Steven Y. Li

Twenty-five Freshfields lawyers have been selected to the Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation guide for 2025. The guide recognizes young lawyers who have proven themselves early in private practice, accruing credentials, deals and cases and represent the future of global law practice. The recognized lawyers are: Joshua Ayal – Partner, New York Ivet Bell – Partner, New York Ryan Blicher – Partner, New York Scott Blumenkranz – Partner, Silicon Valley Nicole Cadman – Partner, San Francisco Lisa Cammer – Counsel, New York Nicholas A. Caselli – Partner, New York Sarah Ghulamhussain – Partner, Silicon Valley Andrew Gladstein – Partner, New York Jeff Jay – Partner, New York Sarah Katz – Partner, New York Steven Li – Partner, New York Jennifer Loeb – Partner, Washington, D.C. Eva Mak – Partner, Silicon Valley Jacqueline Marino – Partner, New York Sanjay Murti – Partner, New York Michal Netanyahu – Counsel, New York Sean Quinn – Counsel, Washington, DC Hinda Rabkin – Counsel, New York Tomas Rua – Partner, New York Diego Rueda – Senior Associate, New York Kevin Uhler – Counsel, New York Jeff Zhang – Counsel, Silicon Valley Tracy Zhang – Counsel, Silicon Valley Taryn Zucker – Partner, New York

Jul 15

1 min

Freshfields announced today that Nicole Cadman has joined the firm as a partner in Silicon Valley. Nicole was previously General Counsel at Y Combinator, the startup accelerator that has backed thousands of prominent companies, including Airbnb, Coinbase, DoorDash, Dropbox, Instacart, Reddit and Stripe. Nicole’s practice at Freshfields will focus on advising emerging companies and their founders across the corporate lifecycle, including on formation and governance, equity and debt financing, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate counseling. U.S. Managing Partner Sarah Solum said: “Nicole is a trusted advisor to leading emerging companies and their founders throughout the vast Y Combinator network, helping them navigate their greatest opportunities and challenges, as well as their day-to-day needs. We are thrilled that she chose to join Freshfields, which has become a destination for companies in the technology sector in Silicon Valley and around the world. Her experience and reputation will be invaluable to our clients and our continued growth in the U.S.” On joining the firm, Nicole noted: “Freshfields combines a preeminent global platform with forward-thinking lawyers who have a deep understanding of law, business and the regulatory landscape impacting the next generation of companies. I’m thrilled to be able to bring this to clients and continue my mission of providing companies a unique advantage as they grow.” This news is the latest in a series of curated strategic partner additions in the U.S. The Freshfields corporate team has expanded in Silicon Valley with the additions of private equity M&A partner Eva Mak and M&A partner Denny Kwon, and in New York with the additions of capital markets partners Chris DeCresce and Jackie Marino, tax partner Steven Matays, M&A partners Sanjay Murti, Steven Li, Joshua Ayal and private equity M&A partners Neal Reenan and Ian Bushner. Most recently, antitrust partner Kevin Yingling joined in Washington.

Sep 13

1 min

Freshfields announced today that Eva Y. Mak has joined the firm as a private capital partner based in the Silicon Valley office. Eva’s practice is focused on the representation of private equity, growth and venture funds and their portfolio companies in large capital, mid-market and growth transactions. Freshfields is a globally recognized market leader for private equity. Over the past 18 months, the firm has expanded its private capital offering with a number of strategic hires in private equity, leveraged finance and private funds and secondaries across the U.S., Europe and Asia. In the U.S., those additions include New York-based Global Co-Head of Private Capital Neal J. Reenan, Head of U.S. Private Capital Ian N. Bushner, Head of US Leveraged Finance Allison Liff, Global Co-Head of Private Funds and Secondaries Timothy J. Clark, Head of U.S. Private Credit & Capital Solutions Damian Ridealgh, as well as partners Ivet Bell and H.T. Flanagan. Neal stated: “Eva has represented some of the most active West Coast private equity and growth investors. Her impressive and varied deal experience underscores Eva’s strong market reputation. We are thrilled Eva has joined our team, immediately enhancing our private capital platform in the San Francisco Bay Area and continuing our private equity and M&A growth trajectory around the world.” U.S. Managing Partner Sarah Solum added: “We’re excited that such an in-demand, experienced private capital M&A lawyer as Eva has joined Freshfields. Her representation of premier private equity clients and experience leading deals ranging from large buyouts to growth equity investments is completely in line with our efforts to continue growing the firm on the West Coast.” Eva noted: “I was attracted to Freshfields’ growth trajectory in the U.S. and its commitment to building a truly global platform. I am thrilled to be joining Freshfields at such an exciting time in its expansion and I am looking forward to joining this extraordinary team and further Freshfields' private capital practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, the U.S. and around the globe.” Freshfields’ corporate practice was also recently strengthened by additions in New York of tax partner Steven Matays and M&A partners Sanjay Murti, Steven Li and Josh Ayal earlier this year. Eva is also the latest addition in Silicon Valley following M&A partner Denny Kwon, strategic risk and crisis management partners Beth George and Megan Kayo, litigator Tina Sessions and Global Chief Innovation Officer Gil Perez.

Aug 20

2 min

Freshfields announced today that Steven J. Matays has joined the firm’s tax practice in New York. Steven has over 20 years of experience representing clients on a wide range of complex U.S. and international tax matters. His practice has a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs and other divestitures, complex debt and equity offerings, corporate and partnership restructurings and joint ventures. U.S. Managing Partner Sarah Solum noted: “Steven has an outstanding reputation and is another top-notch addition to our U.S. transactional practice. He is known for his creative, business-oriented solutions, helping clients achieve their objectives in an appropriately tax efficient manner. His experience across a wide range of U.S. and international tax matters immediately enhances our capabilities.” Global Head of Tax Jill Gatehouse added: “Our Band 1 Global tax practice is renowned for its excellent technical ability, market-leading international credentials and commercial judgment.  As a high-profile tax partner with a strong technical reputation and experience with high value, complex transactions and strategic tax matters, Steven is the perfect fit to help us expand our offering in the U.S. His energy, experience and first-rate advisory skills, combined with an entrepreneurial attitude will be a huge benefit to us and our clients.” On joining Freshfields, Steven commented: “Freshfields is the firm to watch in the U.S. I’ve been impressed by how the firm has become a go-to outside counsel for the most important assignments of high-profile clients especially in M&A over the last few years. I’m excited to be a part of this vibrant team and I look forward to contributing to the next phase of growth.” Steven has been repeatedly selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: Americas’ Leading Lawyers for Business, Expert Guides’ Guide to the Worlds’ Leading Tax Advisers and The Legal 500. He was also previously named a 2019 Tax MVP by Law360. Steven is the latest partner to join Freshfields following M&A partners Denny Kwon in Silicon Valley last month and Sanjay Murti, Steven Li and Joshua Ayal in New York, as well as private equity M&A partners Neal Reenan and Ian Bushner and capital markets partner Jackie Marino in New York earlier this year.

Jun 27

2 min

A federal judge has blocked the Internal Revenue Service from disclosing taxpayers’ confidential home address information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. U.S. District Senior Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the District of Columbia granted a stay and preliminary injunction on Nov. 21, ruling an address-sharing agreement between the IRS and ICE likely violates the Administrative Procedure Act and federal tax codes. “Plaintiffs have shown that the IRS committed multiple violations of Internal Revenue Code Section 6103(i)(2) when it disclosed confidential taxpayer address information to ICE on August 7, 2025,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her 94-page memorandum opinion. An ICE official received address information for 47,000 taxpayers after the agency requested IRS data on more than 1 million taxpayers, according to Kollar-Kotelly’s decision. “Plaintiffs have shown a substantial likelihood that the IRS’s implementation of the Address-Sharing Policy was both arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law,” the judge added. “The IRS failed to acknowledge its change in policy and failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its implementation of the Address-Sharing Policy.” Former Big Law attorneys at legal advocacy organization Democracy Forward helped the nonprofit Center for Taxpayer Rights and labor union plaintiffs secure the extraordinary relief as the litigation plays out. “This is an important win for millions of people in America whose information has been threatened by the Trump-Vance administration and represents the first injunction against this unlawful data sharing,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement. “The privacy laws enacted in the post-Watergate era exist to prevent abuses of power like this and yet leaders in the IRS and ICE launched this effort.” Perryman began her legal career in litigation roles at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and Covington & Burling before becoming Democracy Forward’s chief executive. In addition to Perryman, other Democracy Forward litigators representing CTR include former Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison litigation associate Daniel A. McGrath; former Hogan Lovells senior associate Maddy Gitomer; former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau senior enforcement attorney Johanna M. Hickman; former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney Robin F. Thurston; and former CFPB deputy general counsel Steven Y. Bressler. “Democracy Forward is honored to represent this expansive coalition of brave plaintiffs holding the administration accountable and protecting the privacy of millions of Americans,” Perryman added. “At every turn, activist judges have attempted to thwart the President’s mandate to carry out mass deportations of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement. “Now, this judge is trying to overturn established precedent that the Memorandum of Understanding between the IRS and DHS does not violate the Internal Revenue Code.” “Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country, including violent criminals,” the DHS spokesperson added. “With the IRS information specifically, DHS plans to focus on enforcing long-neglected criminal laws that apply to illegal aliens but which the Biden Administration ignored.”

Nov 25

2 min