White & Case Promotes 26 to Local Partner and 14 to Counsel

Press Release

23 November 2022

14 min read

Global law firm White & Case LLP has promoted 26 lawyers to local partner and 14 lawyers to counsel.

"Our local partner and counsel promotions span ten global practices and 19 offices in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, reflecting the diverse and truly global nature of White & Case and our enduring commitment to investing in people for the long term," said White & Case Chair Hugh Verrier. "These lawyers have broad range of skills, experience and backgrounds and are successful in their careers because they combine exceptional ability, dedication to providing clients with the highest standard of service and a commitment to playing their role in the continuing progress of our Firm."

In addition to the internal promotions, White & Case has hired 11 local partners and 13 counsel during 2022 to date.

At White & Case, the position of local partner is offered in select White & Case regions and locations where it is common market practice including Mexico in the Americas; Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Middle East, Poland, South Africa and Spain in EMEA; and China, Japan and Korea in Asia-Pacific. It is a recognized career step toward admission into Firm partnership.

The role of counsel is for senior lawyers with significant experience in a particular practice area. The title is used across the Firm, in all offices, usually as an alternative career path to partnership.

The promotions are effective January 1, 2023 except where noted.

Americas (eight promotions)

Abby Boxer
Abby Boxer has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in New York, her practice focuses on advising agents, lead arrangers, financial institutions, private credit funds, private equity sponsors and corporate borrowers on a wide range of credit facilities including secured and unsecured syndicated financings, unitranche financings, ABL facilities, debtor-in-possession and exit financings, mezzanine finance and general bank lending.

Caitlin Colesanti
Caitlin Colesanti has been named counsel in our Global Capital Markets Practice. Based in New York, her practice focuses on advising domestic issuers, investment banks and sponsors on whole-business securitizations, rental car securitizations, asset-backed financings, receivables financings and CLO issuances and refinancings.

Rebeca Garcia Lopez
Rebeca Garcia Lopez has been named a local partner in our Global Capital Markets Practice. Based in Mexico City, her practice focuses on advising international and domestic financial institutions, banks, broker-dealers, issuers and underwriters on cross-border securities offerings, lenders and borrowers on debt and equity cross-border and domestic financings, and purchasers, sellers and investors on stock and asset acquisitions.

Roman Gonzalez Melo
Roman Gonzalez Melo has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Mexico City, his practice focuses on antitrust law, representing international and domestic clients before the Federal Competition Commission and the Federal Telecommunications Institute, and advising on all types of procedures before the Mexican antitrust agencies including cartel and vertical restraints investigations, and special investigations on the existence of barriers to entry, essential facilities or effective competition.

Juan Carlos Llorens Rojas
Juan Carlos Llorens Rojas has been named a local partner in our Global Project Development and Finance Practice. Based in Mexico City, his practice focuses on advising developers and lenders on the design, implementation, collateralization and development of energy and infrastructure projects, as well as private developers and independent power producers on cross-border power and oil & gas transactions.

Diego Mora-Jensen Garza
Diego Mora-Jensen Garza has been named a local partner in our Global Commercial Litigation Practice. Based in Mexico City, his practice focuses on representing international and domestic clients in both the federal and local courts in commercial, bankruptcy and civil litigation, including experience in Amparo trials with an emphasis on civil and commercial law as well as bankruptcy procedures, executions of guaranty trusts, insurance conflicts and land disputes.

Ajita Shukla
Ajita Shukla has been named counsel in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Washington, DC, her practice focuses on advising multinational pharmaceutical companies, biotech start-ups and individual inventors on transactions in the life sciences industry involving pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device products and services, as well as advising clients in a range of other industries and technologies on the intellectual property-related aspects of various transactions.

Fernando Vazquez-Chelius Solis
Fernando Vazquez-Chelius Solis has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Mexico City, his practice focuses on cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions, as well as advising financial institutions and corporates on complex financing transactions including structured financings, acquisition financings, syndicated and bilateral loans, bridge loans, private equity financings and debt restructurings.

EMEA (25 promotions)

Waad Alkurini
Waad Alkurini has been named a local partner in our Global Project Development and Finance Practice, effective July 1, 2022. Based in Riyadh, her practice focuses on advising sponsors, developers, off-takers, contractors, lenders and governments on the development and financing of large-scale infrastructure and energy projects.

Manal Al-Musharaf
Manal Al-Musharaf has been named a local partner in our Global Capital Markets Practice, effective July 1, 2022. Based in Riyadh, her practice focuses on advising international and domestic public and private issuers, investment banks, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, corporates and family offices on a wide range of capital markets transactions including initial public offerings and secondary offerings, as well as ongoing corporate governance and reporting obligations.

Mathias Bogusch
Mathias Bogusch has been named a local partner in our Global Intellectual Property Practice. Based in Frankfurt, his practice focuses on advising clients on the structuring, drafting and negotiating of complex, cross-border commercial technology agreements, including all types of sourcing transactions, commercial arrangements, joint ventures and other types of cooperation agreements, as well as advising on intellectual property-related matters with a focus on software and data.

Michel Courtois
Michel Courtois has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Paris, his practice focuses on advising banks, other financial institutions and borrowers on cross-border and domestic transactions, particularly acquisition finance including syndicated finance, leveraged finance and private debt financings.

Katarzyna Czwartosz-Liber
Katarzyna Czwartosz-Liber has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Warsaw, her practice focuses on advising clients on real estate transactions including the acquisition, development, commercialization and construction of investments such as shopping malls, supermarkets, exhibition centers, offices and residential buildings.

Sandra D'Ascenzo
Sandra D'Ascenzo has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Frankfurt, her practice focuses on advising international and domestic clients on real estate-related matters including acquisition financing, the refinancing and restructuring of real estate companies and the negotiation of real estate property-related contracts, as well as providing ongoing advice on landlords, real property owners and real estate transactions.

Monika Duzynska
Monika Duzynska has been named a local partner in our Global Capital Markets Practice. Based in Warsaw, her practice focuses on corporate law, securities law, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance, with experience advising on numerous public shares issues, as well as public and private issuances of debt securities by international and Polish corporates.

Markus Fischer
Markus Fischer has been named a local partner in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Frankfurt, his practice focuses on advising banks and other financial institutions, private equity investors and corporates on complex, cross-border finance transactions including acquisition financings, corporate loans, syndications and bank/bond and high yield financings, as well as the acquisition and sale of non-performing loan portfolios, structured finance, real estate finance and project finance.

Fraser Galloway
Fraser Galloway has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Dubai, his practice focuses on advising clients in a broad range of industry sectors on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings and private equity transactions.

Alfonso Garcia Freire
Alfonso Garcia Freire has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Madrid, his practice focuses on advising major commercial banks, investment banks, financial institutions, private equity sponsors and corporate borrowers on cross-border and domestic leveraged acquisition financings, financial restructurings, syndicated and bilateral loans, securitizations and debt capital markets.

Roger Gaspard
Roger Gaspard has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Dubai, his practice focuses on advising corporates and financial institutions on a variety of complex public and private mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets transactions.

Alexandre Hublet
Alexandre Hublet has been named a local partner in our Global Commercial Litigation Practice. Based in Brussels and Luxembourg, his practice focuses on representing international and domestic clients in international dispute resolution, national and international arbitration, white collar investigations and complex commercial disputes.

Laura Kitchen
Laura Kitchen has been named counsel in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in London, her practice focuses on advising clients on a range of financial regulation matters across a broad spectrum of UK and European rules and regulations, including the Market Abuse Regulation, MiFID II, the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, regulatory capital, change in control, payments and consumer credit.

Zahra Knapper
Zahra Knapper has been named a local partner in our Global Asset Finance Practice effective April 1, 2023. Currently based in London, she is relocating to Dubai in early 2023 and her practice focuses on advising clients on financing transactions in the aviation, maritime, oil & gas and infrastructure sectors.

Anna Lubberger
Anna Lubberger has been named a local partner in our Global Antitrust Practice. Based in Düsseldorf, her practice focuses on advising clients in a range of industries on European and German antitrust law, including complex merger reviews, cartel investigations, anticompetitive agreements, abusive dominance cases, vertical restraints, antitrust litigation and compliance.

Ignacio Madalena
Ignacio Madalena has been named a local partner in our Global International Arbitration Practice. Based in Madrid, his practice focuses on commercial arbitration and investment arbitration, representing infrastructure funds and multinational corporations in proceedings under the ICSID, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL arbitration rules, and involving a broad range of industries and sectors in claims brought under investment treaties.

Marlene Maesch
Marlene Maesch has been named counsel in our Global Commercial Litigation Practice. Based in Düsseldorf, her practice focuses on advising clients on insolvency law litigation and company law related to insolvency proceedings, with experience in complex insolvency-related disputes involving rights of rescission, capital provision and preservation, and on liability actions against board members of insolvent companies.

Mahir Maini
Mahir Maini has been named counsel in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in London, his practice focuses on advising clients on a broad range of corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, disposals, joint ventures, corporate finance and equity capital markets, as well as advising the sponsors of, and investors in, private investment funds, co-investment vehicles and separately managed accounts.

Claire-Marie Mallad
Claire-Marie Mallad has been named a local partner in our Global Capital Markets Practice. Based in Frankfurt, her practice focuses on advising financial institutions, investors and issuers on a wide range of capital markets transactions including EMTN and CP programs, regulatory capital and covered bond transactions, digital asset-backed ETNs and trade finance transactions, as well as structured finance products including asset-backed and risk transfer projects.

Gustav Ollinger
Gustav Ollinger has been named a local partner in our Regulatory & Public Law practice. Based in Berlin, his practice focuses on advising private and public entities on regulatory and public law, with a particular emphasis on the automotive, transport, energy and media sectors.

Vasi Papadopoulos
Vasi Papadopoulos has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Dubai, her practice focuses on advising international and domestic corporates, financial institutions, private equity firms and family offices in a range of sectors on a variety of transactions including cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and restructurings.

Alisa Preissler
Alisa Preissler has been named a local partner in our Global Tax Practice. Based in Frankfurt, her practice focuses on advising multinational and domestic clients on all tax aspects of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, real estate and capital markets transactions.

Andrea Pretti
Andrea Pretti has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Milan, his practice focuses on advising international and domestic private equity sponsors, industrial companies and investment banks on cross-border and domestic transactions in a variety of sectors including pharmaceutical, financial services, technology, media and telecommunications, as well as advising clients on general corporate and commercial law matters.

Petr Smerkl
Petr Smerkl has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Prague, his practice focuses on advising international and local lenders, investors and corporates on international and domestic bank financing transactions, as well as underwriters and issuers on a range of debt and equity capital market products.

Philip Vavalidis
Philip Vavalidis has been named a local partner in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Dubai, his practice focuses on advising sovereign wealth funds, private equity firms, other financial sponsors and alternative capital providers on a range of transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity investments and co-investments, disposals and other corporate matters.

Asia-Pacific (seven promotions)

Nathaniel Crowley
Nathaniel Crowley has been named a local partner in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Hong Kong, his practice focuses on advising global financial institutions, sovereigns, funds and corporates on OTC derivatives, structured finance including cash and synthetic securitizations and credit- and equity-linked notes, repo and stock lending transactions, finance-linked hedging and related regulatory matters.

Xuan Jin
Xuan Jin has been named a local partner in our Global Capital Markets Practice. Based in Hong Kong, his practice focuses on advising issuers, sponsors and arrangers across a number of jurisdictions on debt capital markets, including securitizations and other structured finance and private credit, sustainable finance and Islamic finance transactions, particularly in the sovereign, sovereign-related entities, financial institutions and corporate sectors.

Kibbeum Kim
Kibbeum Kim has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Hong Kong, Kibbeum is relocating to Seoul. His practice focuses on advising private equity funds and their portfolio companies, as well as credit and other special situations funds, on a variety of financings in Asia-Pacific including leveraged and acquisition financings, direct lending transactions and special situations investments, together with the refinancing and restructurings of such transactions.

Amy Yang
Amy Yang has been named counsel in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Shanghai, her practice focuses on advising multinational companies in a variety of sectors on mergers and acquisitions, general corporate, foreign direct investment, employment and regulatory matters, with particular experience in China inbound investment including asset and equity acquisitions, greenfield investment, joint ventures, divestitures and other corporate restructuring.

Lorraine Yip
Lorraine Yip has been named counsel in our Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice. Based in Tokyo, her practice focuses on advising clients on corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, reorganizations, compliance matters and initial public offerings, with significant experience in public and private cross-border mergers and acquisitions outbound from, and inbound to, Hong Kong and Japan.

Olivia Yiu
Olivia Yiu has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Hong Kong, her practice focuses on advising clients on a variety of finance transactions including syndicated and bilateral loans, leveraged financings, China outbound financings and margin lending transactions.

Eva Yu
Eva Yu has been named counsel in our Global Debt Finance Practice. Based in Hong Kong, her practice focuses on advising clients on a variety of finance transactions including syndicated and bilateral loans, leveraged financings and real estate financing transactions.

In addition, the following 11 local partners and 13 counsel have joined White & Case laterally during 2022 so far.

Americas