Akin Gump Promotes 14 to Partnership

(Washington, D.C.) – Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has promoted 14 of the firm’s lawyers to the partnership, effective January 1, 2009: Scott L. Alberino (Washington), David Antheil (Los Angeles), Jessica Cherry (New York), Jeffery A. Dailey (Philadelphia), Andrei V. Danilov (Moscow), Robert M. Griffin Jr. (London), Leon B. Hirth (New York), Patrick J. Hurley (Houston), Natasha G. Kohne (Abu Dhabi), Todd E. Landis (Dallas), Nathan J. Oleson (Washington), Aaron A. Scow (Dallas), Irene A. Steiner (New York) and Jesse Z. Weiss (Austin).

R. Bruce McLean, Akin Gump’s chairman, stated, “We are very pleased to welcome this accomplished group of lawyers to the partnership. Representing 10 offices and nine practice groups, these talented men and women have demonstrated their dedication and commitment to our clients and to our firm.”

Scott Alberino is a member of the firm’s financial restructuring practice. Mr. Alberino’s practice focuses on corporate restructurings, with an emphasis on creditors’ committees and bondholder committees in large, complex restructurings both out of court and in chapter 11. He represents bondholders, noteholders, institutional investors, hedge funds, post-petition lenders and acquirers of distressed assets in restructuring proceedings. Mr. Alberino received his B.A. cum laude in economics and political science from Boston College in 1997 and his J.D. with honors from the Emory University School of Law in 2000.

David Antheil is a member of the firm’s corporate practice. Mr. Antheil advises clients on a range of corporate and financial transactions, with a focus on advising private investment funds in connection with investments and formation. He received his A.B. in history and international affairs from Lafayette College in 1992 and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1995.

Jessica Cherry is a member of the firm’s ERISA and executive compensation practice. Ms. Cherry advises clients on the design of executive compensation arrangements, including employment agreements and severance agreements, and drafts equity incentive plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans. She received her B.A. magna cum laude in Child Development from Tufts University in 1987 and her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 1999.

Jeffery Dailey is a member of the firm’s litigation practice. Mr. Dailey handles matters involving securities laws, accountants’ liability, banking, corporate liability for identity theft, insurance issues, business torts and contracts. He received his B.A. in political science from Hobart College in 1997 and his J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law in 2000.

Andrei Danilov 

 is a member of the firm’s corporate practice. Mr. Danilov focuses on domestic and cross-border merger, acquisition and disposition transactions and international capital markets transactions. He received his law degree from the international law faculty of the Moscow State Institute for International Relations in 1997.

Robert Griffin is a member of the firm’s investment funds practice. Mr. Griffin advises fund managers on the organization and operation of hedge funds and other alternative investment funds. He received his B.A. cum laude in history from the University of Maryland in 1992. He received his M.A. in post-Soviet and East European studies from the University of Texas in 1997 and his J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 2000.

Leon Hirth is a member of the firm’s investment funds practice. Mr. Hirth represents sponsors in the establishment and operation of private equity funds, real estate funds and hedge funds, and in private equity-style investments, including control and non-control transactions. Mr. Hirth received his B.A. in political science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1991 and his J.D. from Fordham Law School in 1996.

Patrick Hurley is a member of the firm’s energy and global transactions practice. Mr. Hurley’s practice focuses primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, securities law compliance and contract negotiations. He received his B.A. cum laude in economics from Trinity University in 1996 and his J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1999.

Natasha Kohne is a member of the firm’s corporate practice. Ms. Kohne primarily focuses on the representation of entities in Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E. She received her B.A. summa cum laude from Columbia University in 1996 and her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2000.

Todd Landis is a member of the firm’s intellectual property practice. Mr. Landis’ practice is focused on patent litigation in the areas of electronic arts, chemical arts and oil field services areas. He received his B.S. in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1993 and his J.D. from the Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1997.

Nathan Oleson is a member of the firm’s labor and employment practice. Mr. Oleson’s practice focuses on complex and class action labor and employment litigation. He received his B.A. cum laude in economics and international studies from American University in 1996 and his J.D. magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1999.

Aaron Scow is a member of the firm’s corporate practice. Mr. Scow represents domestic and international clients in a wide variety of corporate and securities matters, including public and private mergers, acquisitions and dispositions; public and private securities offerings; and corporate governance and general corporate matters. He received his B.S. in accounting from the University of Nebraska in 1995 and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1998.

Irene Steiner is a member of the firm’s tax practice and heads the private client services group. Ms. Steiner advises wealthy individuals, professional fiduciaries and family offices on matters involving comprehensive wealth management, tax planning, the planning and administration of complex trusts and estates, business succession planning, charitable giving, and planning for wealth creation and realization events and for concentrated stock positions. She received her B.A. cum laude from Goucher College, her master’s degree in music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her J.D. magna cum laude from Fordham Law School.

Jesse Weiss is a member of the firm’s litigation practice. Mr. Weiss’ practice focuses on securities litigation matters in federal and state courts, including securities class actions, derivative suits, M&A litigation, internal investigations and regulatory enforcement actions. He received his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995 and his J.D. with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1999.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 900 lawyers and advisors in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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