associate leadership institutedocuments.nycbar.org/files/2017participantdirectory.pdf · metro...

Associate Leadership Institute2017 PARTICIPANT DIRECTORY

www.nycbar.org/ALI

diversity

1 | City Bar Associate Leadership Institute | 2017

SHEILA ADAMS Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Sheila R. Adams is a litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. She represents clients in a diverse range of complex civil and criminal matters in federal and state court, including antitrust and competition litigation, commercial disputes, securities litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and government investigations. She also devotes substantial time to representing individuals on a pro bono basis, including several military Veterans seeking disability benefits and a client who was granted clemency by President Barack Obama in January 2017. Prior to joining Davis Polk in 2013, Sheila served as a law clerk to the Honorable Raymond A. Jackson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2011 to 2012, and the Honorable Carl E. Stewart, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 2012 to 2013. In 2011, she received her law degree from Columbia University School of Law, where she was the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journal of Race & Law.

DANYA AHMED Sedgwick LLP

Danya Ahmed specializes in labor and employment law. She has experience in traditional labor and employment litigation in the federal district courts. She also has appellate experience, having assisted in drafting briefs opposing appeal to the Second Circuit on issues such as the LMRA, NLRA, ERISA and antitrust law, leading to client success in several cases. Danya has first-chaired and prevailed in labor arbitration hearings in various forums, including the AAA, and has conducted settlement negotiations in same. She has prepared position statements to the EEOC in charges of discrimination, and the NLRB in response to the unfair labor practice charges filed against clients, and has successfully represented clients in over 40 charges. Danya provides her clients proactive services to protect their interests, such as the drafting of collective bargaining agreements, employee handbooks, document retention, conflict of interest, whistleblower and other policies. She also counsels clients on various labor and employment issues that arise in the daily conduct of business. Earlier in her career, she clerked for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, where she worked on various civil and criminal cases. Danya previously worked as an associate/managing editorial assistant at Simon & Schuster.


JONATHAN BARBEE WilmerHale

Jonathan Barbee is a senior associate in the Litigation/Controversy Department and a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. He has represented clients in large and small matters across a range of technologies, from networking methods and electrochemical manufacturing processes to pharmaceutical products and diagnostic devices. In addition to patent litigation, Jonathan’s practice spans other areas of intellectual property, including copyrights and trade secrets. In his cases, Jonathan has extensive experience in all phases of litigation, including commencing suit, discovery, motion practice, expert discovery, and depositions. Jonathan also maintains an active pro bono practice, which has included First Amendment issues, representation of individual artists, and a case involving cruelty to animals. Jonathan joined the firm in 2013 after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable Barbara S. Jones of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In law school, Jonathan was the Senior Articles Editor of the New York University Law Review. While at the firm, Jonathan has also served on the Standards Review Task Force for the ABA Criminal Justice Section.

RALPH CARTER Duane Morris LLP

Ralph Carter represents companies and individuals in complex commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts, as well as in regulatory matters before various governmental agencies. Prior to joining the firm, Ralph served as the Electronic Discovery Manager in the legal department of a global financial services institution, in which role he developed expertise in managing electronic discovery in connection with complex legal and regulatory matters and internal investigations. He is a 2014 cum laude graduate of St. John’s University School of Law, where he was a Ronald H. Brown Scholar and Executive Notes and Comments Editor for the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development. He is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in Litigation Project Management in Collective and Class Actions.


HANCHU CHEN Shearman & Sterling LLP

Hanchu Chen is an associate in the Litigation Group at Shearman & Sterling LLP. He focuses on a variety of civil litigation matters and has experience in disputes concerning fraud, anti-corruption, regulatory offences, securities, commercial transactions, and civil rights. Hanchu holds degrees from McGill University and Columbia University.

OLIVIA CHENG Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Olivia Cheng is a litigation associate whose practice focuses on white collar investigations. She received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She received her B.A from the University of Michigan in 2005.


DAI WAI CHIN FEMAN Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Dai Wai Chin Feman is a litigator at Dorsey & Whitney. He advises and represents clients with respect to diverse commercial issues and disputes, ranging from contracts, to intellectual property, to antitrust. Also experienced in transactional matters, Dai Wai has represented purchasers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, as well as various parties in commercial agreements. Prior to joining Dorsey, Dai Wai was associated with Satterlee Stephens and interned for the Antitrust Bureau of the New York State Attorney General. He received his B.A. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Outside of work, Dai Wai is active in the Asian American Bar Association of New York. He is the current Secretary and was previously a Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee.

FRANCK CHINTOYA Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

An Associate in the Corporate Department and a member of the Finance Practice, Franck Chintoya represents domestic and international clients, including sponsors and their portfolio companies, in a wide range of borrowing and other financing transactions. Franck has experience representing clients in leveraged financing transactions, including acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings and structured financings. In his practice, Franck has handled asset-based, first-lien, second-lien, margin loan and bridge financing transactions ranging from several millions to several hundred millions of dollars.


DAVID CHOI Baker Hostetler LLP

David Choi is a litigation associate at BakerHostetler. He is currently part of the team litigating adversary proceedings in connection with BakerHostetler’s role as court-appointed counsel to the Securities Investor Protection Act trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. David is also experienced in various areas of commercial/corporate litigation and real estate matters. Before going to BakerHostetler, he held positions as an associate at a litigation boutique in New York City, a summer associate at two law firms in Seoul, South Korea, and a summer clerk for a Magistrate Judge at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark. David received his bachelor’s degree, with honors, in International Studies (Economics Concentration) from Johns Hopkins University, and received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School where he was a Dean’s Scholar and served as a Contributing Editor for the Michigan Journal of International Law.

V. ALEX DAVIS Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Alex Davis is originally from Washington, DC. He completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton, majoring in economics. After college, he worked for a large management consulting firm and later as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice-Antitrust Division. He then attended law school at New York University School of Law. After law school, he completed a district court clerkship in Southern District of Texas and a circuit court clerkship in the Ninth Circuit. Since completing his clerkships, he has worked as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, where his practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and internal investigations.


PRESTON C. DEMOUCHET Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP

Preston C. Demouchet is an associate in the Trusts and Estates group at Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP. Preston is involved in different aspects of trusts and estates work for high-net worth individuals and families. Preston drafts complex estate planning documents including wills, irrevocable trusts, generation-skipping transfer trusts, life insurance trusts and defective grantor trusts. Preston routinely appears in the Surrogate's Court to represent beneficiaries and fiduciaries in probate, administration and guardianship proceedings. Preston also structures international plans that include qualified domestic trusts. After law school, Preston worked as a Series 7 and Series 66 financial advisor at The Ayco Company LP, a Goldman Sachs Company, where he provided tax and estate planning advice to Fortune 500 executives. While in law school, Preston worked in the Securities Arbitration Clinic and served as a Senior Staff Member on the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. Preston has been selected to the New York Metro Rising Stars list for Estate Planning and Probate in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Preston Co-lectured a CLE course titled Malpractice and Ethical Issues Facing Trusts and Estates Attorneys at St. John’s University School of Law.

PATRICK S. DORIME Chadbourne & Parke LLP

Patrick S. Dorime is an associate in Chadbourne & Parke LLP's Corporate Law Department. Patrick joined Chadbourne's New York office as a full-time attorney in 2012. Patrick represents public and private companies and other institutions on a wide array of corporate and securities law matters. His practice focuses on a broad range of domestic and international business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, covering a broad range of industries, including energy, manufacturing, automotive, communications, software and technology. He also regularly advises clients on U.S. securities law matters, including periodic corporate filings, Section 16 issues, proxy filings and Rule 144 and corporate governance matters including board and board committee matters and corporate governance best practices. Patrick graduated from New York University's College of Arts and Science in 2009, where he received his B.A. in Politics. Following his graduation from NYU, Patrick attended law school at the Fordham University School of Law where he received his J.D. in 2012.


ZEH EKONO Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Zeh Ekono is a member of the firm’s litigation group of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation and regulatory investigations.

CYNTHIA FERNANDEZ LUMERMANN Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz

Cynthia Fernandez Lumermann has been an associate in the Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz Litigation Department since December 2013. Cynthia received an A.B. cum laude from Harvard College in 2004. She completed a J.D. magna cum laude from New York University School of Law in 2011 where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Developments Editor of the New York University Journal of International Law and Politics. She was also a recipient of the Maurice Goodman Memorial Prize for outstanding scholarship and character. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kenneth M. Karas of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. From July 2016 to November 2016, Cynthia took a leave of absence from Wachtell Lipton to join Hillary for America as a vetting specialist. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.


THAIS GARCIA Clifford Chance LLP

Thais Garcia is a senior associate in the Corporate/M&A group of Clifford Chance. She specializes in cross-border M&A, particularly in Latin America. She holds an LLM in US Law from Fordham University and an LLM in Legal Practice from the Instituto de Empresa Business School.

MICHAEL GERVAIS Susman Godfrey LLP

Michael Gervais is an associate at Susman Godfrey L.L.P. Prior to joining Susman Godfrey, Michael was a law clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer on the United States Supreme Court during the landmark 2014 Term. Michael graduated from Yale Law School and clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Michael deploys the insights gained from his past litigation experience and from clerking at the federal judiciary to represent plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of commercial disputes.


SHERI GRANIERO Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Sheri Nentin Graniero works on corporate matters, with a focus on banking and credit transactions and leveraged finance. Sheri assists commercial banks, investment banks and other financial institutions, private equity funds and corporate borrowers in a wide range of domestic and international financing transactions, including leveraged buyouts, refinancings, recapitalizations and working capital facilities. Her work on behalf of clients includes drafting and negotiating credit agreements, security and guarantee agreements, intercreditor agreements, amendments and waivers, debt commitment papers, legal opinions and other ancillary documentation across a range of industries; advising clients on covenant compliance, reporting requirements and other disclosure issues; and managing closing processes, including coordination among foreign counsel and internal practice groups.

ASHWINI HABBU Clifford Chance LLP

Ashwini Habbu is an associate in the firm's US Financial Services Regulatory Group, with a practice that focuses on regulatory matters involving US and non-US investment funds, asset managers, banking organizations and bank holding companies, and includes private equity and hedge fund formation and financial institutions M&A. She advises clients on banking and investment services regulation, particularly with respect to compliance with the Volcker Rule and other rules and regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act, including private equity and hedge fund marketing, investment adviser registration and reporting.


DANIEL HANNA Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Daniel Hanna is a tax associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, where he has worked since 2013. Daniel attended New York University School of Law, where he was an active member of the Middle Eastern Law Students Association, a volunteer Arabic translator at the HIV Law Project, and spent one summer working at the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Prior to law school, Daniel lived in Atlanta, Georgia. Outside of Atlanta, Daniel has family in Beirut, Lebanon, where he tries to visit each year.

NAHEEM HARRIS Alston & Bird LLP

Naheem Harris is an associate in the Real Estate Finance & Investment Group in the New York office of Alston & Bird LLP. Naheem concentrates his practice on commercial real estate finance, representing mostly banks and other institutional investors in a variety of loan transactions for portfolio and securitized lenders. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Naheem is very active in his community serving on the board of the Harlem Link Charter School and volunteering regularly with SIMBA (Safe in My Brother’s Arms) and ASET (All Sisters Evolving Together), two programs aimed at supporting homeless high schoolers. In 2013, he received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He received his B.A. in politics, philosophy and economics from The University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Before law school, Mr. Harris was a consultant for the NYC Department of Small Business Services and tried out for various NFL football teams.


NIRUPAMA HEGDE Davis & Gilbert LLP

Nirupama S. Hegde is an associate in the Labor & Employment and Litigation Practice Groups of Davis & Gilbert. Ms. Hegde represents employers in a wide range of employment matters, including claims involving discrimination, harassment, wage and hour class actions, retaliation, whistleblower and breach of contract, in state and federal courts. She also participates in mediations of employment disputes, conducts investigations of alleged employee misconduct and provides trainings on employment-related issues to senior leadership teams and employees. She also has significant experience drafting and negotiating employment contracts, policies and handbooks. Nirupama regularly counsels employers concerning compliance with civil rights, disability, employee leave, employee classification and wage and hour laws; managing risk associated with employee discipline, performance management and terminations; and strategies for minimizing exposure associated with protective covenants and mass lay-offs.

JULIAN HILL Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Julian Hill is an international transactions attorney, specializing in Latin America, in his third year at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he also provides pro bono advice in small business and not-for-profit incorporation and other corporate matters. Julian is a member of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, a member and Book Club Co-Chair of 1844, a group of black male attorneys practicing in New York City, as well as a mentor to high school students through Cleary’s Washington Irving Program. Julian earned his B.A. in philosophy, with honors, from Northwestern University in 2008, and in 2014 earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was an Editor for the International Law Journal and Journal for Racial and Ethnic Justice, and a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University School of Law in Beijing, China for a semester. Prior to attending Harvard Law School, Julian taught high school Spanish at Compton High School in Compton, California as a Teach for America Corps member.


KELVIN HSU Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP

Kelvin Hsu is an associate in Cadwalader’s Finance Group. Kelvin’s practice is concentrated in the area of commercial real estate finance, representing lenders in the origination of mortgage and mezzanine loans. His experience includes the financing of a wide range of commercial properties, including hotels, commercial office buildings and shopping centers. In addition, he has experience in the drafting and negotiating of intercreditor arrangements and secondary market sales of mezzanine loans. He received his J.D. from the University of Houston, cum laude, where he was a Senior Articles Editor of the Houston Law Review, and a B.S. from the University of Texas at Dallas, summa cum laude. He is admitted to practice in the State of New York.

VERONICA IP Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Veronica Ip is a member of Sullivan & Cromwell’s Litigation Group. Her practice focuses on complex securities and commercial litigation, regulatory investigations and bankruptcy litigation. She has participated in numerous litigations, arbitrations and investigations arising out of the recent financial crisis, and has represented clients under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and offices of the Attorney General of various states. Veronica also has experience handling adversary proceedings, contested matters and creditor representations in bankruptcy proceedings. Among other representations, Veronica represents TerraForm Power and TerraForm Global in several commercial disputes arising out of the bankruptcy of their parent company, SunEdison, and represents the official committee of unsecured creditors of Energy Future Holdings in its pending Chapter 11 cases, the largest operating Chapter 11 case ever filed in Delaware. Veronica also recently represented Goldman Sachs in a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration and related state court action concerning alleged investor losses arising from an investment in a mortgage-related product, culminating in a favorable decision from a panel of three arbitrators. She is a member of S&C’s Diversity Committee and is co-chair of S&C’s Asian Associates Network.


DANIELLA JONES Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Daniella A. Jones is an associate with the firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Her primary practice areas include corporate and real estate transactions. Daniella received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 and her Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law in 2014. While attending NYU Law, Daniella was a Dean’s Scholar and served as a Senior Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law.

DOHYUN KIM Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Dohyun Kim is a corporate attorney who advises public and private companies on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, corporate governance, reorganizations, and financings. She advises companies in a variety of industries, including retail, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, technology and communications. Dohyun received her J.D. degree from the New York University School of Law, where she was a Senior Executive Editor of the New York University Law Review and an Institute for International Law and Justice Scholar, and her undergraduate degree from Ewha Women's University in South Korea, where she majored in International Studies.


GANESH KRISHNA Baker Hostetler LLP

Ganesh Krishna is a seventh year Associate at Baker Hostetler LLP. Ganesh’s practice involves a variety of complex international, securities and bankruptcy litigation. Ganesh is currently responsible for a variety of complex domestic and international litigation matters relating to the Trustee in the liquidation of the estate of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC – the largest investment fraud in history. The investigation of and litigation of 1000+ lawsuits relating to this matter has thus far yielded over $15 billion for victims of the fraud. Ganesh is actively involved in Baker Hostetler’s diversity and inclusion committee as well as the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Ganesh attended Fordham Law School, The London School of Economics and Indiana University.

SONIA MARQUEZ Sidley Austin LLP

Sonia Marquez is an associate in Sidley Austin LLP’s New York office and a member of the White Collar: Government Litigation & Investigations and Complex Commercial Litigation practices. Sonia represents public companies, financial institutions, and related individuals in internal, criminal, and regulatory investigations and prosecutions. She advises clients on foreign corruption, anti-money laundering, and sanctions compliance safeguards. She has also litigated a variety of complex commercial disputes in both state and federal courts. Sonia has an active pro bono practice through the firm’s Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Project, including representing LGBT asylum seekers. Sonia clerked for The Honorable Dora L. Irizarry, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Prior to joining Sidley, Sonia worked at LatinoJustice PRLDEF through Sidley’s Pro Bono Fellowship, where she spent 14 months assisting on impact litigation aimed at protecting the civil rights of Latinos. Sonia graduated from Harvard Law School in 2009, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. She has a B.A. in International Relations & Statistics from Columbia University.


PRIYA MERRILL Ropes & Gray LLP

Priya Merrill is an associate in Ropes & Gray’s corporate department, focusing on intellectual property transactions. Priya advises public and private companies and investors in strategic transactions where technology or IP assets are the key drivers. These transactions include mergers and acquisitions, technology licensing and transfer, development collaborations and joint ventures.

DAVID MITCHELL Hogan Lovells US LLP

David Mitchell is a labor and employment associate at Hogan Lovells in the New York office. He provides practical advice to corporate and management clients on labor and employment issues. David counsels companies on a variety of matters, including employment and consulting contracts, personnel policies, reductions in force, and wage and hour issues. He also assists in the successful representation of corporations in actions before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. He regularly advises management on the labor and employment aspects of both domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. David maintains an active Pro Bono practice, including experience representing juvenile asylum applicants, as well as assisting in the representation of a death row defendant seeking post-conviction review. David earned his undergraduate degree in politics at New York University and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. While in law school, David served as President of the Vanderbilt chapter of the Black Law Students Association. David is a member of 1844.


FRANCISCO MORALES-BARRON Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Francisco J. Morales Barrón is an associate in Wachtell Lipton’s Corporate Department. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate matters. Francisco received a B.A. in Political Science and East Asian Studies with a Concentration in China from Yale University in 2007. He completed a J.D. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2013, where he served as an executive editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. From May 2015 to June 2016 he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

KAMAL NESFIELD Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Kamal Nesfield is a sixth year corporate associate in Debevoise’s New York office and a member of the firm's Leveraged Finance and Private Equity Groups. His practice focuses on representations of borrowers and private equity sponsors in complex acquisition finance, leveraged finance and high yield bond transactions. In addition, he has significant experience counseling direct lenders in such transactions. Kamal is a member of several of the firm’s committees, and has represented the firm as an LCLD Pathfinder. Prior to joining Debevoise in 2011, Kamal received a J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 2011, where he was a member of the Goler Teal Butcher International Moot Court Team and Captain of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Team. He received a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008, where he was a member of the Penn football team.


S. ILIANA ONGUN Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP

S. Iliana Ongun is an associate in the corporate practice group at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where she focuses on mergers and acquisitions, activist defense and other strategic transactions. Originally from Houston, Texas, Iliana attended Yale College and Harvard Law School.

CLAUDIA PAK Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Claudia Pak is a seventh year litigation associate at the law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Henry B. Pitman of the Southern District of New York. She graduated from Fordham Law School in 2010 where she was the editor-in-chief of the Fordham Moot Court Board and an associate editor of the Urban Law Journal. She graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College in 2005, where she majored in Psychology and Political Science. She is the first in her family to graduate from college and law school, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is the proud mother of a rambunctious and joyful one-year-old.


MICHAEL M. POWELL Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Michael M. Powell concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation and securities litigation. She has represented companies and executives in matters pertaining to federal securities fraud, corporate governance litigation, litigation related to change in control transactions, antitrust litigation, and intellectual property and commercial contract disputes. She also devotes time to pro bono matters, including representation of clients seeking asylum and provision of counsel to nonprofit entities on litigation strategy. As a member of the steering committee of Skadden's network for female associates, Michael has coordinated numerous events and panels for women at the firm, including a recent presentation in collaboration with the City Bar and VoteRunLead on civic engagement for women. A James Kent Scholar, Michael graduated from Columbia Law School in 2013.

MATTHEW PUTORTI Pillsbury Winthrow Shaw Pittman

Matthew Putorti is a litigation associate in the New York office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman where he concentrates his practice in insurance recovery on behalf of corporate policyholders and serves on the firm’s Pro Bono, Hiring, and Summer Committees. Prior to joining Pillsbury, Matt was an associate at Anderson Kill. Matt received his BA in Political Science from Boston College in 2006 and his JD from Fordham in 2011. While at Fordham, Matt was the editor-in-chief of the Fordham International Law Journal, a Crowley Scholar, and president of OUTLaws and the Disaster Relief Network. Since graduation from Fordham, Matt has served on the International Human Rights Committee of the New York City Bar Association, the board of LeGal, as president of Stonewall Quarter Share, and as president of the Fordham International Law Journal Alumni Association. In 2016, Matt was selected as one of the 40 best LGBT attorneys under 40 in the United States and was awarded Fordham OUTLaw’s alumni award.


SUSHILA RAO Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Sushila Rao is currently a fifth‐year Litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. Her practice involves a variety of matters, including internal investigations, white collar criminal and regulatory defense, constitutional law, and human rights advocacy. Sushila had previously worked as a Litigation & International Arbitration associate at Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York; as a consultant for the World Bank’s Integrity and Legal Vice‐Presidencies in Washington, D.C.; and as a consultant in JPMorgan’s Global Financial Crime (Legal & Compliance) group in New York. She also serves on the International Human Rights Committee of the New York City Bar Association. She received law degrees from the University of Oxford, U.K., and Harvard Law School.

LISSETH A. RINCON MANZANO Shearman & Sterling LLP

Lisseth A. Rincon Manzano is a fifth‐year associate in the Finance group of the New York office of Shearman & Sterling LLP. Her practice focuses on the representation of commercial and investment banks, as well as corporate borrowers, in a broad range of complex U.S. and international leveraged and investment‐grade finance transactions, including acquisition financings, first‐lien/second‐lien financings, working capital and asset‐based financings, multi‐currency credits, restructurings and other senior secured and unsecured financing transactions. Lisseth received an accounting degree (Lic. en Contaduría Pública), summa cum laude, from Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacín (Venezuela), a law degree (Abogada), summa cum laude, from Universidad del Zulia (Venezuela) and an LL.M in Corporation Law, with distinction, from New York University School of Law. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and proficient in Italian and French.


RAFAEL SANTOS-HERNANDEZ Reed Smith LLP

Rafael Santos-Hernandez joined Reed Smith in August, 2016 as a lateral associate from Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in New York City. Prior to joining Reed Smith, he also served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Gustavo Gelpí in the US District Court-District of Puerto Rico. His practice centers upon real estate finance transactions. His experience includes representing borrowers and lenders in connection with the drafting and negotiating of mortgage and mezzanine loan documents, intercreditor agreements, and co-lender agreements. He has represented many mortgage and mezzanine lenders as well as borrowers in matters valued at over five billion dollars. Rafael received his JD from Cornell University in 2008 after completing his undergraduate degree at Georgetown University in 2005. He is admitted to practice in both the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

SARA SHOUSE Sidley Austin LLP

Sara Shouse is an associate in the Investment Funds, Advisers and Derivatives group in Sidley Austin’s New York office. Sara’s is a buy-side derivatives practice that involves both a regulatory and transactional component, which provides clients a comprehensive approach to derivatives trading advice. Her clients primarily include hedge funds, private equity funds, asset managers, and sovereign entities. Sara has experience negotiating a variety of trading documentation including ISDA master agreements and related master confirmations, prime brokerage agreements, netting agreements, lock-up arrangements, futures agreements, repurchase agreements, securities lending agreements, and swap documentation for CDS, loan and equity total return swaps, and FX and commodity derivatives. Additionally, Sara has helped guide clients through the structuring of bespoke complex derivatives transactions and the negotiation of the related trading documentation. Sara’s derivatives practice also involves providing ongoing regulatory advice with respect to the Dodd-Frank Act and advice relating to collateral segregation and clearing requirements. She works closely with her Sidley colleagues having expertise on the regulation of financial products under EMIR, MiFID II and SFTR and with colleagues in related practice groups such as Employee Benefits, Tax and Securities & Derivatives Enforcement and Regulatory.


NIKKI SMITH Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP

Nikki Smith is an associate in the New York office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy and a member of the firm’s Corporate Group. She has significant experience in the corporate arena, including structuring complex transactions and negotiating various types of commercial agreements. In addition, she has advised global clients with respect to mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and other arrangements. She has also represented clients with respect to negotiating and documenting IT and business process outsourcing transactions (including in connection with on-going data privacy and IT security obligations).

PAVAN SURAPANENI Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Pavan Surapaneni is an associate in Sullivan & Cromwell’s Commercial Real Estate Group and has broad, multidisciplinary experience in real estate- and sports-related mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, financings, developments and reorganizations. His clients include public and private companies, real estate investment trusts, investment funds, family offices, and sports teams and leagues. Among his community activities, he is a director of Saving Teens in Crisis Collaborative Inc. and a member of the Board of Visitors of the School of General Studies at Columbia University.


PRIYANKA TIMBLO Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Priyanka Timblo is an associate in the Litigation department at Paul, Weiss. She has experience in a broad range of complex litigation matters, including securities class actions, antitrust, civil litigation, white collar, and regulatory investigations. Born in Mumbai and raised in Goa and Canada, Priyanka holds degrees in both common and civil law, and is a member of the bar in both Ontario and New York. Priyanka draws on this background to bring an international and bijuridical perspective to her practice. Priyanka received her LL.B. and B.C.L., Dean’s Honor List, from McGill Faculty of Law in Montreal, Canada, where she was a senior editor of the McGill Law Journal and won best brief in a national moot court competition. After law school, Priyanka clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, in Toronto. Priyanka received her B.A. from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where she majored in Economics. Priyanka has participated in several efforts relating to teaching and community service. Before becoming a lawyer, Priyanka worked as a teacher in Cambridge, MA, and Austin, TX for the Breakthrough Collaborative, a nonprofit institution that enhances educational opportunity for disadvantaged middle school students in urban areas. During law school, she worked for the Innocence Project. Today, she maintains an active pro bono practice that has included family law; representation of an individual in a section 1983 excessive force case; and litigation efforts against gun violence.

CORY TISCHBEIN Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Cory is an associate in Sullivan & Cromwell’s litigation group and has broad experience in complex commercial litigation, Anti-Terrorism Act litigation, and government investigations. He also has an active pro bono practice representing indigent transgender individuals in their legal name change hearings. He clerked for the Honorable Norma L. Shapiro of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2013, where he was a senior editor for the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. He is a native New Yorker who enjoys historical tours, mystery novels, and traveling.


DANIELLE TOALTOAN Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Danielle Toaltoan concentrates her practice at Davis Wright Tremaine on intellectual property law. She counsels clients on trademark management and enforcement matters. Danielle also has experience in securities litigation.

JORDAN WALL Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Jordan C. Wall represents clients in complex commercial and international disputes before trial and appellate courts in the United States and before U.S. and international arbitral tribunals. Mr. Wall has a wide range of experience with issues that frequently arise in international disputes, including international discovery, forum disputes, and the enforcement of international arbitration agreements and awards.


BRYAN WARNER Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Bryan N. Warner is an associate in Cleary Gottlieb’s New York office. His practice focuses on corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and public and private financings. Bryan joined the firm in 2011. From June 2015 until January 2016, he was seconded to the mergers and acquisitions legal group at Google. Bryan is admitted to the Bar in New York. He earned a J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where he was a Carol and Milton Petrie Foundation Scholar, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

NICOLE B. WEINSTEIN Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.

Nicole Weinstein is an attorney with Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., a D.C.-based environmental law firm. Nicole focuses her practice on insurance recovery and environmental litigation. Her representative matters include defending Fortune 500 companies against claims for cost recovery and contribution in multi-million dollar CERCLA cleanups and litigating, arbitrating, and negotiating successful settlements in coverage disputes involving general liability, professional liability, umbrella and excess liability, and Bermuda form policies. Nicole serves as co-chair of the Emerging Issues Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor for the School of Professional Studies at the City University of New York, where she teaches a Business Law II course for undergraduate students in the Business program.


PETER WESTON Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP

Peter B. Weston is an associate in Cravath’s Corporate Department. His practice primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and commercial banking transactions. Peter’s clients include Alliant Techsystems, Banco Santander, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, INOVYN, JPMorgan, Mediclinic, Time and Vista Outdoor.

TANSY WOAN Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Tansy Woan is an associate in the Complex Litigation and Trials department at the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She earned her B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Law as well as her M.A. in Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy from Binghamton University. She then earned her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School. During law school, she worked for the Federal Defender's office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She joined Skadden immediately after law school and has been there ever since, with the exception of one year when she left to clerk for the Honorable A. Richard Caputo in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. In her free time, she loves to bake, play tennis, and go to SoulCycle!

associate leadership institutedocuments.nycbar.org/files/2017participantdirectory.pdf · metro...

Documents