Latham Promotes 70 Associates to Counsel

Latham & Watkins LLP is pleased to announce that 70 associates have been promoted to the role of counsel, effective January 1, 2027.

“This accomplished group reflects the breadth of expertise across our firm and the strength of our platform. Their strong technical skills, judgment, and dedication enhance our ability to deliver outstanding results for clients and support our ambitious growth plans. They exemplify the values that define Latham: excellence, collaboration, innovation, and commitment to client service. We are proud to recognize their achievements and look forward to their continued success,” said Rich Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins.

“We are thrilled to congratulate our new counsel, each of whom has made significant contributions to our clients and the firm. Their promotions recognize the commitment and skill they bring to delivering exceptional client service,” added Michelle Carpenter, Chair of the firm’s Associates Committee.

The 70 associates promoted to counsel are:

ASIA

Nicholas Cavallo (Tokyo) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises public and private companies, as well as private equity funds and their portfolio companies, on cross-border M&A transactions, strategic alliances, and other corporate transactions.

Jonathan Feng (Hong Kong) is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and funds on leveraged finance transactions, including back-leverage financings, margin loans, and private credit.

Benjamin Han (Tokyo) is a member of the Data & Technology Transactions Practice. He represents clients on technology transactions, including licensing and sale, joint development, joint venture, strategic alliance, and outsourcing arrangements, as well as complex carve-out transactions.

Yiheng Luo (Singapore) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises private equity, corporate, and venture capital clients on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and leveraged buyouts, auctions, disposals, joint ventures, minority investments, and equity funding rounds.

Sam Maxson (Singapore) is a member of the Emerging Companies & Growth Practice. He advises emerging and established companies, fintechs, financial institutions, investors, and infrastructure providers on digital assets, securities and derivatives laws, payment services and systems, financial markets infrastructure, credit and lending, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, commercial and partnership arrangements, and lifecycle transactions.

Weigang Meng (Hong Kong) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice. He represents clients in corporate finance transactions involving capital markets, including IPOs and pre-IPO investments, secondary offerings, and general compliance matters.

EUROPE

François Blanchet (Paris) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises private equity firms and corporates on a range of domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions.

Hugo Bodkin (Paris) is a member of the Restructuring Practice. He advises debtors and creditors on major French pre-insolvency and insolvency proceedings, as well as out-of-court and complex cross-border restructurings.

Isabelle Brams (Frankfurt) is a member of the Copyright, Privacy & Communications Practice. She advises German and international clients on EU data law matters, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, administrative and fine proceedings, civil law claims in connection with data violations, new digital products and processes, cybersecurity incidents, and employee data privacy.

Jason Britto (London) is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He advises banks, private credit providers, and other financial institutions on syndicated loans, private credit lending, bond and bridge financings, liability management transactions, general bank lending, and restructuring transactions.

Samuel Burleton (London) is a member of the Project Development & Finance Practice. He advises clients on project finance, export credit agency financings, brownfield acquisition financings, general corporate and sovereign lending (including Islamic finance) and sovereign lending in the energy and infrastructure sectors, with a particular focus on transactions in Africa and the Middle East.

Morgane Chaloin (Paris) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. She advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies as well as corporates on cross-border M&A transactions, private equity, restructurings, majority and minority investments, joint ventures, carve-out transactions, and general corporate matters, with a focus on the entertainment, sports, and healthcare sectors.

Alex Cox (London) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He represents clients in complex commercial disputes and advisory matters, particularly in competition litigation and financial services litigation and investigations.

Laura Elliott (London) is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. She represents lenders and borrowers in infrastructure financings across digital and core infrastructure, including fiber networks, data centers, and transportation assets.

Aymerick Fradin (Paris) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents public and private companies, private equity funds, and portfolio companies in M&A transactions, tender offers, and spinoffs.

Johannes Groß (Frankfurt) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises German and international clients on digitization, infrastructure, and energy projects, including complex transactions, contract negotiations, dispute resolution, regulatory issues, and negotiations for construction and operating contracts, with a focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Marco Grotenrath (Hamburg) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He represents clients in all areas of German and international litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution, including complex commercial litigation, white collar disputes and internal investigations, regulatory disputes, professional liability and insurance-related disputes, and restructuring litigation.

Constanze Köttgen (Hamburg) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. She represents German and international clients in complex commercial, securities, and product liability litigation, post-M&A disputes and shareholder disputes, and insolvency-related and data protection disputes.

Julia Lefevre (Paris) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. She advises private equity and strategic clients on complex corporate and financial matters.

Maria Loudjeva (Brussels) is a member of the Antitrust & Competition Practice. She advises multinational companies on EU competition law matters involving regulatory filing processes for complex deals, merger control filings, the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, cross-jurisdictional advocacy strategy, and regulatory compliance.

Hugo Matricon (Paris) is a member of the Transactional Tax Practice. He advises clients on the French and international tax aspects of complex M&A transactions, leveraged buyouts, capital markets transactions, financing transactions, management packages, and tax disputes.

Sarah Youssefi (London) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice. She advises clients on IPOs, public and private equity offerings, SPAC transactions, and public and private debt offerings.

MIDDLE EAST

Ahmed El Banna (Riyadh) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms, and Saudi Arabian and international clients, including public and private companies, on M&A and private equity transactions, joint ventures, restructurings, antitrust and merger control, and real estate development.

Ksenia (Xenia) Koroleva (Riyadh) is a member of the Data & Technology Transactions Practice. She advises clients in the Middle East and Central Asia on complex technology deals, including data centers and other digital infrastructure projects, AI mandates, intellectual property (including bespoke licensing), commercial agreements, data localization, data protection, and information security.

UNITED STATES

Julia Albrecht (New York) is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. She represents investment and commercial banks, as well as private credit and direct lenders, in acquisition financings, debt restructurings, cross-border and domestic acquisitions, private credit financings, and investment-grade lending.

Upton Au (New York) is a member of the Structured Finance Practice. He advises borrowers and lenders on fund finance transactions, including asset-based, back-leverage, and hybrid facilities, as well as collateralized loan obligation transactions, affordable housing securitizations, and joint-venture loan origination platforms.

CJ Bacon (Orange County) is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. He represents clients in global trademark enforcement, trademark and trade dress infringement litigation, trade secret misappropriation litigation and counseling, false advertising and unfair competition litigation, and breach of contract matters.

Said Bakir (New York) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, strategic acquirors, public companies, and financial institutions in M&A transactions, dispositions, leveraged buyouts, carve-out transactions, joint ventures, co-investments, and take-private acquisitions.

Meryl Bartlett (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice. She advises pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, digital health, food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and consumer product companies on regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters involving the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory authorities with jurisdiction over healthcare and biotechnology.

Kristin Bisely (San Diego) is a member of the Investment Funds Practice. She advises fund managers and other sponsors and investors on private capital, permanent capital, and fund formation matters across multiple investment areas, including private capital company structures, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, club arrangements, syndicated vehicles, real estate funds and operating companies, open-end funds, and early-stage investment vehicles.

Wei Cai (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Public Company Representation Practice. She advises public company clients on SEC reporting obligations and stock exchange rules, shareholder meetings and engagement, investor communications, board and corporate governance, and other regulatory compliance matters.

Molly O’Malley Clarke (Los Angeles) is a member of the Copyright, Privacy & Communications Practice. She advises clients on privacy, data security, and consumer protection issues, including in state and federal regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, internal investigations, and product, service, and process development.

Cat Cohen (New York) is a member of the Public Company Representation Practice. She advises US-listed public companies on corporate governance matters, public reporting and securities matters, and SEC disclosure requirements and other securities laws and governance considerations for strategic transactions.

Cherish Drain (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. She represents clients in high-stakes litigation matters, including government-facing disputes under the Administrative Procedure Act concerning healthcare and pharmaceutical regulation and other complex commercial litigation proceedings.

Catie English (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. She advises strategic and financial investors, independent power producers, project developers, and financial institutions on M&A transactions, joint ventures, financings, and development projects across the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Thomas Ficchi (New York) is a member of the Real Estate Practice. He represents clients in complex real estate transactions involving joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, secured financings, and M&A transactions.

Shannon Fiedler (Boston) is a member of the Tax Controversy Practice. She advises companies on federal and international tax disputes, including IRS exams and appeals, litigation in US tax and district courts, whistleblower claims, allegations of potential criminal tax charges, transfer pricing matters, and partnership matters.

Adam Fovent (Boston) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice. He advises US and international financial institutions, fintech and digital asset startups, funds and fund managers, and other end-user trading market participants on financial regulatory, derivatives, fintech, and digital asset matters.

Dylan Glenn (Chicago) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He represents public and private companies in class actions, mass torts, product liability cases, environmental litigation, business-to-business disputes, and government enforcement actions.

Shahar Gonen (New York) is a member of the Public Company Representation Practice. She advises public companies and their boards on corporate governance, securities, and disclosure matters, including Exchange Act reporting, proxy rules, insider trading and Section 16 compliance, stock exchange governance rules, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Richard Griffin (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Project Development & Finance Practice. He advises clients on a broad range of federal energy regulatory matters, including regulatory proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, transactions and related approvals, wholesale power markets and Independent System Operator/Regional Transmission Organization rules, and regulatory compliance.

Monica Hernandez (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. She advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on acquisitions and divestitures, cross-border carve-outs, add-on acquisitions for portfolio companies, minority investments, and de-SPAC business combinations.

Kalana Kariyawasam (New York) is a member of the Securities and M&A Litigation Practice. He represents public and private companies, executives, and boards of directors in securities class actions and complex commercial disputes.

Annie E. Kim (Bay Area) is a member of the Capital Markets Practice. She represents companies in IPOs and other capital-raising transactions, SEC reporting and compliance, and corporate governance, and also advises investment banks and venture capital firms on public and private securities offerings.

Edward Kocis (Los Angeles) is a member of the Investment Funds Practice. He advises emerging and seasoned venture capital, private equity, and growth equity fund sponsors on forming, organizing, and operating investment funds and their related general partner and management company entities.

James Langlois (Houston) is a member of the Project Development & Finance Practice. He advises sponsors, lenders, and investors on project finance and development matters involving energy and infrastructure projects across the US, the Middle East, and other global markets.

Kimberly Li (Boston) is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. She represents clients in patent litigation involving software and Internet of Things, consumer electronics, display devices, semiconductors, and medical devices before federal district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the International Trade Commission.

Jake Makar (New York) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises clients on M&A and other complex corporate transactions, with a particular focus on the asset management and financial services industries.

Chris McAdam (Chicago) is a member of the Real Estate Practice. He advises REITs, private equity funds, and other real estate investors, developers, and operators on single asset and portfolio acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures and other preferred equity structured vehicles, financings, management agreements, and development agreements across asset classes and with specialization in the hospitality and data center industries.

Brian McCall (Orange County) is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice. He advises developers, utilities, private equity firms, financial institutions, and corporate clients on the environmental and regulatory aspects of project development and related corporate and finance matters, with a focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Andrew Messer (New York) is a member of the Real Estate Practice. He advises private equity funds, global financial institutions, and other institutional investors on commercial real estate transactions involving mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, loan origination and purchase, disposition of senior and subordinate debt, servicing and workout of distressed debt, intercreditor and co-lending arrangements, and note-on-note back-leverage facilities.

Jameson Miller (Houston) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises sellers and buyers on M&A transactions and corporate governance matters, and he represents management teams and private equity funds in strategic investments, divestitures, and forming new portfolio companies.

Alexander Mills (New York) is a member of the Securities and M&A Litigation Practice. He represents technology and media companies, financial institutions, energy and infrastructure companies, and other large corporations in deal litigation and securities and class action litigation, including stock-drop actions, corporate governance disputes, and complex commercial litigation matters.

Sarah Mitchell (Los Angeles) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. She represents clients in disputes involving trade secrets, land use and real estate development, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unfair competition, business torts, copyright, computer fraud statutes, class actions, and environmental matters.

Heather Modiano (Chicago) is a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice. She advises healthcare systems, biotechnology developers, medical device companies, and insurance providers on internal investigations, compliance program review and development, auditor and audit committee advice, government enforcement and investigations, and government-facing and regulatory litigation.

Jordan Mundell (Bay Area) is a member of the Securities and M&A Litigation Practice. He advises public companies, officers, directors, and special committees in securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, M&A litigation, and contract disputes.

Christina Myrold (Bay Area) is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. She represents technology companies in IP disputes involving trade secret, copyright, patent, and false advertising matters, including matters related to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and software, artificial intelligence, enterprise and cloud-based software, and other advanced technologies.

John Niemeyer (San Diego) is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He represents policyholders in insurance coverage and bad-faith disputes across all lines of insurance coverage and advises clients on insurance-related aspects of corporate transactions and post-restructuring, particularly involving directors and officers liability.

Takashi Okuda (New York) is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. He represents life sciences and technology companies in patent disputes, including in federal district courts and inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Kary Payne (Chicago) is a member of the Executive Compensation, Employment & Benefits Practice. She advises private and public corporations on employee benefits matters, including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans, fiduciary and plan investment issues, regulatory matters, retirement plans, and health and welfare plan design, administration, and compliance.

Matthew Piehl (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Antitrust & Competition Practice. He advises clients on the antitrust aspects of strategic transactions and guides companies through the regulatory process in the US and globally.

Jason Pien (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Structured Finance Practice. He advises clients on complex asset-backed financing transactions involving a range of assets.

Ransel Potter (New York) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and strategic investors on leveraged buyouts, M&A, dispositions, carve-outs, and joint ventures, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Mario Richards (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Investment Funds Practice. He advises private capital sponsors on private funds, including real estate, infrastructure, venture, credit, and buyout funds on global fundraising, capital deployment, and operating activities across multiple investment areas and asset classes.

Samantha Seikkula (San Diego) is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice. She advises clients on complex infrastructure and development projects, governmental and administrative law issues under the California Environmental Quality Act and other environmental regulations, and matters involving local and state administrative and legislative decision-making.

Sara Shahmiri (New York) is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. She advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies and corporate borrowers in complex syndicated and private credit financings, including unitranche, mezzanine, and asset-based facilities, as well as leveraged and acquisition financings in US and cross-border transactions.

Christina Smith (New York) is a member of the Investment Funds Practice. She advises established and emerging sponsors on fund formation, co-investments, separately managed accounts, internal sponsor economic arrangements, and continuation vehicles.

Matthew Valenti (New York) is a member of the Copyright, Privacy & Communications Practice. He represents leading technology companies and financial services and fintech clients in class actions, mass arbitrations, and commercial disputes, with a focus on cybersecurity and privacy-related matters, as well as individual and institutional clients in white collar investigations.

Holly Victorson (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the Copyright, Privacy & Communications Practice. She represents clients in technology-driven litigation involving copyright, patent, and other civil claims, including matters involving consumer software, AI technology, electronic devices, semiconductors, mobile communications, and software-powered medical devices.

Nathan Zhang (Houston) is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He advises clients on acquisitions and divestitures, strategic joint ventures and investments, project development, and high-value commercial contracts, with particular experience in the energy industry.