News
Ethan Klingsberg and Team Bring Top Tier US M&A to Freshfields
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (‘Freshfields’) announced that Ethan Klingsberg, one of the top M&A lawyers in the US, and a team of leading M&A, governance and litigation lawyers have joined its New York office in a move that will establish it at the top tier of the US M&A market, matching its capabilities and reputation for M&A and strategic advisory work globally.Ethan Klingsberg is widely recognized as a go-to advisor by boards of directors, bankers and management teams for his ability to steer high profile US M&A projects. He will lead US M&A at Freshfields. His expertise has been frequently recognized by industry commentators with awards such as “BTI Client Service All-Star” and “Most Valuable Practitioner” in M&A.
Joining Ethan are:
• Meredith Kotler who represents companies, financial institutions, and management and boards in high-stakes litigation, including securities, M&A, and shareholder disputes. She has argued many significant cases in federal and state courts, including the Delaware Chancery Court. She is recognized for Securities Litigation by Chambers, as a Leading Lawyer for M&A Litigation by Legal 500, and as a National Practice Area Star for Securities Litigation by Benchmark Litigation.
• Pamela Marcogliese who provides board room and management advice on activism, shareholder engagement and other strategic issues, including cybersecurity, proxy contests, shareholder proposals and ESG. In 2019, Pamela was one of four lawyers ranked by Legal 500 for Corporate Governance.
• Paul Tiger who has worked on contested and negotiated public M&A transactions, private transactions and private equity investments. His client representation includes work on activism, corporate governance and fiduciary duties matters. He has been recognized as a rising star for M&A by Law360, for M&A and activism by Legal 500, and for M&A by the IFLR 1000.
The team was at Cleary Gottlieb.
Freshfields has been involved in a series of high profile M&A transactions in the US, including representing Starbucks Corporation on its $7.15bn sale of its Consumer Packaged Goods and Foodservice business to Nestlé S.A., Novartis on the $5.3bn acquisition of the assets associated with Xiidra®, London Stock Exchange Group on the acquisition of Refinitiv from Blackstone ($27bn), BASF on its acquisition of $9bn of divested seed and herbicide businesses from Bayer AG, KLX Inc. on the $4.2bn sale of its aviation parts and services business to the Boeing Co. and the spinoff of its energy services business and CVC on the $1.4bn acquisition of Ontic Engineering & Manufacturing from BAA Aviation.
Freshfields also has a well-established US disputes practice with market-leading lawyers in white collar, civil and antitrust litigation, and arbitration, who represent clients in the US and abroad in a wide range of their most significant mandates.
Edward Braham, Global Senior Partner, Freshfields, said: “The US is at the heart of our business. These exceptional lawyers bring substantial M&A, corporate governance and litigation experience to the firm, further strengthening our capabilities as a strategic advisor to US and global clients. We are thrilled to welcome Ethan, Meredith, Pamela and Paul to the firm and to support further excellent outcomes for our clients.”
Ethan Klingsberg said: “We are excited to be joining Freshfields’ blue chip platform. The service that we and our new colleagues at Freshfields will bring to clients promises to be awesome. We have all enjoyed our time at Cleary. The momentum and strategic focus at Freshfields will enable us to help our clients with unparalleled service for many years to come.”
ENDS
Notes for editors
About Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a global law firm with a long-standing track record of successfully supporting the world's leading national and multinational corporations, financial institutions and governments on ground-breaking and business-critical mandates. Our 2,800 plus lawyers deliver results worldwide through our own offices and alongside leading local firms. Our commitment, local and multi-national expertise and business know-how means our clients rely on us when it matters most.