Akin Promotes 22 Lawyers to Partnership

(New York) – Akin announced today the promotion of 22 lawyers to its partnership, effective January 1, 2025. This is the largest number of new partner promotions in the firm’s history, reflecting the strength of the firm and its continued investment in growth. The move further positions Akin, across a mix of practices, as the market leader in advising clients during times of geopolitical and macroeconomic change.

The lawyers who have been promoted are: Anthony Ameduri, Devin Arnold, Marshall Baker, Katie Brossy, Leana Garipova, Dasha Hodge, Zachary Lanier, Ekaterina Lyashenko, Qasam Mahmood, Dougall Meston, Virgil Miller, Katherine Penberthy Padgett, Chris Parrott, Lide Paterno, George Pence, Brian Rafkin, Nicholas Rice, Frankie Shulkin, Devin Sikes, Tuvia Tendler, Jonathan Underwood and Julian Veshi.

“These new partners exemplify Akin’s highest values—unwavering dedication to the pursuit of excellence, a commitment to client success and a spirit of collaboration,” said Kim Koopersmith, chairperson of the firm. “I am proud to welcome them to the partnership and excited to see them step into this new level of leadership and responsibility.”

Anthony S. Ameduri (Corporate, New York) represents asset managers and public and private companies in corporate and securities matters, including special situations transactions, traditional capital markets transactions and corporate governance.

Devin Arnold (Real Estate, Fort Worth) advises on a variety of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, construction and development projects, financings and joint ventures. His practice is focused on the data center market, where he is known for advising clients in connection with data center development, including the design, construction, financing and leasing of data centers and co-location facilities.

Marshall Baker (Litigation, Los Angeles) is a litigator and strategist concentrating his practice on complex business disputes and multistate class action defense. He handles a wide range of high-stakes disputes on behalf of public and private companies, leading cases filed in state and federal courts around the country.

Katie Brossy (Lobbying & Public Policy, Washington, D.C.) is a leading advisor to Indian tribes, tribal governmental instrumentalities and tribally owned enterprises. She has advised on a number of significant tribal issues, including one of the largest Indian water rights settlements in U.S. history and the largest tribal trust claim settlement. Katie is also highly regarded for her work in negotiating 105(l) leases with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Indian Health Service (IHS). She is a citizen of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.

Leana Garipova (Corporate, Houston) advises clients on public and private mergers & acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures and other complex corporate transactions, including those in the energy industry.

Dasha Hodge (Corporate, Houston) has significant experience advising strategic and private equity clients on M&A transactions and upstream acquisition and divestiture (A&D) transactions. With a robust background in private equity, she also guides sponsors through capital deployment and successful exits and has represented a number of management teams in the initial investments and ongoing operations.

Zachary Lanier (Financial Restructuring, Dallas) focuses his practice on an array of complex financial restructuring matters. He represents debtors, secured creditors, debtor in possession (DIP) lenders, hedge funds, official committees of unsecured creditors, institutional investors and acquirers of businesses and assets in distressed situations. Zach provides advice on chapter 11 cases of all sizes and complexity, as well as in connection with out-of-court restructurings, liability management transactions and cross-border matters.

Ekaterina Lyashenko (Tax, New York) advises clients on a broad range of U.S. and international tax matters, including in connection with fund formations, joint ventures, M&A, restructurings and financing arrangements. Her practice focuses on the structuring and operations of alternative investment funds globally, including private equity, venture capital, credit, secondary, fund-of-funds, hedge funds and hybrid/evergreen funds. Ekaterina also has broad experience advising on co-investments, separately managed accounts, fund-of-one structures, strategic joint ventures and other bespoke arrangements.

Qasam Mahmood (Investment Management, London) focuses on transactions in the secondaries market, a fast-growing and strategic component of the investment management practice. With over a decade of experience in this highly technical area of the practice, Qasam plays a leading role in relationships with a number of the world’s leading secondaries funds. Through his practice, he represents lead investors and fund sponsors in single- and multi-asset GP-led secondaries. Qasam also represents fund sponsors on private fundraisings and investors on a wide range of transactions, with extensive experience in managed accounts, co-investments and fund structuring.

Dougall Meston (Corporate, London) focuses on a wide variety of corporate transactions for both private and public clients, including complex cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, while also supporting London restructuring and special situation engagements.

Virgil Miller (Lobbying & Public Policy, Washington, D.C.) has nearly 20 years of Washington experience and provides counsel for many of the firm’s key clients on a wide range of issues, including technology and health care. He previously worked for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Rep. Cedric Richmond, former Assistant to the Majority Whip, former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and former White House Senior Advisor.

Katherine Penberthy Padgett (International Trade/Outbound and Inbound Investment, Washington, D.C.) focuses her practice on Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and other emerging national security considerations for corporate, funds, private equity and sovereign clients engaged in high stakes cross-border investment and commercial transactions. She previously served in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State as the lead attorney for CFIUS matters and as the principal lawyer on international investment matters.

Chris Parrott (Corporate, London) is a finance lawyer advising special situations and opportunistic investment funds, private credit funds, banks and institutional investors on a variety of bespoke and complex distressed and non-distressed debt structures and transactions. He also advises on the financing aspects of restructuring matters.

Lide Paterno (Litigation, Washington, D.C.) is a recognized appellate lawyer who focuses on government-facing regulatory litigation while managing many of the firm’s high-value cases concerning novel constitutional and statutory issues. Lide is a former clerk to a federal appellate judge.

George Pence (International Trade/Investigations, Los Angeles) is a national security and white collar criminal defense and investigations attorney focusing his practice on export controls and sanctions enforcement. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the National Security Division, Terrorism and Export Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Brian Rafkin (Antitrust/Competition, Washington, D.C.) represents clients in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission in merger and non-merger antitrust investigations while also leading Akin’s Hart-Scott-Rodino pre-merger filing practice. As a former attorney in the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, Brian is a go-to choice for clients facing antitrust agency scrutiny in the most challenging matters.

Nicholas Rice (Investment Management, New York) focuses on private equity and investment management matters, with a concentration on fund formation and structuring, capital raising, private equity investments, joint ventures, reorganizations and other strategic transactions. He also provides advice to institutional investors such as sovereign wealth funds in connection with their investments in funds. Nick has deep experience advising on the full spectrum of investment strategies, including private equity, secondaries, real estate, credit, fund of funds, hybrid and evergreen funds.

Frankie Shulkin (Corporate, Dallas) advises asset managers and credit funds, as well as private and public companies, in a wide range of special situations matters, including strategic equity and debt investments, general securities and M&A transactions and restructurings in and outside of bankruptcy.

Devin S. Sikes (International Trade/Trade Remedies, Washington, D.C., Houston) helps government and corporate clients across the globe navigate complex international trade laws and policies, as well as tariffs. With a particular focus on trade policy and trade remedy matters, Devin advises clients on a wide range of policies, administrative proceedings and high-stakes litigation. He serves on the U.S. roster of panelists who resolve trade remedy disputes arising under Chapter 10 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and on the U.S. Court of International Trade’s Rules Advisory Committee. He served in the U.S. government for nearly a decade before joining the firm, including clerkships with judges on the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Tuvia Tendler (Tax, Boston) advises private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds and investment manager clients on a variety of complex tax matters. He has a particular focus advising on the tax aspects of sophisticated transactions and investments across sectors, including asset management, financial services, technology, real estate, venture capital, health care and agtech, among others. Tuvia guides clients through the complete investment life cycle, including structuring, fundraising, formation, carry plans, M&A and A&D.

Jonathan Underwood (Intellectual Property, Philadelphia) is experienced in all phases of patent infringement litigation at the trial and appellate level. With a focus on complex life science patent infringement matters, Jon is highly regarded for his work on Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) litigations and major cases involving antibody technology and vaccine technologies. As a Ph.D. organic chemist, Jon draws on his technical background and advises clients on matters involving small molecules and other issues involving molecular biology and pharmacology.

Julian Veshi (Corporate, London) is a U.S. securities lawyer advising on U.S. securities and corporate law aspects of M&A, special situations and restructuring transactions, and counsels boards and management of public companies on disclosure obligations, corporate governance and general corporate matters. Julian also advises companies and investment banks on capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on equity offerings, investment grade and high-yield debt offerings and liability management transactions.

Akin 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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