Latham & Watkins announced that Emily Johnson and Mark Stagliano have joined the firm as partners in its New York office, strengthening its fully integrated corporate and finance platform and expanding its capabilities across complex financings and high-profile public M&A.
Johnson joins the Banking & Private Credit and Capital Markets Practices, while Stagliano joins the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice. Both arrive from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and bring extensive experience advising on sophisticated and transformative transactions.
Johnson focuses on the financing aspects of complex corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and spin-offs, with particular depth in company-side, issuer-focused financings. She advises public companies, corporate borrowers, and strategic acquirers on structuring and executing debt and capital strategies designed to advance long-term objectives across market cycles. Her experience spans investment-grade and leveraged financings, bank and direct lending, public and private capital markets transactions, liability management, corporate separations, carve-outs, distressed acquisitions, divestitures, and restructurings. She regularly works with boards of directors, senior management teams, and treasury functions on financing certainty, ratings considerations, disclosure obligations, and execution risk.
Stagliano focuses on public company and sponsor-side mergers and acquisitions, securities matters, and corporate governance. He advises on domestic and cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, IPOs, capital markets and private equity transactions, as well as shareholder activism, takeover defense, and proxy contests.
The firm said the additions reinforce its strategic focus on advising clients across the capital structure and on complex public company transactions, particularly as activity in public M&A and capital markets continues to evolve.
Johnson earned her JD from Duke University School of Law and her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Stagliano earned his JD from Harvard Law School and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm advising clients on complex transactions, litigation, and regulatory matters across major financial centers worldwide.
KEY QUOTES
“Emily and Mark are among a select group of highly experienced and incredibly talented practitioners, and we are delighted to welcome them to our firm. Their market-leading practices directly support our strategic focus to advise our clients on complex transactions across the capital structure and high-profile public company M&A. No other firm combines our excellence and scale — nor our ambition — and Emily and Mark joining us is another major milestone for our firm.”
Rich Trobman, Chair And Managing Partner Of Latham & Watkins
“We are thrilled to add partners of Emily’s and Mark’s stature to our practice in New York and globally. They are well-respected senior counselors with enormous credibility in boardrooms. Having led numerous sophisticated and transformative transactions over many years, their range of skills and sought-after expertise significantly expands our already strong and growing platform and the best-in-class counsel we provide to our clients.”
Marc Jaffe, Managing Partner Of Latham’s New York Office
“Emily is an incredible addition to our top-ranked practice at the intersection of complex financings, capital markets, and liability management. She further expands our unparalleled reach across private credit providers, banks, bond investors, and capital markets participants, and enhances the scaled advice we deliver to clients through our fully integrated practice. Her experience leading complex transactions that require coordinated advice across multiple disciplines — often under heightened board, investor, and public market scrutiny — carries tremendous credibility among public company boards and senior management teams. We are thrilled that Emily is joining our team, further expanding our capacity in an area where client demand is robust and expected to grow.”
Stelios Saffos, Global Chair Of Latham’s Capital Markets And Public Company Representation Practices And Global Chair Of The Hybrid Capital Practice
“Mark’s breadth of experience further enhances our world-class M&A practice, and he brings many complementary strands to our corporate ambitions in New York and globally. His impressive track record leading landmark transactions — including high-profile strategic combinations, corporate governance matters, and contested situations — bolsters our capabilities, and it is exactly the kind of integrated, cross-practice advice that sophisticated boards and management teams need in today’s increasingly competitive market. Mark has earned a standout reputation for being extremely hard-working, entrepreneurial, and an outstanding team player, and his arrival reinforces Latham’s position at the forefront of the practice.”
Alex Kelly, Global Co-Chair Of Latham’s Mergers & Acquisitions And Private Equity Practice
“Latham is well-known for excellence across financial products, industries, and jurisdictions, and I am delighted to join the firm and contribute to its long-term growth. Latham’s unique 360-degree view of the public and private markets provides a powerful platform to help boards and senior management teams navigate increasingly complex financing decisions, combining strategic insight with execution across the full range of capital solutions — from traditional syndicated and capital markets to the expanding private credit ecosystem.”
Emily Johnson, Partner At Latham & Watkins
“Latham is a transactional powerhouse that is exceptionally well positioned to capitalize on the increased activity in public M&A. I am delighted to join the firm’s all-star team, and excited to be part of Latham’s ongoing success and growth in New York and beyond.”
Mark Stagliano, Partner At Latham & Watkins
