Julie Ann Lamm

The Daily Business Review and Law.com editorial staff, with the help of distinguished members of the Florida legal community, are pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2026 Florida Legal Awards. All honorees will be recognized, and winners of finalist categories announced, at the awards ceremony to be held on April 29 at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami. We hope to see you there. For tickets and sponsorships, please contact Andre Sutton at andre.sutton@alm.com for more information. While many awards recognize the contributions legal professionals or organizations have made over the past year, our Lifetime Achievement award celebrates the long-term impact that Florida lawyers have made. Congratulations to everyone on the shortlist, and we look forward to celebrating you in April. Lifetime Achievement Winners David Bianchi, Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain Michael A. Haggard, The Haggard Law Firm Joseph Serota, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman William R. Scherer, Conrad & Scherer Trial Lawyers Attorney of the Year Finalists Jeffrey Bass, Bass Law Kimberly L. Wald, The Haggard Law Firm John Yanchunis, Morgan & Morgan Best Mentors Finalists Lori Adelson, Approved Dispute Resolution Arturo Arca and Christian Rodriguez, Trembly Law Firm Jeffrey Hearne, Legal Services of Greater Miami Pedro E. Hernandez, Hinshaw & Culbertson Marck K. Joseph, The Joseph Firm Kate Lashley, Sidley Austin Allen P. Pegg, Hogan Lovells Martha Rabbitt, Shutts & Bowen Miranda L. Soto, Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney Construction Trailblazer Finalists Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod Trent Cotney, Adams & Reese Timothy D. Woodward, Shutts & Bowen Cross-Border Disputes Finalists King & Spalding Squire Patton Boggs White & Case Dealmakers of the Year Finalists Matthew Arenson and Eduardo M. Leal, Kirkland & Ellis Francisco Cerezo, DLA Piper David J. Cohen, Weil, Gotshal & Manges Esteban J. Elias, Leech Tishman Joshua B. Forman, Greenberg Traurig Jackson Hwu, Dentons Ira N. Rosner, Holland & Knight Distinguished Leaders Winners Andres Fernandez, Holland & Knight Brian L. Hayden, Jackson Lewis Harry Burnett, King & Spalding Joseph J. Lazzarotti, Jackson Lewis Alison Tanchyk, Morgan Lewis Rick Martin, Winston & Strawn Robin Bresky, Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas Todd J. Michaels, The Haggard Law Firm In-House Counsel of the Year Finalists Lynn Carrillo, FIFA Gerald Del Amo, Broward Health Nefertari Rigsby, Kaplan North America Evian White De Leon, MIAMI Association of REALTORS Innovators Finalists Kaley Dreyer, Farah and Farah Carl Fornaris, Winston & Strawn Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici, SMB Law Group Marlon Hill, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman Michael Platner, Lewis Brisbois Stuart Ratzan, Ratzan Weissman & Boldt Charles B. Jimerson, Jimerson Birr Law Firm of the Year Finalists Gastesi Lopez Mestre & Cobiella King & Spalding Morgan & Morgan Litigation Departments of the Year, Construction Finalists Cole, Scott & Kissane Duane Morris Litigation Departments of the Year, General Litigation Finalists Boies Schiller Flexner Greenberg Traurig Holland & Knight King & Spalding Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider + Grossman Weil, Gotshal & Manges Morgan & Morgan (Personal Injury Department) Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Ratzan, Weismann & Boldt Litigation Departments of the Year, Insurance Finalists Carlton Fields Hunton Andrews Kurth Litigation Departments of the Year, Products liability/Mass Torts Finalists King & Spalding Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd Managing Partner of the Year (Large and Midsize Firm) Finalists Abbye Alexander, Kaufman Dolowich Beatriz Azcuy, Sidley Austin Dean Cannon, GrayRobinson Albert Dotson, Jr., Bilzin Sumberg Manuel Garcia-Linares, Day Pitney William Lewis, Morgan & Morgan Rick Martin, Winston & Strawn Olga Vieira and Sam Williamson, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Managing Partner of the Year (Small Firm) Finalists Raul Gastesi, Gastesi Lopez Mestre & Cobiella Patricia M. Hernandez, Avila Law John N. Lambros, Brinkley Morgan Eric Pacifici, SMB Law Group Spencer Payne, Moore Payne Law Maritime Attorney of the Year Winner Elisha Sullivan, Chartwell Law Most Promising Newcomer Finalists Caitlin Calvo, Winston & Strawn Mischaël Cetoute, Holland & Knight Evan Gilbert, Winston & Strawn Briana Harris, Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine Emma G. Refuveille, Shutts & Bowen On the Rise Winners (Large & Midsize Firms) Valeria Angelucci, Becker Sara A. Brubaker, Akerman Laura Ferguson, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Alina M. Fernandez Portela, Hogan Lovells Giovanni Giarratana, Bradley Audrey Goldman, Robinson+Cole Elle Hayes, McDermott Will & Schulte Daniel McQuade, Kirkland & Ellis Axel Miranda, Sidley Austin Isel Perez, Jones Day Mark Pinkert, Holtzman Vogel Tom Schulte, Hunton Andrews Kurth Andrew Ingalls, Day Pitney Matthew R. Maranges, Jones Walker Brian Vaca, Hughes Hubbard & Reed Chanae L. Wood, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman James R. Williams Jr., Gunster On the Rise Winners (Small Firms) Melissa Bryan, HAWM Law Marcelo Diaz-Cortes, Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider + Grossman Zachary Gorwitz, Podhurst Orseck Nicole Kruegel, Rafferty Domnick Cunningham & Yaffa Russell Monilla, Cruz Law Firm Daryl L. Saylor, LashGoldberg Jordan Shaw, Shaw Lewenz David Tarras, Tarras Defense Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Finalists Melanie Kalmanson, Quarles & Brady Ross Linzer, King & Spalding Real Estate Attorney of the Year Finalists Katherine Amador, Berger Singerman Daniel Kaskel, Sachs Sax Caplan Real Estate Firm of the Year Finalists Berger Singerman Bilzin Sumberg Foley Lardner Greenberg Traurig Government Law Group Perez Mayoral Talent Management Winner, Firm The Joseph Firm Talent Management Finalists, Individual Ravin Sahadeo, Morgan & Morgan Andrea DeField, Hunton Andrews Kurth Unsung Heroes Winners Juan Bauta, Simmons Hanly Conroy Carmen Manrara Cartaya, Continental Sharon Caserta, Morgan & Morgan Adam Finkel, The Haggard Law Firm Garrett S. Kamen, Fisher Phillips James Moon, Meland Budwick Elizabeth Somerstein, Greenspoon Marder We hope to see you at the awards ceremony on April 29 at the JW Marriott Marquis in Miami. For tickets and sponsorships, please contact Andre Sutton at andre.sutton@alm.com for more information.

Mar 3

4 min

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison announced Tuesday its addition of a trio of partners from Sidley Austin, including Sidley's cohead of leveraged finance in New York, with two already aboard and the third coming in before the end of the month. Nicholas Schwartz, Sidley’s leveraged finance practice cochair, will arrive at Paul Weiss’ New York office by the end of the year, the firm said. Fellow finance partners Mark Adler and Julie Ann Lamm have already joined and are now part of Paul Weiss’ finance group within its corporate department, the firm said. Law.com first learned of the move last month, before there was a set timeline for them. The three attorneys first worked together at Kirkland & Ellis before splitting up for a time and then ultimately reuniting at Sidley, where they each worked for the last four years, give or take a few months for each individual lawyer. A representative for Sidley didn't comment. In a statement, Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp called Schwartz, Adler and Lamm “a truly stellar team of finance advisers.” “Their multifaceted debt financing skillset will amplify our market leading capabilities at a time when we’re seeing increasing demand by our clients for sharp, solutions-oriented financing for their most consequential transactions,” Karp said. Transactional practices have seen a boom in recent months as dealmakers adjust to the turbulent financial and economic landscape that has become the new normal under the second Trump administration, amid tariff and regulatory changes. Sidley recently brought in its own trio of New York transaction-focused laterals in January from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and also had a series of recent partner hires from Latham & Watkins in London, which included multiple leveraged finance partners. Schwartz, Adler and Lamm handle a range of transactions, including syndicated and privately placed financings, restructurings both in and out of court, acquisitions and capital structure transactions, according to Paul Weiss. Scott Barshay, chair of Paul Weiss’ corporate department, said in a statement that he looks forward to working with the trio, adding that he has known Schwartz and his team for more than 10 years.

Dec 2

2 min

Jennifer Gasser A month after launching a new Houston office, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP expanded the location with the addition of a corporate attorney who moved her practice from Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Jennifer Gasser has been welcomed this week to Paul Weiss as a partner in the M&A group in the corporate department at the Houston office, the firm announced Tuesday. Gasser said in a prepared statement she has "long been impressed" by Paul Weiss' M&A platform. "I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and expanding the firm's leading capabilities within Houston, a hotbed of activity for energy and infrastructure," Gasser said. The Houston office opened at the beginning of February when former Kirkland attorneys Sean T. Wheeler and Debbie P. Yee joined Paul Weiss. Wheeler leads the Houston location, with Yee joining as a partner in the M&A group. "Jennifer is a highly skilled M&A lawyer specializing in energy and infrastructure," Wheeler said in a prepared statement. "Her proven track record advising clients in these spaces on their most important transactions makes her an invaluable addition to our growing Houston team." Gasser's practice counsels clients, primarily in the energy and infrastructure industries, on matters related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures, according to the firm's announcement. Her notable transactions over the past several years include assisting EQT Corp. with forming a $3.5 billion joint venture with Blackstone Credit & Insurance and with EQT's $35 billion merger with Equitrans Midstream Corporation. "Jennifer's arrival marks another key step in the continued buildout of our Houston team, and we are excited to welcome her to the firm," Scott A. Barshay, chairman of Paul Weiss, said in a prepared statement. Gasser earned her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2015.

Mar 3

2 min

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has added a third Kirkland & Ellis M&A partner to its new office in Houston, a market experiencing heavy interest and hiring from Big Law firms this year. Kirkland partner Jennifer Gasser joined Paul Weiss on Tuesday as a partner in the M&A group within the corporate department. Her practice focuses on M&A, divestitures and joint ventures in the energy and infrastructure sectors. In early February, Paul Weiss announced its move into Houston and the hiring of Kirkland M&A partner Sean Wheeler, who will serve as co-chair of global M&A and head of the Houston office, and Wheeler's longtime colleague, Kirkland M&A partner Debbie Yee. “Jennifer’s arrival marks another key step in the continued buildout of our Houston team, and we are excited to welcome her to the firm,” Paul Weiss chairman Scott Barshay wrote in a press release. Wheeler wrote that Gasser's "proven track record" advising clients in energy and infrastructure on important transactions makes her an "invaluable addition" to the team in Houston. “Jennifer is a highly skilled M&A lawyer," he wrote. Gasser could not immediately be reached for a comment on her move. In a press release, she wrote that she has been impressed for a long time by the caliber of work her new firm handles. “I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and expanding the firm’s leading capabilities within Houston, a hotbed of activity for energy and infrastructure,” she wrote. According to Paul Weiss, Gasser has recently represented EQT Corp. in multiple transactions, including a midstream joint venture with Blackstone Credit & Insurance and a merger with Equitrans Midstream Corp.; Sandbrook Capital in its acquisition of Bernhard Capital Partners’ equity interests in United Utility Services and Electro Rent Corp.’s equity interests in Intellirent; Cloverleaf Infrastructure in its sale of powered land to Vantage Data Centers for development of a data center campus; Celanese in the divestment of its Micromax portfolio of products to Element Solutions,; and ONEOK, Inc. in its acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners’ equity interests in Medallion Midstream. A spokesperson for Kirkland provided this comment on Gasser's departure: “We wish Jennifer well in her new role.”

Mar 3

2 min

Paul, Weiss advised funds managed by Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., on their strategic investment in Chord Music Partners, a leading management and acquisition platform for music intellectual property. This additional investment, along with the initial investment announced on August 14, will help Chord expand its recorded music and publishing catalogs while enhancing its ability to identify and execute new acquisition opportunities. Chord’s portfolio includes works from many iconic artists, such as The Weeknd, David Guetta, Lorde and John Legend, and the company counts a strategic partnership with Universal Music Group among its key existing music industry relationships. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed. The Paul, Weiss team was led by corporate partners Joseph Glatt, Austin Pollet and Julie Ann Lamm, and included intellectual property partner Chuck Googe; tax partner Reuven Garrett; and antitrust partners Richard Pepper, Annie Herdman and Yuni Sobel.

Jan 26

1 min