and cleaning services to clients in demanding industrial end-markets. It operates from four locations across the UK and has built a strong reputation for quality delivery alongside an award-winning health and safety capability.
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers, and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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McDermott Advises Le Cottier Family and Doodle on the Proposed Takeover Bid for Lexibook
DEAL ANNOUNCEMENT / PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Advises Le Cottier Family and Doodle on the Proposed Takeover Bid for Lexibook
October 22. 2024
Read time: 3 min
McDermott Will & Emery has advised the Le Cottier family and Doodle, the company behind the proposed takeover bid, filed with the AMF on October 15, 2024 for Lexibook, a company listed on Euronext Growth Paris.
The Le Cottier family, shareholders and founders of Lexibook, and Lawrence Rosen LLC have entered into an investment agreement to act in concert in connection with a proposed voluntary takeover bid by Doodle, of which the Le Cottier family is the majority shareholder.
The takeover bid will be financed by Lawrence Rosen LLC’s subscription to a capital increase through the issue of ordinary shares and an issue of bonds convertible into ordinary shares of Doodle, and by debt.
The McDermott team on this transaction comprised :
- Guillaume Kellner, partner, Henri Nalbandyan, associate, on corporate aspects
- Antoine Vergnat, partner, on tax aspects
- Stanislas Chenu, associate, on financing aspects
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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Law360 Names Allison Wilkerson MVP of the Year in Benefits
AWARDS & RANKINGS / PRESS RELEASE
Law360 Names Allison Wilkerson MVP of the Year in Benefits
October 21, 2024
Read time: 3 min
October 21, 2024 – International law firm McDermott is pleased to announce that Allison Wilkerson has been named an MVP of the Year in the Benefits category by Law360.
Allison leads McDermott’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) practice and advises on a broad array of matters under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Allison has represented employers, trustees and other fiduciaries in hundreds of ESOP transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions and the structuring and financing of ESOPs using private equity. Within Law360’s research timeframe, Allison led the McDermott team assisting accounting and advisory firm BDO USA with its ESOP transition, helping to create one of the largest ESOPs in the country.
Law360‘s 2024 MVPs of the Year aims to distinguish honorees from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters, and record-breaking deals.
View the full list of honorees.
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
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McDermott Represents Eurazeo on Financing the Acquisition of a Controlling Stake in UNITY AG by DBAG
DEAL ANNOUNCEMENT / PRESS RELEASE
McDermott Represents Eurazeo on Financing the Acquisition of a Controlling Stake in UNITY AG by DBAG
October 21, 2024
Read time: 3 min
Munich, October 21, 2024 – McDermott Will & Emery has advised Eurazeo Global Investor as sole lender on the financing of the acquisition of shares in the management consultancy UNITY AG by Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG).
DBAG acquires a majority stake in UNITY AG through a fund advised by DBAG. The existing shareholder, UNITY Innovation Alliance, acquires an almost equal stake. In addition, the employees of UNITY AG invest directly in the company as part of the transaction. The strategic partnership with DBAG will enable UNITY to carry out future acquisitions and M&A transactions.
UNITY specializes in technology consulting and digitization processes. In 2023, nearly 400 consultants at 14 locations generated total revenues of more than €72 million.
DBAG, a listed company headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, traditionally invests in well-positioned medium-sized companies with development potential, primarily in the DACH region.
Eurazeo, listed on Euronext Paris, is a global investment company focused on the mid-market with more than €35 billion under management invested in over 600 companies.
The McDermott team was led by partners Ludwig Zesch and Matthias Weissinger and included counsel Maximilian Meyer as well as associates Tim Becker, Romy Lanz and Eva Kanela (Transaction Lawyer).
