Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP announced the promotion of 15 lawyers to the partnership.
Peter Altman is in the firm’s litigation practice in Los Angeles. He plays a critical role as a member of the firm’s white collar defense and government investigations practice. Peter brings three years of experience in the Los Angeles office of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement to bear in serving clients needing risk and compliance counseling and representations in SEC, DOJ and other regulatory examinations, investigations and litigation. Peter has worked on numerous highly sensitive matters for some of the firm’s most important clients, including matters involving allegations of fraud, insider trading, market manipulation and unregistered broker-dealer activity.
Matt Bivona is in the firm’s corporate practice in Dallas. Matt’s expansive debt finance work focuses on credit facilities and high-yield debt offerings as well as mezzanine, mortgage and other real estate-related financings. He has deep skills in hospitality sector financing, as well as significant experience in equity investments in real estate holding companies, operating companies and development ventures. Matt has been involved in all aspects of transactions related to debt finance for a number of the firm’s high-value clients. Matt also has extensive securities law experience, and routinely advises public companies in corporate and securities matters. Matt’s pro bono work over the years has earned him multiple Dallas office pro bono awards.
Sam Brodie is in the firm’s financial restructuring practice in London. He is a finance lawyer who has experience working on a variety of financing transactions, and he focuses on private placements, securitizations, structured finance and direct lending transactions. He advises a number of the firm's key institutional investor clients and hedge fund clients on the structuring, implementation and ongoing management of their financing investments. He has also represented financial institutions on a wide range of complex U.K. and cross-border financial restructurings. Sam is a key player in growing the London office’s English law finance practice.
Jason Daniel is in the firm’s investment management practice in Dallas. His practice focuses on securities trading and reporting advice, investment adviser compliance and registration, and securities advice in respect to mergers and acquisitions transactions. Jason is also part of Akin Gump’s knowledge management team, developing guides, resources and training relating to his areas of practice for Akin Gump’s lawyers and clients.
Christian Davis is in the firm’s international trade practice in Washington, D.C. Christian advises clients on foreign investment, export controls, sanctions, anticorruption and customs laws. His practice focuses on representing clients in the merger, acquisition and divestiture process before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and on accounting for associated risks. He also advises clients in negotiating and implementing CFIUS mitigation agreements, developing and administering international trade compliance programs and conducting internal investigations.
As a leader of the firm’s CFIUS practice, Christian has played a central role in nearly every matter that the firm has handled before CFIUS in the past three years.
Brett Fieldston is in the firm’s tax practice in New York. His practice focuses on the structuring of alternative investment funds and their investments, as well as the structuring of investment management companies. He regularly advises fund managers and sponsors regarding cross-border tax considerations relating to their investors and investment vehicles and investments, as well as related cross-border regulatory issues. Brett works closely with our funds practice and has developed a reputation with our clients for combining his tax experience with deep knowledge of the complex corporate and regulatory facets in the representations that he handles. Brett has used his tax experience on numerous pro bono matters supporting social entrepreneurs.
Hyongsoon Kim is in the firm’s litigation practice in Irvine, where he leads commercial litigation matters on the West Coast for a number of major tech clients. He has played a key role in the ongoing development of our consumer class action practice, having worked on numerous such matters in the last several years. Hyongsoon is also a resource on privacy-related litigation and has been an active participant in several noteworthy pro bono matters throughout his tenure.
Alissa Miller is in the firm’s corporate practice in Los Angeles, working with our entertainment lawyers. She focuses on representing financial institutions and other financiers with respect to their film and television lending. Alissa has been a key player within our entertainment practice, serving as a go-to lawyer for the documentation of complex credit facilities and as a resource for clients in the area of digital content distribution. Alissa has been regularly recognized by industry press.
Matthew Nesburn is in the global projects and finance group in Los Angeles. He represents companies in the development, construction, financing, acquisition and disposition of solar, wind and other energy projects. Matt has led dozens of significant energy transactions, including tax equity, cash equity and debt financings. He also has worked on many large-scale project and portfolio acquisitions/dispositions and all manner of corporate and project documentation.
Brian Patterson is in the firm’s labor and employment practice in Houston. He represents companies in a wide range of employment-related matters, including noncompetition agreements, wage and hour claims, OSHA enforcement actions, whistleblower issues, executive employment contracts and employment discrimination. His litigation experience includes class-action cases brought under both Title VII and the FLSA and employment-related claims brought in state and federal courts, and he has represented clients before the Department of Labor, the OSHA, and the National Labor Relations Board. Brian is a key member of the firm’s labor practice in Texas and is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in employment law. He has leveraged his knowledge and experience to lead on more than two dozen suits and regulatory matters. He also served as the lead labor lawyer on more than a dozen corporate transactions.
Jonathan Pavlich is in the firm’s tax practice in New York. He represents clients in a variety of domestic and international corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and hedge fund investments, joint ventures and strategic alliances, and corporate restructurings. He also advises on corporate governance and general corporate matters.
As part of his practice, Jonathan has developed specialty areas of concentration in pharmaceutical royalty monetization and highly sophisticated and tax-sensitive joint ventures.
Jonathan Ross is in the firm’s investment management practice in New York. His practice focuses on the formation, structuring and ongoing operation of domestic and offshore private equity funds and hedge funds, including private equity-related, cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He represents funds that primarily invest in real estate and credit strategies, and also represents institutional investors acquiring and selling positions in private equity funds and hedge funds in the United States and abroad. While building on his strengths in the trending areas of credit funds and hybrid funds, Jonathan plays an important role supporting a long-standing client of the investment management practice, representing that client in key transactions, including the structuring and formation of its latest real estate fund.
Jason Rubin focuses on corporate restructurings and creditors’ rights, including the representation of debtors, secured and unsecured lender groups, and official committees of unsecured creditors in large, complex Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. His restructuring matters encompass a variety of industries, including oil and gas, energy, retail, manufacturing and telecommunications. Jason brings experience and strength in both litigation and restructuring to his engagements, which has allowed him to provide comprehensive counsel to clients in many significant restructurings.
Alan Yanovich is in the firm’s international trade practice in Geneva, where he advises foreign governments and multinational corporations on the litigation of disputes before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international dispute resolution bodies. Alan also advises on international business and policy issues and on legislation and regulation.Alan’s experience and presence in Geneva is crucial for our clients with WTO and trade policy matters.
Jacqueline Yecies is in the firm’s litigation practice in New York, where she has gained extensive experience in investment funds, private equity, securities litigation and regulatory matters. Jackie’s practice focuses on disputes relating to investment funds and private equity firm clients, including issues among funds and fund investors, portfolio company litigation and regulatory inquiries. She has taken the lead in organizing the Funds Litigation Initiative, which brings lawyers from both practices together to identify opportunities and provide additional value to our funds client base. Jackie is also an important asset to the white collar practice, having worked on some of the group’s major litigations and investigations on behalf of our large bank and financial institution clients.