Latham & Watkins Elects 23 New Partners

Latham & Watkins LLP¹ is pleased to announce that 23 counsel have been elected to the partnership, effective March 1. The group brings tremendous experience, knowledge, and skills to advising clients in diverse practice areas.

The counsel promotions announced today follow the election of 44 associates to the partnership, effective January 1, 2023.

“We are pleased to congratulate our newest partners and celebrate their collective achievements on behalf of our clients and the firm. All are dedicated, talented, and highly respected team players who deliver exceptional client service and will ensure our continued growth,” said Rich Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins.

The counsel who have been elected partners are:

ASIA

Owain Davies (Singapore) is a member of the Project Development & Finance Practice and Finance Department. He advises project developers and lenders on a variety of project finance and construction law issues in Asia, including with respect to sovereign guarantee, operation and maintenance, fuel and feedstock supply, energy and output sales, and other key project documents. He completed his LPC at the College of Law, London in 1999 and received his Bachelor of Laws from King’s College, London in 1998.

Michael Hardy (Hong Kong) is a member of the Structured Finance Practice and Finance Department. He advises clients on complex structured finance and derivative transactions, including securitizations, structured repos and securities lending arrangements, repackagings, and structured hedging arrangements. He received his BCL from Magdalen College, Oxford University in 2009 and his LLB from the University of Queensland in 2008.

See Wah (Mandy) Wong (Hong Kong) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice and Corporate Department. She advises clients in general commercial and corporate finance transactions, including IPOs, secondary offerings, and other equity transactions, as well as listing rules compliance and takeover code matters. She received her PCLL and Bachelor of Law from the City University of Hong Kong in 2001 and 2000, respectively.

EUROPE

José María Alonso (Madrid) is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He advises clients on Spanish regulatory aspects of complex corporate transactions, particularly in the financial, energy, and infrastructure industries. A former Spanish State Attorney, he earned his LLB in Law and Business Administration from Comillas Pontifical University in 2007.

Ulf Kieker (Munich) is a member of the Transactional Tax Practice and Tax Department. He advises on German and international tax law in private equity and M&A, restructuring, capital markets, structured finance, and real estate transactions. He received his Dr. iur. from Osnabrück University and earned LLMs from New York University in 2006 and from Osnabrück University in 2002, and completed the Second German State Exam at the Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg in 2004 and the First German State Exam at Osnabrück University in 2001.

Cesare Milani (Milan) is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice and Corporate Department. He focuses on public and administrative law, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) matters, and providing other regulatory advice to clients including private equity funds, financial institutions, and public companies. He earned a Law Degree from the University of Bologna in 2007.

UNITED STATES

John J. (Jack) Barber (Chicago) is a member of the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents public companies and their officers and directors, as well as accounting firms and accountants, and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in litigation, internal investigations, and government investigations involving complex financial, accounting, and disclosure matters. He received his JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 2005.

Dean Baxtresser (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents clients in investigation and litigation matters involving the US False Claims Act, bid protests, and contract disputes, as well as in complex transactions involving government contract issues. He received his JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 2010.

Charles (Chuck) Cassidy (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice and Corporate Department. He represents issuers, underwriters, and private equity funds in capital markets transactions, including public and private debt and equity transactions and acquisition financings, and also counsels public companies regarding their public reporting obligations and other issues related to public company status. He received his JD from the University of Chicago Law School in 2005.

Michael David (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents clients in patent infringement actions before the US International Trade Commission (ITC), focused on Section 337 of the United States Tariff Act, and in federal district court cases involving patent infringement, theft of trade secrets, and trademark and copyright infringement. He received his JD from Cornell Law School in 2004.

Sarah Gragert (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. She represents clients in commercial litigation and arbitration matters at the trial and appellate levels across the country, including breach of contract, sports litigation, employer liability, trade secret misappropriation, business torts, and other complex litigation across industries. She received her JD from Cornell Law School in 2007.

Ryan LaFevers (Chicago) is a member of the Banking Practice and Finance Department. He advises clients on leveraged finance matters related to secured financings and M&A transactions, with a focus on representing direct lenders in the large-cap market, middle market, and growth debt market. He received his JD from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 2009.

Joshua Marnitz (Los Angeles and Houston) is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice and Corporate Department. He advises clients on the environmental and energy regulatory aspects of corporate and finance transactions in the energy (conventional and renewable), infrastructure, and industrial sectors. He received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2009.

Nima Mohebbi (Los Angeles) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. An experienced trial lawyer, he represents clients across an array of industries, with a focus on entertainment and technology, including Web3, artificial intelligence, music and film, and metaverse applications. He received his JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2010.

Betty Pang (San Francisco) is a member of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice and Corporate Department. Her healthcare regulatory practice involves advising clients on matters relating to fraud and abuse, self-referral and government program reimbursement compliance, facility and provider licensing, corporate practice of medicine, and fee-splitting issues. She received her JD from Harvard Law School in 2003 and earned an MD from Stanford University in 2005.

Edmond Parhami (New York) is a member of the Private Equity Practice and Corporate Department. His practice focuses on private company M&A, particularly the representation of private equity firms in leveraged buyouts and portfolio company matters across industries including healthcare, infrastructure, technology, and energy. He received his JD from Cornell Law School in 2012.

Elizabeth Park (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Connectivity, Privacy & Information Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. She represents communications, information technology, and media companies in both transactional and regulatory matters and helps clients navigate the procedures of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government agencies. She received her JD from George Washington University Law School in 2000.

Aron Potash (Los Angeles) is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice and Corporate Department. He focuses on environmental law, with an emphasis on air quality and climate change matters, contaminated sites, energy transition, environmental insurance, ESG, and green financing, advising clients on regulatory and transactional issues across a range of sectors. He received his JD from the University of Texas School of Law in 2007.

Anna Rathbun (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Antitrust & Competition Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. She advises clients in antitrust litigation and trials, criminal cartel investigations, and merger investigations and litigation, often applying her extensive trial experience in national and global antitrust cases. She received her JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 2010.

Brian Rock (New York) is a member of the Banking Practice and Finance Department. He advises lender and borrower clients on a variety of financing transactions, including leveraged lending, bond transactions, and project financings and securitizations, with an emphasis on issues arising under Article 9 (secured transactions) and Article 8 (investment securities) of the Uniform Commercial Code. He received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2011.

Michael Saliba (New York) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice and Corporate Department. He advises issuers, underwriters, sponsors, and investors in a range of complex domestic and cross-border capital markets and private capital transactions, and also counsels clients on corporate and securities law matters, debt covenants, and structuring analyses. He received his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 2007.

Michael Vardanian (New York) is a member of the Private Equity Practice and Corporate Department. His practice encompasses both public and private acquisitions, dispositions, co-investments, joint ventures, and general corporate matters, with a focus on advising private equity firms on transactions involving various industries, including retail, media, telecommunications, waste management, manufacturing, technology, and energy. He received his JD from the University of Michigan Law School in 2006.

Ipek Seniz Yakut (New York) is a member of the Banking Practice and Finance Department. She represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies and other borrowers including public companies on complex leveraged finance transactions ranging from acquisitions to refinancings, and she provides strategic advice to companies in connection with restructuring and special situations transactions. She received her JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 2009.

About Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world’s largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.

Note to Editors

¹Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in Israel through a limited liability company. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Firm of Salman M. Al-Sudairi, a limited liability company, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.