Akin Gump Promotes Eleven to Partnership

(New York) – Akin Gump is pleased to announce the election of 11 new partners, effective January 1, 2019. The 11 individuals (and their respective office locations) are Aimee M. Adler (New York), Stephen M. Boone Jr. (Houston), Anne E. Borkovic (Washington, D.C.), Jesse M. Brush (New York), Christopher Erik Centrich (Houston), Z.W. Julius Chen (Washington, D.C.), Jason Travis Hauter (Washington, D.C.), Nnedinma C. Ifudu Nweke (Washington, D.C.), Gregory W. Lavigne Jr. (Washington, D.C.), Kapil Vishnu Pandit (Washington, D.C.) and Ezra Zahabi (London).

“I am thrilled that we once again have a partnership class that reflects the diversity of our firm,” said Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith. “These women and men bring varied and diverse perspectives to the exceptional work they do for our clients, and come from a broad array of firm practices—conventional and renewable energy, trade, financial regulatory, corporate, private equity, policy, employee benefits, investment funds, appellate litigation and more. They represent the future leaders of our firm, and I look forward to their many years of success at Akin Gump.”

Ms. Adler is a member of the executive compensation and employee benefits practice, focusing on tax, ERISA matters, securities law and accounting issues relating to executive compensation arrangements and employee benefit plans. She represents public and private companies in a variety of corporate transactions, as well as individual executives and management teams, and has designed, drafted and negotiated an array of executive compensation arrangements, including employment, retention, change-in-control and severance arrangements, equity-based and cash-based compensation and deferred compensation plans. Her practice also includes executive compensation-related matters in connection with financial restructuring work. Ms. Adler received her J.D., cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and her B.A. from Tufts University.

Mr. Boone works on oil and gas matters as a member of the firm’s energy practice and is board certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He represents developers, exploration and production companies, private equity funds, purchasers and sellers in all aspects of upstream and midstream oil and gas transactions. This includes acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, financings, participation agreements, and other agreements related to the ownership and development of oil and gas properties. Mr. Boone received his J.D., cum laude, from Baylor University School of Law and his B.B.A., summa cum laude, from Saint Edward’s University.

Ms. Borkovic, a member of the firm’s international trade practice, counsels clients on law and policy affecting international trade and business, including economic sanctions programs, export controls, and antibribery and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Among other issues, she advises clients on International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) matters and is among the few lawyers in the field who have negotiated an enforcement action and consent agreement with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to settle ITAR violations. Ms. Borkovic received her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. She has an M.A. from the University of Sussex in England and a B.A. from Cornell University.

Mr. Brush, a member of the firm’s corporate practice, focuses on capital markets transactions. He advises issuers and investors on public offerings and private placements of equity and debt securities, liability management transactions, securities law considerations and covenant compliance issues. He also works with distressed debt investors, ad hoc creditor groups and debtors on exchange offers and other restructuring matters. Mr. Brush received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College.

Mr. Centrich focuses on corporate and securities transactions as a member of the firm’s energy practice. He works on matters primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings and private equity financings, corporate finance transactions, securities law compliance and other general corporate matters. Mr. Centrich received his J.D., with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law and his B.B.A., cum laude, from the University of Miami.

Mr. Chen is a member of the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice, where he works on federal and state appellate litigation and provides strategic advice to clients appearing before trial courts and agencies. In particular, he possesses significant experience litigating issues relating to administrative and constitutional law, bankruptcy, intellectual property and Native American tribes. Mr. Chen received his J.D., with highest honors, from Columbia Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Columbia Law Review, and his A.B., magna cum laude, from Princeton University.

Mr. Hauter advises clients on American Indian law and policy as part of Akin Gump’s public law and policy practice. A member of the Gila River Indian Community, he primarily represents Indian tribes and tribally owned enterprises on a variety of matters, including federal policy, Indian water rights, Indian gaming, land into trust, economic development and environmental regulation. Mr. Hauter is also well versed in issues pertaining to tribal corporate and economic development matters. Mr. Hauter received his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Washington.

Ms. Ifudu, a member of Akin Gump’s international trade practice, works with companies, organizations and individuals to advise on various aspects of U.S. and international trade controls and regulatory compliance that affect cross border activities. These include U.S. export controls, U.S. and international economic sanctions and trade embargoes, U.S. antiboycott laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.S. anti-money laundering laws. Ms. Ifudu received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Connecticut.

Mr. Lavigne is a member of the firm’s global project finance practice providing legal and commercial advice in relation to the development, financing, purchase and sale of energy and infrastructure projects. His clients include public and private entities in domestic and international project finance and energy projects. Mr. Lavigne received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Pandit is a member of the investment management practice at Akin Gump and regularly counsels investors, including family offices, high-net-worth individuals and sovereign wealth funds, in connection with their investments in private investment funds, such as hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds and fund of funds. He also advises on acquiring interests in such funds or restructuring such funds through secondary transactions. In addition, Mr. Pandit represents fund sponsors in connection with the formation and operation of private equity and hedge funds and other alternative investment matters. Mr. Pandit received his J.D. from Howard University School of Law. He has an M.S. from The George Washington University and a B.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Ms. Zahabi focuses on financial regulatory matters in the UK relevant to the investment management and funds industry. Her clients include a wide range of financial institutions, particularly alternative investment managers. She advises on a wide range of regulatory matters including market abuse, governance and conduct, regulatory applications and notifications, matters relating to the trading of derivatives, as well as advising on developments and considerations regarding changes to the UK and EU financial regulatory framework. Ms. Zahabi attended BPP Law School and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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