Trina Chandler

Latham & Watkins has been on a partner hiring surge firmwide in 2026, and many of those recruits have been in New York, as the firm looks to continue adding talent to service the most high-end matters for financial and M&A clients. And although the firm's focus isn’t on hiring from any one particular firm, or type of firm, in any one market, several of those lateral partner additions are coming from Wall Street elite firms, whose partners are more mobile now. "The movement from (Wall Street) firms has certainly been with greater frequency than it was five years ago,” Latham’s New York office leader, Marc Jaffe, said in an interview. Latham has added 19 lateral partners in New York in about 14 months, said Jaffe. That includes four partners from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz over the last year, including Emily Johnson and Mark Stagliano, who arrived this week, plus John Sobolewski and Zach Podolsky in 2025. The moves are a sharp contrast to just a few years ago, when Wachtell rarely saw a partner lateral exit. In addition, David Marriott, formerly of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, was a marquee add last year to bolster the firm’s antitrust capabilities, as was Kyra Bromley, from Debevoise & Plimpton. Still, Jaffe said that aspect of partner pedigree—Wall Street firm background—isn’t a focus, noting Latham has also added partners from boutiques, including Sara Margolis, a complex commercial litigator from MoloLamken. “There’s not a focus on hiring from any one particular firm, at all,” he said. “The focus is on hiring talent.” He said the firm's 2025 additions, including Ray Schrock from Weil Gotshal & Manges; Andrew Parlen from Paul Weiss; and Ryan Dahl from Ropes & Gray, in more traditional restructuring matters have been an emphasis, as well as partners and practices that are connected to restructuring, including Sobolewski, who chairs the firm’s liability management practice and co-chairs its capital markets practice; and Max Silverstein, a capital markets partner from Ropes. Jaffe said he also could have mentioned build-outs in securitization, fund formation, and high-end insurance M&A as well. And that the firm in New York is focused on creating “the premier public company M&A bench in this market.” He said Latham's New York office build is geared to a list of sophisticated clients and matters that run the gamut. “The common thread is high-end, bet-your-company, complicated transactions and controversy matters, for this market’s most sophisticated clients — the traditional sophisticated clients, the big public companies, obviously, the money center banks, all the way to and through what we see as the emerging set of sophisticated clients,” he said, listing, “the private capital clients, the fund clients, the new asset manager elite, two women and a dog in a garage.” New York has long been a core strategy for Los Angeles-founded Latham, which was ranked last year as having the fifth-largest office in New York by attorney headcount. Firm leaders have previously said they want to be a "talent aggregator" in the city and a strategic adviser in all practice areas important to clients, especially when other firms prioritize specialization. Among Latham's 42 partner hires for the year ending Sept. 30, 2025, about a third of them were in New York, among all offices, according to Law.com lateral data. Last year, the firm also added Marc Berger, co-head of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s government investigations practice, and former Milbank partner Jerome McCluskey, who was general counsel and chief compliance officer at private equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners. Still, no firm is immune from exits in this environment. That includes Latham, which has seen partners such as Frank Saviano and Michelle Kelban move over to rival Kirkland & Ellis. And the firm's London office continues to see exits. Earlier this month, Ivana Rouse was one of the latest partners to join Sidley Austin from Latham, continuing a talent raid that started in 2024 with the addition of a sweep of around 30 London lawyers. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom also lured a litigation and arbitration partner from Latham & Watkins in London for the second time this month. “We are a large firm. Our goal is for every one of our attorneys to thrive here. And people make decisions about where they fit best for lots of different reasons,” Jaffe said, but adding, "We have a fabulous track record of retaining top talent.” Looking forward, Jaffe said the firm will continue to look for talent who can serve asset managers, asset aggregators and everyone from traditional banks to new funds to private credit and hybrid finance, which will be particularly active in New York. He also said emerging technology, everything from AI to chips and energy required to power data centers, will produce activity. "Disruptive tech,” in general, "will not only fuel growth but the need for sophisticated legal minds.” Latham's goal is always to be the best, or at least the No. 2 firm, in every market and discipline they choose to be active in, he said. “And if we’re number two, to continue to strive to be number one. And if we’re number one, not to rest on our laurels. And our lateral strategy plays into that.” The firm in 2024 made changes in partner compensation that have helped to attract and retain talent. That included increasing the base pay for the highest-performing partners and allowing the firm to reward more partners from the bonus pool in any given year. Latham's hiring streak in New York is getting noticed. “Unlike some other firms that have really, I think, gone downmarket in their lateral hiring, they have stayed with the top people, for the most part,” said Alisa Levin, a New York-based legal recruiter and principal at Greene-Levin-Snyder. “And they’re good at hiring and doing their due diligence “ "All of the deal practices are lucrative, and that’s where you have to be in New York," she added. The partner hiring surge at Latham is not only in New York. Law.com reported last week that the firm has announced at least 18 lateral partner hires within the first seven weeks of the year, in several offices globally, compared with five lateral partner announcements during the same period of time in 2025.

Feb 25

5 min

Greenberg Traurig and Hanson Bridgett both snagged real estate partners from Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch this week, as the real estate market remains busy in California. Robert Brown, a Procopio partner who had been with the firm for more than three decades, departed the firm for a role as a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig's San Diego office this week. Brown is a real estate tax attorney who advises clients nationwide on tax issues, including tax structuring for multifamily, mixed-use and commercial office and retail real estate deals. Additionally, Brown works as outside counsel to real estate investors, advising them on matters including joint ventures, investment funds and transactions. "Bob is a key addition to our California team and aligns perfectly with our strategic focus on expanding our real estate and tax capabilities to guide clients through their largest and most complex transactions statewide and beyond,” Greenberg Traurig global real estate practice co-chair and Los Angeles office co-managing partner Gregory Fishman said in an email Thursday. Following Brown's hiring, Greenberg Traurig employs 52 partners across California in its real estate practice, 37 of whom are shareholders, a firm spokesperson said. Hanson Bridgett hired two Procopio real estate partners this week as well, adding Tara Castro Narayanan in San Francisco, and Susan Daly in San Diego. Narayanan joined Hanson Bridgett after more than three years at Procopio, where she was a partner. Her practice entails advising commercial, residential and mixed-use developers and owners in a variety of real estate matters, including obtaining approvals, navigating local and federal regulations, and developing leases. Narayanan is also a member and former chair of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area, and a former member of the California Minority Counsel Program. Daly, who had been at Procopio for more than 10 years, was partly responsible for recruiting Narayanan to Procopio, as the two frequently work together on matters. Her practice focuses on subdivided land projects across California, including condominiums, planned developments, subdivisions, mixed-use projects, high-rise developments, and more. Despite the departures, Procopio managing partner Dennis Doucette says the firm continues to grow its real estate practice. “Lateral partner moves are becoming more frequent in the legal industry, and we have certainly benefited from numerous partner hires in the last year,” Doucette said via email Thursday. “Two of those lateral partner hires were in our real estate practice, not surprising given we were founded as a real estate firm 80 years ago, he added.” Per Law.com Compass data , the firm has hired at least eight real estate and construction partners in the past year. That's the third-most active hiring practice for Procopio, behind its banking and finance division, which added 14 lawyers. Life sciences and health care added nine lawyers in the past year, while telecommunications and technology also added eight, Compass data indicated. Doucette added, “We are excited about our next 80 years, especially as a firm in transition that has been elevating more of our emerging partners to leadership positions with a solid pipeline of more junior attorneys with great promise joining the firm.” Procopio is growing its ranks outside of San Diego, where it was founded in 1946. The firm has added “multiple partner and associate hires in recent months in our fast-growing Irvine office serving clients across Orange County and Los Angeles,” Doucette said. He added that the firm continues “to hear from partners at other firms interested in joining Procopio, and we will continue to have those conversations and bring aboard partners who enhance our ability to serve our clients and strengthen our core practices.”

Feb 27

3 min

TeamHealth has been submitting fraudulent claims to get UnitedHealthcare to overpay it by more than $100 million, the insurer argued as it asked a Tennessee federal judge to grant it a partial early win in its suit against the emergency room staffing and billing company. In a motion for partial summary judgment filed Monday, United HealthCare Services Inc. argued it has sufficiently established standing to pursue claims against TeamHealth Holdings Inc. for itself and on behalf of the self-funded plans it administers under the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act. The insurer argued it has suffered concrete economic and operational injuries and has the right to sue under ERISA. "Federal courts across the country — including this court — have repeatedly held that third-party administrators and ERISA fiduciaries possess Article III standing to recover fraudulent overpayments," UnitedHealthcare argued. Separately on Monday, TeamHealth filed a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction against United's lawsuit, arguing the insurer lacked standing to bring claims on behalf of its self-funded plans to recover alleged overpayments. TeamHealth also filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing United's claims are barred by the statute of limitations, among other claims. In its dismissal bid, TeamHealth argued that any award damages for claims don't belong to the insurer and that any damages for alleged overpayments postdate UnitedHealthcare's 2021 lawsuit. "The court should dismiss the claims United asserts on behalf of the self-funded plans and limit United's available relief at trial to the alleged overpayments on fully-insured claims 2016-2020," TeamHealth argued in its motion to dismiss. UnitedHealthcare filed its lawsuit in October 2021, alleging TeamHealth submitted fraudulent claims through a method called upcoding, in which it submitted higher-level codes than required by medical standards. This method induced the insurer to overpay by more than $100 million, according to the lawsuit. The Tennessee court previously shot down TeamHealth's dismissal bid in May 2022. U.S. District Judge Clifton L. Corker found that United had sufficiently alleged its upcoding claims. In November 2025, TeamHealth sought to pause the case pending its appeal of an order denying its motion for a protective order. In December, a magistrate judge turned down TeamHealth's motion to compel discovery. A spokesperson for TeamHealth said the company stands by its billing code practices. "As TeamHealth has stated previously, we believe this case is intended to distract from United's own well documented and systematic scheme to underpay clinicians who serve at patients' bedside 24/7, 365 days a year," the spokesperson said. "TeamHealth's clinicians deliver unmatched quality care, and we stand by the integrity of our billing and coding practices." Representatives of UnitedHealthcare didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday. UnitedHealthcare is represented by Michael J. King and Kendell G. Vonckx of Paine Tarwater & Bickers LLP and by Jamie R. Kurtz, Marcus A. Guith, Charley C. Gokey and Paul D. Weller of Robins Kaplan LLP. TeamHealth is represented by Gary C. Shockley, Caldwell G. Collins and Matthew S. Mulqueen of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC and by Justin C. Fineberg of Lash Goldberg Fineberg LLP. The case is United Healthcare Services Inc. et al. v. Team Health Holdings Inc. et al., case number 3:21-cv-00364, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Feb 24

3 min

Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce that Christopher Peponis and Hamad Al-Hoshan have joined the firm as partners in the Project Development & Finance Practice, and the Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group and as members of the Finance Department. “We are thrilled to expand our energy and infrastructure offerings with highly skilled practitioners like Chris and Hamad, each of whom has a reputation for excellence in the space. Their additions help bolster our leading position in energy and infrastructure, further enabling us to assist clients not only with the current issues they face, but also future opportunities and challenges,” said Justin Stolte, Global Chair of the Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group. Peponis, who joins the firm in Houston, focuses his practice on global LNG projects as well as alternative fuels and other infrastructure projects. Al-Hoshan, who joins the firm in New York, centers on domestic and international project finance transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He regularly represents sponsors, investment banks, commercial banks and investment funds in connection with the development, financing, acquisition and sale of assets within the oil and gas, infrastructure and power sectors. “Chris and Hamad’s experience and knowledge will help us continue to navigate this ever-changing project development and finance landscape,” said Jeff Greenberg, Global Chair of the Project Development & Finance Practice. “They are known for innovative, practical, and commercially oriented solutions and will be a great complement to our team.” “Latham is a global leader, not just in project development and finance, but in energy and infrastructure transactional work more broadly, and I’m excited to build out the firm’s project finance offerings in the Houston market,” said Peponis. Al-Hoshan said, “I’m thrilled to join as well. The firm’s Project Development & Finance Practice works on large and cutting-edge energy and infrastructure mandates around the world, creating exciting opportunities for me and my clients.” Peponis and Al-Hoshan are the latest additions to the firm’s leading Energy & Infrastructure Industry Group. The firm has recently welcomed several other US partners including Bruce Herzog, Jason Webber, Ravi Purohit, Trina Chandler, James Garrett, Scott Miller, Caroline Blitzer Phillips, Sarah Fortt, and Betty Moy Huber. Peponis received his JD from the University of Sydney, an LLM in corporate governance from Stanford University, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Sydney. Al-Hoshan received his JD from Suffolk University Law School and his BS from Northeastern University. Both join Latham from White & Case LLP. About Latham & Watkins Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world’s largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability. Notes to Editors 1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in Israel through a limited liability company. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Firm of Salman M. Al-Sudairi, a limited liability company, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Apr 19

3 min

Portland General Electric Company and Manulife Investment Management have paid $1.9 billion to obtain electrical provider PacifiCorp's Washington state assets in a cash deal guided by Latham & Watkins LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP. According to the announcement, the assets include PacifiCorp's "generation, transmission and electric utility operations." After the related regulatory filings are submitted, the state and federal regulators are supposed to wrap up their acquisition reviews in 12 months, the announcement added. Part of these assets constitutes power lines that stretch for 4,500 miles and utility operations that are located 2,700 square miles across the state, according to the announcement. "We are excited for the opportunity to continue to grow, expanding into Washington and building upon PGE's foundation of operational excellence and customer service," said PGE's president and CEO Maria Pope in a Tuesday statement. "We look forward to our partnership with Manulife Investment Management, who brings a track record of investment success across the utility sector and Pacific Northwest agriculture and timberland industries," Pope added. On Tuesday, Manulife Investment Management's global head of infrastructure Recep Kendircioglu said Manulife's PGE partnership "represents an opportunity that fits well within our infrastructure strategy and leverages our experience in utility investments." The acquisition deal allows PGE to obtain the 94-megawatt Goodnoe Hills wind power facility, the 477-megawatt Chehalis natural gas facility, and the Marengo I and Marengo II facilities, which are wind power facilities that have 234 megawatts of power combined, the announcement said. PGE will use another company to oversee the Washington assets, according to the announcement. Also, Manulife Infrastructure Fund III LP and the fund's affiliates will own 49% of the utility assets, the announcement stated. On Tuesday, PacifiCorp's CEO Darin Carroll said the asset sale "is a targeted step toward ensuring the continued delivery of safe, reliable power to our nearly 2 million customers in the West and Intermountain West." "This will improve the company's financial stability while simplifying our operations to support our long-term commitment to customers in each of our remaining states," Carroll also said. PGE, Manulife and PacifiCorp did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment on Tuesday. PGE is represented by Michael Sullivan, Ryan Maierson, Erik Thompson, Elena Burns, Cameron Koob, Zach Kobayashi, Riann Winget, Brock Meyer, Skyler Ligon, Genie Yae, Caroline Phillips, Sharon Huberfeld, Jeremie Ruiz, Jeffrey Tochner, Sebastian Moss, Pardis Zomorodi, Dominick Constantino, Jason Cruise, Andrew Paik, Natasha Gianvecchio, Jecoliah Williams, Michelle L.C. Carpenter, Peter Dalmasy, Oswald Cousins, Marc Campopiano, Brian McCall, James Mann, David Rao, Daniel Eyal, Chika Onyejiukwa, Harrison White, Robert Brown, Stuart Cobb, Sony Ben-Moshe, Bryan Monson, Jackson Kushner, Steven Levine, Shelby Harrison and Daniel Eyal of Latham & Watkins LLP. Manulife is represented by Brian Chisling, Katy Lukaszewski, Paul Bolaji, Oleg Stratiev, Natasha Kandi, Selim Loetscher, Brian Steinhardt, Brandon Barton, David Kim, Owen Harrison, Jonathan Goldstein, Shareef M. Salfity, Preston Irace, Alysha Sekhon, Margerite Blasé, Tally Smitas, Tristan Brown, Ryan Stott, Skyler Kanfer, Krista McManus, Dennis Loiacono and Steve DeLott of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. PacifiCorp is represented by Andrew Kaplan, Christopher Lang, Nicolette Fata, Aliya Zuberi, Becca Pecora, Patrick Perrier, Eric Sloan, Yara Mansour, Jason Zhang, Dean Masuda, Doug Horowitz, Meghan Hungate, Jocelyn Shih and Michael Collins of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Feb 17

3 min