Los Angeles
Jessica Jensen advises clients on a broad range of matters, including income, gift, and estate tax planning, trust administration, charitable giving, business succession planning, and tax controversy. She also counsels family offices, international families making inbound US investments, and US families with holdings abroad.
Prior to joining McDermott, Jessica started her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Ronald L. Buch at the United States Tax Court.
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2021, Trusts and Estates
- New York University School of Law, LLM, Taxation, cum laude
- Pepperdine University School of Law, JD, magna cum laude,
- University of Tennessee, BS
- California
- New York
- Tennessee
- US Tax Court
Bella North
London – 22 Bishopsgate
Bella North advises healthcare and life sciences companies, investors and private equity sponsors on complex corporate transactions, regulatory matters and strategic issues across the UK healthcare and life sciences sector. Her practice includes mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity investments and healthcare regulatory advice, supporting clients throughout the establishment, operation, expansion and growth of their businesses.
Bella has particular experience advising clients on entering, expanding within and navigating the UK healthcare and life sciences market. Her work spans digital health platforms, electronic patient record (EPR) providers, cross-border telemedicine services, direct-to-consumer healthcare businesses and companies developing innovative patient-facing technologies.
Regulatory and Privacy
- Advising a global technology provider on entry into the optical manufacturing and ophthalmology services market, including regulatory requirements for remote consultations, clinical oversight, data handling and patient-facing digital health tools.
- Advising health services companies on telemedicine and remote health services, including cross-border teleradiology, teleophthalmology and teledentistry.
- Advising multiple health services and life sciences companies on internal and external investigations on compliance, regulatory and governance matters.
- Advising various global pharmaceutical clients on the regulation and set up of clinical trial arrangements with UK and international contract research organizations (CROs) and contract drug manufacturing organizations (CDMOs).
- Advising multiple medical device companies, on medical device regulatory, collaboration and licensing arrangements, including software as a medical device and digital health tools including patient monitoring and drug dispensing, cardiac monitoring, and behavioral care solutions.
- Advising multiple diagnostics companies on regulatory and commercialization matters for in vitro diagnostics, genetic and molecular testing and direct to consumer testing services.
- Advising multiple health and life sciences companies on data privacy and GDPR, particularly with respect to research, data collaborations, re-use and sharing of health data.
Transactions
- Advised Sycamore Partners, a leading New York-based private equity firm, as UK healthcare regulatory counsel on its acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. The total transaction is valued at up to $23.7 billion.
- Advised Groupe Bruxelle Lambert, an established European investment company on its investment in Rayner, a leading UK-headquartered global ophthalmic medical device and pharmaceutical company.
- Advised Bridgepoint and the Practice Plus Group on the sale of its hospitals division to Indian healthcare group, Narayana Health.
- Represented Northwestern Memorial Healthcare (Northwestern) a leading U.S. based academic healthcare organization, in its partnership with The London Clinic Limited (TLC), the UK’s largest independent charitable hospital.
- Advising Centene Corporation on its acquisition of Circle Health and subsequent acquisition of BMI Hospitals.
- Advising Best Buy on its acquisition of Current Health digital health and remote monitoring system.
- Advising BehaVR on its acquisition of a digital health and software as a medical device behavioral health therapeutics business operating in the UK and US.
- Advising on the acquisition of a health services and temporary health staffing platform in the UK.
- Advised PharmaLex Group and Auctus Capital on the acquisition of Phlexglobal, a leading technology and services organization for clinical and regulatory compliance solutions, from Vitruvian Partners and subsequent acquisitions including of pharma services technology and related services.
- Advised Vesey Street Capital Partners, a New York-based healthcare services private equity firm, on the acquisition of Inceptua Group, a provider of clinical trial supplies and related services.
- Advised an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, LLC, on its acquisition of Celerion Holdings Inc., a leading full-service provider of outsourced clinical research services to the pharmaceutical industry.
- Advised Cordis, in its in its acquisition of MedAlliance, a Swiss based company at the forefront of transformative drug-eluting balloons.
- Advising Wellspring Capital Management LLC, in connection with its acquisition of Caring Brands International, Inc. (CBI), the leading franchisor of home healthcare services under three global brands: US-based Interim HealthCare, UK-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care.
- Advised Inverness Graham on life sciences regulatory matters relating to the acquisition of Innovia, global manufacturer of branded single-use surgical products and sterile processing systems servicing ENT, Ophthalmic, Gynecological, and Aesthetic end-markets.
- Legal 500 UK, Recommended, 2025-2026
- Chambers UK, Healthcare: Regulatory, 2025-2027
- Pro Bono Recognition List of England and Wales, 2026
- BPP Law School, LPC
- BPP Law School, GDL
- University of Aberdeen
- England & Wales
Shurong Qu
Paris
Shurong Qu represents investment funds and industrial companies globally in transactional matters in relation to M&A and divestitures, joint ventures and strategic collaborating, licensing agreements, as well as regulatory and data privacy matters.
In her cross-border transactional practice, Shurong advises foreign companies in their acquisitions in Europe and advises the European companies in managing their businesses in China. Her experiences cover various areas, including pharmaceutics, tourism, energy, semiconductor manufacture, food & beverage, biotechnology, life science, automotive industry, and TMT industry.
She also assists clients in IPO projects on the French regulated market.
- Representing French and Chinese clients in their investments and cross-border M&A transactions in France and in Europe
- Advising French and European clients on their activities in China, including the transactional issues, compliance issues, and data protection issues
- Advised Webhelp in connection with its acquisition of PitechPlus
- Advised Dynacure in connection with its fundraisings
- Advised a major Chinese semiconductor manufacturing company on its proposed acquisition of a French semiconductor foundry in a restructuring procedure
- Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, PhD
- Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, LLM
- Sun Yat-sen University, LLB
- Paris
- Mainland China
- English
- French
- Chinese
Dr. Anja Bertrand
Cologne
Dr. Anja Bertrand focuses her practice on antitrust and competition law, and also advises across all aspects of merger control proceedings.
Prior to joining McDermott Will & Schulte, Anja worked in a German law firm specializing in commercial and contract law, where she advised medium to large industrial and commercial enterprises in local and cross-border transactions.
Following her first state exam, Anja worked as a research assistant and lecturer at the Chair of Civil Law at the University of Trier, where she also received her doctorate on a comparative law topic. Anja worked for a leading international law firm as part of her training, where she gained knowledge in the fields of commercial and real estate law.
- German Antitrust Experts Association
- Trier University, Dr. jur. (PhD)
- Kammergericht Berlin, Second State Exam
- Trier University, First State Exam
- Trier University, FFA, French Law
- Germany
Emma J. Chapman
Washington, DC
Emma J. Chapman provides forward-thinking guidance to healthcare providers and researchers on a variety of regulatory, compliance and transactional matters. She is particularly focused on emerging healthcare technology solutions, especially in the areas of telehealth and digital health, and the unique regulatory issues that impact them.
Emma provides her clients with knowledgeable guidance in regulatory matters, particularly in the areas of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues and state, federal and international regulatory environments for telehealth. She also advises clients on developing data sharing arrangements that support research and data de-identification. And in her transactional work, she supports private equity investments in physician practices.
- Reversed three denials of wage index geographical redesignations by the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board
- Succeeded in lifting Medicare payment suspensions with a team working on behalf of two clients
- Secured asylum for a woman who was targeted by extremists for her work advocating for the rights of women and children
- Food and Drug Law Journal, senior staff editor, 2018
- Law Fellow, first-year legal research and writing program, Georgetown, 2018
- Georgetown University Law Center, JD, cum laude
- Georgetown University, MPP, summa cum laude
- Tulane University, BA
- District of Columbia
- California
Allison Egan
New York – One Vanderbilt Avenue
Allison Egan focuses her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation. She regularly represents clients facing litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). She represents plan sponsors, directors, benefits committees and plan fiduciaries of employee benefits plans, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), in class action litigation for breach of fiduciary duty and prohibited transactions, as well as in lawsuits and investigations brought by the Department of Labor.
- Ramos, et al. v. Banner Health, et al; defending Banner Health and its present and former directors and alleged ERISA fiduciaries in a class action brought by participants of a 401(k) plan with over 33,000 participants and $2 billion in assets, alleging breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA in the selection and monitoring of investments and relating to investment fees.
- Allen, et al. v. GreatBanc Trust Company; defended a national trust company in a case brought by participants of an ESOP claiming that the trust company engaged in prohibited transactions and committed breaches of fiduciary duty in violation of ERISA.
- The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch” in Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, 2023
- Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, JD, magna cum laude
- University of Virginia, BA
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
Dr. Julian Jäger
Düsseldorf
Julian Jäger focuses his practice on employment law matters.
Prior to joining McDermott, Julian completed his legal traineeship at the Mannheim Higher Administrative Court, and two prominent German law firms in their Frankfurt and Mannheim offices. Julian maintained a focus on employment law throughout his studies and legal traineeship.
- Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe, Second State Exam
- University of Mannheim, First State Exam
- University of Mannheim, LLB
- Germany
- English
- German
Karla Utset
Miami
Karla Utset focuses her practice on transactional and corporate matters, with a focus on mergers, acquisitions and divestures involving private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. Karla is appointed as an attorney ad litem by Lawyers for Children America to represent foster youth.
- Represented Martis Capital in connection with (a) the merger of Credible Behavioral Health, Inc., which was a portfolio company of Martis Capital and a leading provider of web-based software for clinic, community, residential, and mobile care providers, with and into Crossover Merger Subsidiary, Inc., an affiliate of Qualifacts Systems, Inc., a leading provider of software-as-a-service and web-based electronic health records for the behavioral health and human services market, and (b) its rollover and additional investment into Quicksilver Topco, LLC, the parent company of Qualifacts Systems, Inc. The joint company will push to become the first nationwide EHR platform specializing in behavioral health
- Represented Signature MD, Inc., a Blue Sea Capital portfolio company, in its acquisition of Paragon Private Health, LLC, a leader in concierge healthcare
- Represented H.I.G. Advantage, LLC, in its acquisition of Supply Source Enterprises, Inc., a leading distributor of branded and private label personal protective equipment, commercial cleaning, maintenance, and safety products in the United States, and its wholly owned subsidiaries, The Safety Zone, LLC and Impact Products, LLC from S.P. Richards Company, a subsidiary formerly held by Genuine Parts Company
- University of Miami School of Law, JD, magna cum laude
- Florida International University, BA
- Florida
- English
- Spanish
Tess Souquet-Basiege
Paris
Tess Souquet-Basiege focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions. She advises French and international companies on all aspects of corporate and business law.
Prior to joining McDermott, Tess was a trainee at various international law firms in Paris and New York and worked within the legal department of a major French company.
- Represented Alkern Group’s management team in the acquisition of the group, from Fondations Capital, by Chequers Capital, for EUR 150 million
- Represented G Square Capital II in the acquisition of Boticinal, a pharmaceutical company
- Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Master 2, International Trade Law
- Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Master 1, International Business Law
- Université Paris Dauphine – PSL, Bachelor''s Degree
- Law and Economics
- Paris
- English
- French
Mathilde Peschard
Paris
Mathilde Peschard focuses her practice on corporate law, advising clients across the pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare industries. Mathilde has experience on a number of acquisition and private equity and M&A transactions, including financing rounds, securities offerings and joint ventures for French and non-French corporations.
- University of Tours, Master’s 2, International Business Law
- University of Tours
- Paris
- English
- French
- Italian
