Latham & Watkins has elected 36 associates to its partnership, with the promotions taking effect January 1, 2027. The annual promotion class brings the total number of new partners announced by the firm in 2026 to 58, following the election of 22 counsel to the partnership earlier in the year.
The new partners span major financial and commercial centers across Europe and the United States and represent practices including M&A and private equity, banking and private credit, capital markets, litigation, antitrust, restructuring, tax, emerging companies, executive compensation, intellectual property, and technology transactions.
In Europe, Aaron Bradley, based in London, joins the partnership as a member of the Transactional Tax Practice. He advises private equity firms, public and private companies, asset managers, banks, and global financial sponsors on transactional tax and structuring matters, including M&A and private equity transactions, IPOs, public and private structured financings, and restructurings.
Jean-Baptiste Douchy, based in Brussels, is a member of the Antitrust & Competition Practice. He advises public and private companies on M&A clearances, abuse of dominance matters, the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, related litigation, and other regulatory issues.
Corinna Freudenmacher, based in Munich, is part of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. She advises private equity firms and financial investors throughout the investment lifecycle, from acquisition through exit, including German and cross-border transactions, co-investments, and management participations and incentive arrangements.
Philipp Hagenbuch, based in London, is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He advises banks, credit funds, and other financial institutions on financing structures, including complex cross-border transactions, with a particular focus on acquisition and leveraged financing.
Michael Houlder, also based in London, is part of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in U.K. and cross-border transactions covering acquisitions, disposals, carve-outs, take-privates, minority investments, hybrid capital investments, consortium arrangements, management equity plans, and corporate reorganizations.
Anna-Maria Kuckerz, based in Hamburg, joins the partnership in the Banking & Private Credit Practice. She advises lenders and borrowers on acquisition finance, general corporate lending, real estate finance, and debt restructuring matters.
Harry Redford, based in London, is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents public and private companies in M&A transactions, private investments, restructurings, shareholder activism, and takeover matters, with an emphasis on complex cross-border transactions involving multiple jurisdictions.
In the United States, Andrew Abokhair, based in Austin, is a member of the Data & Technology Transactions Practice. He represents technology companies, private equity sponsors, and emerging companies in complex commercial transactions involving AI infrastructure, GPU financings, compute and capacity offtake agreements, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and carve-out transactions.
Kyle Adams, based in New York, is part of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents public and private companies, private equity funds and their portfolio companies, and strategic investors in M&A and take-private transactions, Rule 13e-3 transactions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, carve-outs, and general corporate matters.
Omar Ammash, based in Chicago, is a member of the Emerging Companies & Growth Practice. He advises emerging growth companies and investors on venture capital financings, corporate governance and strategy, M&A, company formation, and strategic corporate transactions across technology, healthcare, life sciences, and other industries.
Megan Ampe, based in Los Angeles, joins the partnership in the Executive Compensation, Employment & Benefits Practice. She advises clients on employment agreements, severance and change-in-control arrangements, deferred compensation programs, equity and incentive-based compensation, and benefits and executive compensation issues arising in corporate transactions.
Ted Bantle, also based in Los Angeles, is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He advises financial institutions, private capital providers, and corporate borrowers on acquisition financings across private credit and syndicated loan markets, as well as fund finance transactions and other financing matters.
Sarah Burack, based in New York, is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. She represents companies and individuals in commercial litigation and arbitration, including disputes involving the financial, technology, and biopharmaceutical industries, and also advises on pre-dispute communications and strategy.
Joe Celentino, based in New York and Chicago, is part of the Restructuring Practice. He advises public and private companies, investors, and private equity funds through the full lifecycle of financial distress, including Chapter 11 proceedings, liability management transactions, insolvency-related litigation, and mass tort resolution.
Ivana Dukanovic, based in the Bay Area, is a member of the Copyright, Privacy & Communications Practice. She represents technology, media, and AI companies in copyright litigation and disputes involving music and other media, including matters arising under Section 115 of the Copyright Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and music licensing.
Shlomo Fellig, based in Boston, is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He represents clients in class actions, mass tort litigation, business-to-business disputes, and matters involving emerging issues at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence.
Max Fin, based in Houston, joins the partnership in the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He advises public and private company borrowers and private equity sponsors on syndicated first- and second-lien credit facilities, direct lender and private credit financings, asset- and reserve-based loans, cash-flow and recurring-revenue loans, acquisition financings, cross-border financings, debt restructurings, and liability management transactions.
Ashley Finger, based in Washington, D.C., is part of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. She represents plaintiffs and defendants in patent, trade secret, and other technology-focused disputes involving semiconductors, medical devices, telecommunications, and consumer electronics before federal district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the International Trade Commission, and the Federal Circuit.
Marc Klepner, based in New York, is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents private equity funds and strategic investors in acquisitions, dispositions, carve-outs, joint ventures, and other corporate matters across energy and infrastructure, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and industrial sectors.
Lukas Kutilek, based in New York, joins the Transactional Tax Practice. He advises public and private companies, private equity funds, and investment banks on tax matters involving restructurings, M&A, liability management, spinoffs, public and private financings, and the formation and operation of joint ventures, funds, and SPACs.
Richard Lowry, based in Washington, D.C., is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. He represents clients in patent and trade secret disputes before federal district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the International Trade Commission, with experience spanning semiconductors, electric vehicles, medical devices, biologics, and pharmaceuticals.
Katie Marren, based in New York, is a member of the Public Company Representation Practice. She advises U.S. and non-U.S. companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq on corporate governance, public reporting, Exchange Act disclosure requirements, proxy rules, insider trading requirements, stock exchange governance rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Julio Martinez Rivas, based in New York, joins the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He represents private credit funds, direct lenders, investment banks, and commercial banks in recurring-revenue financings, asset-based facilities, domestic and cross-border acquisition financings, investment-grade lending, and hybrid capital solutions.
Jacob Meninga, based in the Bay Area, is part of the Transactional Tax Practice. He advises private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, public and private companies, and investors on tax matters related to M&A, divestitures, investments, joint ventures, partnerships, financings, tax-free reorganizations, and restructurings.
Faraz Mohammadi, based in Orange County and Los Angeles, is a member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice. He represents clients in high-stakes white collar and civil litigation, internal investigations, corporate compliance matters, government enforcement actions, False Claims Act cases, and complex commercial disputes.
Jeff Najjar, based in Los Angeles, joins the Banking & Private Credit Practice. He represents banks, private credit providers, and corporate borrowers on acquisition financings, asset-based and working-capital facilities, REIT credit facilities, cross-border financings, and other complex lending transactions.
Will Orlady, based in Los Angeles, is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. He represents biopharmaceutical, medical device, and technology companies in disputes involving patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, intellectual property licensing, and ownership issues, including matters involving small-molecule drugs, antibodies, vaccines, antibody-drug conjugates, and medical devices.
Seung Wan (Andrew) Paik, based in Washington, D.C., joins the Antitrust & Competition Practice. He advises clients on mergers, joint ventures, transaction-related litigation, Sherman Act cases, class actions, and investigations by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, including second-request merger reviews.
Rachelle Polsky, based in the Bay Area, is part of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. She advises private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, public and private companies, and investors on U.S. and cross-border public and private M&A, controlling and minority investments, add-on acquisitions, portfolio company exits, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, carve-outs, and venture capital financings.
Ashley Rose, based in New York, joins the Banking & Private Credit Practice. She advises private equity firms and borrowers on broadly syndicated term facilities, unitranche facilities, revolving credit facilities, out-of-court restructurings, distressed portfolio management, refinancing facilities, and liability management transactions.
Nick Rosellini, based in the Bay Area, is a member of the Supreme Court & Appellate Practice. His work focuses on appeals and high-stakes dispositive motions involving securities, complex commercial disputes, constitutional law, and copyright, with experience before the U.S. Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit, federal district courts in California, and California appellate courts.
Tulika Sinha, based in New York, is a member of the Banking & Private Credit Practice. She represents investment and commercial banks, private credit funds, and direct lenders in acquisition financings, debt restructurings, domestic and cross-border acquisitions, asset-based financings, private credit financings, GPU financings, and investment-grade lending.
Claire Solimine, based in New York, joins the Capital Markets Practice. She advises private equity sponsors, companies, and financial institutions on financing solutions involving hybrid capital and other complex investment structures.
Daniel Weissman, based in New York, is a member of the M&A and Private Equity Practice. He represents public and private companies, private equity funds, and strategic investors in public and private M&A, portfolio asset divestitures, investments, leveraged buyouts, co-investments, joint ventures, carve-outs, restructuring transactions, SPAC transactions, and other corporate matters.
Ben Winnett, based in Chicago, joins the Capital Markets Practice. He advises issuers, private equity funds, and investment banks on IPOs, multijurisdictional public and private debt and equity offerings, PIPE transactions, Rule 144A and Regulation S private placements, and public company representation matters.
Arman Zahoory, based in the Bay Area, is a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice. He represents clients at trial, in arbitration, and on appeal in disputes involving trade secrets, copyrights and other intellectual property, licensing and breach-of-contract claims, consumer and securities class actions, and broader commercial and corporate disputes.
Latham said the promotions reflect the firm’s continued investment in legal talent across major transactional, financing, litigation, and regulatory practices. The firm’s Associates Committee, which brings together partners and associates to collaborate on responsibilities including promotion recommendations, participated in the selection process.
KEY QUOTES:
“Congratulations to our newly promoted partners. Each has consistently demonstrated outstanding legal skills, a deep commitment to exceptional client service, strong teamwork, and leadership — and together they reflect the depth of talent and excellence across our firm. Our success is built on the dedication and drive of our people, as well as our ability to assemble world-class teams for clients navigating an increasingly complex world. Our new partners represent the very best of Latham’s values, and they will play a key role in shaping the future success and growth of our firm. We are incredibly proud of them.”
Rich Trobman, Chair And Managing Partner Of Latham & Watkins
“Today is one of the highlights of the year, as we celebrate this extraordinary group of lawyers. Their experience and dedication will further strengthen our partnership across practices and markets, and we are excited for them as they embark on the next chapter in their careers at Latham.”
Michelle Carpenter, Chair Of Latham & Watkins’ Associates Committee
