News Release
Sidley Austin LLP Elevates 11 to Partnership in Chicago, 36 throughout Firm
July 30, 2007
Law Firm Announces New Partners in Chicago Financial Services/Consumer Class Actions; Structured Finance and Securitization; Real Estate; Bankruptcy/Corporate Reorganization; Investment Funds, Advisers and Derivatives; Communications Regulatory; Insurance/Reinsurance Disputes; Insurance; M&A and Private Equity; and Securities Litigation and S.E.C. Enforcement Practices
Chicago - Eleven lawyers in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP are among the 36 associates and counsel elevated to partnership in the firm, which now has 659 partners in offices in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. The new Chicago partners are Michael C. Andolina, Financial Services/Consumer Class Actions; Jeannette K. Arazi, Structured Finance and Securitization; John A. Chamberlin, Real Estate; Anny C. Huang, Structured Finance and Securitization; Kenneth P. Kansa, Bankruptcy/Corporate Reorganization; Christopher P. Lokken, Investment Funds, Advisers and Derivatives; Brian A. McAleenan, Communications Regulatory; Daniel J. Neppl, Insurance/Reinsurance Disputes; Clinton R. Uhlir, Insurance; Robert L. Verigan, M&A and Private Equity; and J. Randal Wexler, Securities Litigation and S.E.C. Enforcement.
"All of our new partners embody the client service values and collegial culture of Sidley, in addition to being exceptionally talented lawyers," said Thomas A. Cole, chair of the firm's Executive Committee. "We are proud to have them join Sidley's partnership."
"It is gratifying to have these accomplished lawyers join Sidley's partnership ranks because they truly deserve and have earned this honor," added Charles W. Douglas, chair of the firm's Management Committee. "They have earned the respect of their clients and colleagues. We welcome them to our partnership and appreciate their continued dedication to the firm."
Michael C. Andolina, 34, is a partner in the Financial Services/Consumer Class Actions practice. His practice includes a diverse range of civil litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal courts, with an emphasis on consumer fraud class action defense and white collar civil litigation.
Mr. Andolina, who had been an associate, received his J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School. He received his A.B., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Georgetown University.
Jeannette K. Arazi, 37, is a partner in the Structured Finance and Securitization practice. Ms. Arazi's experience includes the representation of commercial paper and medium-term note conduits and financial institutions in the acquisition or financing of various types of assets including trade receivables, motor vehicle leases, franchise loans, timeshare interests and other financial assets.
Ms. Arazi, who had been an associate, received her J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Minnesota Law School. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Macalester College.
John A. Chamberlin, 37, is a partner in the Real Estate practice. His practice includes commercial real estate transactions of all types, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing and leasing transactions.
Mr. Chamberlin, who had been an associate, received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Illinois College of Law where he was notes editor of the Law Review. He received his B.A. from Brigham Young University.
Anny C. Huang, 33, is a partner in the Structured Finance and Securitization practice. Her practice includes representation of major financial institutions, public and private corporations, institutional bond holders, hedge funds and other creditors and investors in connection with leverage financing for private equity, real estate and hedge funds, capital call facilities, syndicated and structured loans, mezzanine financings, collateralized debt obligations, securitizations, work-outs and restructurings and single-currency, multi-currency and cross-border transactions.
Ms. Huang, who had been an associate, received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law where she was a Kent Scholar and served on the Law Review. She received her B.A. and B.S., with highest honors, from the University of California - Berkeley.
Kenneth P. Kansa, 34, is a partner in the Bankruptcy/Corporate Reorganization practice. Mr. Kansa's practice encompasses all areas of corporate reorganization and bankruptcy matters, focusing on the representation of various parties in complex chapter 11 cases.
Mr. Kansa, who had been an associate, received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, his M.A. from Cleveland State University and his B.A. from George Washington University.
Christopher P. Lokken, 36, is a partner in the Investment Funds, Advisers and Derivatives practice. He advises and represents clients in federal securities, derivatives, futures related regulatory and corporate matters with respect to alternative investment funds, including offshore and domestic hedge funds, commodity pools and alternative asset strategy funds sold on a retail basis in Japan.
Mr. Lokken, who had been an associate, received his J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Northwestern University School of Law where he was coordinating articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. He received his M.A. from the University of Chicago, and his B.A., with distinction, from Indiana University.
Brian A. McAleenan, 34, is a partner in the Communications Regulatory practice. His practice involves commercial and regulatory litigation and related matters.
Mr. McAleenan, who had been an associate, received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Illinois College of Law where he was on the Law Review. He received his B.S., cum laude, from the University of Illinois.
Daniel J. Neppl, 38, is a partner in the Insurance/Reinsurance Disputes practice. He regularly arbitrates and litigates reinsurance disputes, representing both ceding companies and reinsurers in the property and casualty areas in matters involving both traditional and non-traditional reinsurance. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Neppl clerked for the Honorable C. Thomas White, Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Mr. Neppl, who had been counsel, received his J.D., cum laude, from Creighton University School of Law, where he was executive editor of the Creighton Law Review. He received his B.S., with honors, from the University of Iowa.
Clinton R. Uhlir, 35, is a partner in the Insurance practice. He focuses his practice on the representation of issuers, underwriters and purchasers of financial products and the structuring, creation and operation of structured investment vehicles (SIVs), asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) conduit programs, derivative product companies (DPCs), including credit derivative product companies (CDPCs), and other types of structured finance operating companies (SFOCs).
Mr. Uhlir, who had been an associate, received his J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School and his A.B., cum laude, from Princeton University.
Robert L. Verigan, 32, is a partner in the M&A and Private Equity practice. His principal areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and venture capital/private equity investments. He has also worked with issuers and underwriters in a variety of initial and follow-on public offerings, including over a dozen S-1 offerings and private placements of securities.
Mr. Verigan, who had been an associate, received his J.D., cum laude, from The University of Chicago Law School. He received his B.A., cum laude, from Duke University.
J. Randal Wexler, 34, is a partner in the Securities Litigation and S.E.C. Enforcement practice. His practice focuses on complex internal corporate investigations, corporate accounting fraud and the defense, both individual and corporate, of complex securities fraud class actions and related violations of ERISA.
Mr. Wexler, who had been an associate, received his J.D., cum laude, from The University of Michigan Law School. He received his B.A. from Yale University.
Sidley also named the following to partnership in its other offices: Brussels - Arnoud R. Willems; Frankfurt - Jérôme S. Friedrich; Hong Kong - Charles Allen; London - Jonathan Edge, Theresa D. Kradjian and Paul Matthews; Los Angeles - Aimee M. Contreras-Camua, Sandra S. Fujiyama, Kelly L.C. Kriebs, Jennifer A. Ratner and Robert M. Stone; New York - Laura M. Barzilai, Madeleine J. Dowling, Lynn A. Dummett, Isaac S. Greaney, Joseph Kelly, Dennis M. Manfredi and Aryeh H. Zarchan; San Francisco - Teague I. Donahey; Tokyo - Akira Nakazawa; Washington, D.C. - Kevin J. Campion, Mark B. Langdon, Eric A. Shumsky, Eric M. Solovy and John K. Van De Weert, Jr.
Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world's largest full-service law firms, with more than 1,700 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. In 2006, Sidley was named to Legal Business' Global Elite, their designation for "the 15 finest law firms in the world." Sidley was again named the number one law firm for overall client service by BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, in 2007. BTI has also named Sidley to their Client Service Hall of Fame as one of only two law firms to rank in the Client Service Top 10 for six years in a row.
For more information:
Janet Zagorin, Director of Practice Development, 212.839.8797
Dan Brady, Rubenstein Associates, 212.843.8292
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