Three Partners Named “Top Women Lawyers” in California
Three Latham & Watkins partners have been named by the Daily Journal as 2015 “Top Women Lawyers” in California — corporate partner Judith Hasko in Silicon Valley and litigators Michele Johnson in Orange County and Karen Silverman in San Francisco. The honorees are among a select group of female lawyers across the state who are “helming major matters.. (and who) try complex commercial disputes, put together industry-transforming deals and navigate clients through complex international regulatory schemes.”
Hasko, the global chair of the firm’s Life Sciences Licensing Group, was recognized for her representation of companies developing biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic products, and investors in such companies, in a wide range of technology-based commercial transactions. Hasko’s published profile featured her recent advice to OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. in an intricate agreement with Celgene Corp. to jointly develop and commercialize anti-cancer stem cell product candidates.
Johnson, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice Group, was cited in her profile for advising clients in high-profile securities and professional liability litigation, particularly in a landmark case related to the hostile takeover bid for Allergan, Inc. Johnson regularly represents industry-leading companies, officers and directors, special committees, financial institutions, and accounting firms in litigation and internal and government investigations involving alleged violations of the securities laws, complex financial fraud and related matters.
Silverman was acknowledged for advising clients in complex antitrust matters, especially strategic mergers, cartel defense and commercial pricing and distribution matters. Silverman’s profile observed that “companies are considering the regulatory implications of transactions earlier in the process” and noted her recent work on antitrust clearances for high-profile M&A deals. Silverman is the Managing Partner of Latham’s San Francisco office, Co-chair of the Information Technology Industry Group and a member of the global Antitrust & Competition Practice Group.