Firm Profile > Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP > New York, United States

Structured finance: securitization Tier 1

Land use/zoning Tier 1

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is considered the ‘gold standard’ for land use and zoning work in New York City. The 12-strong team works on high-profile mandates, which have included assisting Google with the zoning due diligence in relation to its $2.4bn acquisition of Chelsea Market from Jamestown Properties, and also advising on ongoing land use with regard to the potential expansion of the property. The team also advised JPMorgan Chase on various aspects of the planned redevelopment of its headquarters on Park Avenue - the first major project to be carried out under the Greater East Midtown Rezoning Plan, passed in 2017. In addition, the team continues to act as counsel to Related Companies in relation to numerous zoning aspects concerning the development of Hudson Yards; with the firm's assistance, the client was able to create a complex underlying legal architecture allowing for the establishment of multiple business sites with separate financings. Melanie Meyers is a key figure in the practice group, as is Carol Rosenthal, who ‘intimately understands the complexities of zoning in a way that is grounded in both historical context and palatable ways to set new precedent’. ‘True star’ Zachary Bernstein stands out for his ‘willingness to be clear that there aren't always simple clear answers and that some goals require a more subjective path’; he co-led the JPMorgan Chase mandate with David Karnovsky, another key practitioner. Special counsel Wesley O’Brien and associate Nicholas Williams are also recommended.

Real estate Tier 1

‘Best in class’ Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is adept at handling acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, joint ventures, REIT matters, litigation, and land use and development issues, as well as mortgage, mezzanine and construction financing for borrowers and lenders. A recent highlight saw Robert Sorin advise Google on its $2.4bn acquisition of the Chelsea Market building in New York City. Practice chair Jonathan Mechanic, who is ‘a great intermediary when negotiating complex transactions’, advised JP Morgan on its headquarters redevelopment at 270 Park Avenue in New York, while Tal Golomb and Sorin advised Related Companies and Vornado Realty Trust on the $1.6bn redevelopment of the James A Farley post office building as part of the redevelopment of New York's Penn Station. Joshua Mermelstein led in representing Trinity Church Wall Street on Disney's $650m purchase of a 99-year lease at 4 Hudson Square, where the company will build its new New York headquarters. The firm continues to represent Related Companies and Oxford Properties on the $20bn development project at Hudson Yards, and this year it secured the sale of leases to Third Point, Arosa Capital Management and HealthCor Management, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and Mount Sinai. Of counsel Stephen Lefkowitz and Washington DC-based Valerie Kelly are also recommended, as is associate Alex Sutherland and Nathaniel Lifschitz, who was promoted to partner in March 2018. Other clients include Maefield Development, Brookfield, The Children’s Investment Fund Management and Blackstone. All named attorneys are based in New York unless stated otherwise.

US taxes: non-contentious Tier 1

The ‘talented and creative’ tax group at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP can ‘solve any complicated tax issue with ease and is great at translating technical tax issues to a variety of audiences’. The practice is particularly known for its strong track record in public M&A, fund formation and capital markets transactions, where its counts Morgan Stanley and BlackRock as recent clients. Kenneth Rosenfeld and Washington DC-based Michelle Gold are ‘the leading experts in private equity’ according to some clients, and Eli Weiss is ‘a safe pair of hands for corporate tax law’. Joseph Fox, who was made partner in March 2018 and is ‘one of the best advisors for registered funds taxation’, handled several capital markets transactions on behalf of issuers ONEOK and T-Mobile. David Shapiro and Christopher Roman represented Bain Capital on its acquisition of Harvard Management Company’s real estate team. In Washington DC Alan Kaden advised Aleris on its acquisition by Novelis for approximately $2.6bn, and Michael Alter was involved in Jacobs Engineering Groups’ $3.3bn acquisition of CH2M Hill in a cash and stock transaction. Associate Shane Hoffmann is also recommended for structuring corporate acquisitions and spin-offs. Colin Kelly joined in July 2018 from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and advises on tax issues relating to investment funds and asset managements. Daniel Paulos left for KPMG (New York) in April 2018. All named partners are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Alternative/hedge funds Tier 2

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s 'knowledgeable, thorough, and responsive' team advises a number of well-known names in the hedge fund arena on a broad range of regulatory issues, fund seeding deals, and fund launches and reorganizations, and reports an uptick in manager M&A mandates. Lawrence Barshay heads the practice, and has solid expertise in complex fund formations. Lisa Schneider acts as counsel to Citadel regarding structuring of funds, and Walid Khuri, based in Washington DC, provides ongoing advice to Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Strategies. Jonathan Adler is also a name to note. Other clients include Point72, BlackRock, and Brookfield Asset Management. The team is based in New York unless stated otherwise.

Capital markets: equity offerings Tier 2

The New York-based practice at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP strikes a balance between issuer and underwriter-side work, but is arguably best known for its track record in advising private equity sponsors. Corporate finance specialist Daniel Bursky heads the department and recently teamed up with Mark Hayek, who is ‘absolutely outstanding’, and Lee Barnum to advise Barclays, as underwriter, on Athene Holding’s $507m follow-on offering. Among its issuer-side highlights, Andrew Barkan (‘the complete package’) and Meredith Mackey acted for AEA-backed Evoqua Water Technologies, and certain selling shareholders, on Evoqua’s $500m IPO. Barkan and Barnum also advised At Home Group on four sizeable follow-on offerings, which included a $331m offering. Other representative clients include Cranemere, Onex and Permira.

Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional Tier 2

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s New York-based practice group acts for prominent investment firms such as AEA Investors, CVC Growth Fund and Wendel. Clients particularly praised the team for its resourcefulness and up-to-date knowledge of market trends and developments. Donald Carleen, Amy Blackman, Washington DC-based Adam Kaminsky and practice head Jeffrey Ross acted for Goldman Sachs in a number of transactions, including its $1.6bn joint venture acquisition of Lucid Energy Group II and its acquisition of Aviation Facilities Company. The team also advised Humana, as part of a consortium, on the employee benefits and executive compensation aspects of its $4.1bn acquisition of Kindred at Home.

Government contracts Tier 2

The team at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has been especially active in the transactional sphere. In a representative example, practice co-chair and of counsel James McCullough acted for US Security Associates, a full-service safety and security solution provider with more than 50,000 employees, in its sale to Allied Universal, which included a cross-border element. In a matter in the education technology sector, McCullough and special counsel Michael Anstett assisted Onex Partners with its acquisition of a stake in PowerSchool Group from Vista Equity Partners. The firm also has a strong offering in the bid protest arena, where McCullogh successfully represented Science Applications International Corporation in pre-award bid protests before the Small Business Administrations’ Office of Hearings and the Court of Federal Claims. Other clients include Leidos, SOC and Advanced Technology International. Douglas Baruch is the other practice co-chair and has been active for clients on FCA matters. Litigation special counsel Jennifer Wollenberg led the team in a class-action against the US government relating to the denial of thousands of immigrant US soldiers access to expedited naturalization through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program; as a result of the lawsuit, more than 800 soldiers have become US citizens.

M&A litigation: defense Tier 2

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP climbs the ranking this year, having had key roles in high-profile cases, including a challenge to the merger of Xerox and Fujifilm. Key partners James Wareham in Washington DC and Scott Luftglass in New York acted for four Xerox board members in an individual action brought by a stockholder, a consolidated class action and a derivative action, all of which alleged breach of fiduciary duty in approving the merger. The first two matters were successfully settled. Luftglass also handled a case in Delaware Chancery Court between his client Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Company, following Tribune’s termination of their proposed merger. Both parties allege that the other breached provisions of the merger agreement. Another key matter saw Luftglass act for CVC Capital Partners in defeating a case brought by minority shareholders in Bolt - a subsidiary of target company Actua - who claim a right of first refusal for CVC's $328m acquisition of the parent company.

Private equity funds (including venture capital) Tier 2

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is very well known for assisting prominent names in the private equity industry with high-value, complex fund formation matters. Kenneth Rosh ('a very effective leader') and Jeremy Berry advised Fortress Investment Group with fundraising for Fortress Japan Opportunity Fund IV, a series of parallel funds focused on Japanese real estate-related investments. Rosh and Rebecca Neuschatz Zelenka, who is based in Washington DC, acted as counsel to Brookfield Asset Management on forming Brookfield Strategic Real Estate Partners III, a flagship real estate fund for the client. Other key figures in Washington DC include Matthew Howard and Richard Ansbacher, the latter of whom is noted for his expertise in representing global equity funds. All named attorneys are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

Securities litigation - defense Tier 2

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has a busy securities litigation practice in New York and Washington DC, and last year it handled litigation matters for some of the firm's largest corporate clients, including UnderArmour, Perrigo and Xerox. For UnderArmour, James Wareham in DC and Samuel Groner in New York secured the dismissal of a consolidated class action in which it was claimed that its officers made material misstatements regarding the company’s performance and future prospects, including allegations that it had failed to report declining consumer demand for its products. For pharmaceuticals company Perrigo, Wareham and DC-based James Anklam defended a 10b5 class action in which plaintiffs allege that the company's stock price fell due to, inter alia, overstatement of organic growth in the company and failure to disclose problems with the integration of Omega Pharma Invest. Other recommended partners in New York include Stephen Juris, Israel David and Scott Luftglass.

Structured finance: derivatives and structured products Tier 2

Acting for buy-side and sell-side clients, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has experience of OTC and exchange-traded derivative transactions and also advises prominent asset managers and custody banks on the development and maintenance of trading agreements. Of particular note, Robert McLaughlin and Washington DC-based William Breslin acted for a number of corporate end-users in structured transactions involving real estate and corporate finance and M&A. Another key figure in the team is David Mitchell, who is advising a host of high-profile asset managers on regulatory issues, most recently concerning the interaction between evolving SEC and CFTC regulatory policies. The team is engaged by asset managers including Brookfield Asset Management and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, while end-user clients include Merck & Co, Permira and Humana.

Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings Tier 3

‘A go-to firm for private equity sponsors’, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is praised for its premier acquisition finance practice, which specializes in advising clients such as AEA Investors, New Mountain and Onex on bond offerings. The New York-based group is also a popular choice for corporate issuers and underwriters looking for support on sophisticated high-yield debt transactions. Of recent note, the firm won its first instruction from T-Mobile, which turned to capital markets head Daniel Bursky and impressive younger partner Mark Hayek for advice on its high-profile $5bn high-yield debt offering. On the manager side, it advised the initial purchasers on a $350m high-yield notes offering by Warrior Met Coal — Bursky, Andrew Barkan, Meredith Mackey and Joshua Coleman co-led that work.

Commercial lending Tier 3

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is praised for its 'strong team of fund financing and LBO financing professionals'. Led by the highly regarded J Christian Nahr, the practice group provides clients with a strong mix of talent and experience, from seasoned experts such as F William Reindel ('one of the most experienced lenders' counsel in NYC'), Daniel Bursky, and Brian Murphy, to highly active up-and-comers including Adam Summers. Lender-side highlights included advising Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and Goldman Sachs on the €1.9bn refinancing of SIG Combibloc Group, which was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange by Onex Corporation in 2018. On the sponsor side, the team advised Onex Corporation on the $1.3bn financing for its acquisition of PowerSchool Group and PeopleAdmin; it also acted for Jacobs Engineering Group in a $2.3bn financing deal, which was linked to its acquisition of CH2M Hill Companies.

Private equity buyouts Tier 3

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP continues to advise some of the most notable clients in the market, including Goldman Sachs, AEA Investors and Permira. In 2018, it advised Permira on a series of transactions, including its $715m sale of BakerCorp to United Rentals and its $1.68bn sale of Magento to Adobe Systems. Robert Schwenkel is global head of M&A and private equity and has built connections to a range of prominent financial sponsors, including Permira and Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division. Christopher Ewan and Steven Steinman are co-heads of the private equity group, with both noted for their connection to AEA Investors and other key clients. Washington DC's Brian Mangino is another key figure within the practice who has also frequently advised Permira and Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division. Andrea Gede-Lange and Randi Lally are emerging talents. The named are based in New York unless stated otherwise.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) Tier 3

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP advises some of the world’s largest REITs on high-profile transactions; the team fields lawyers with corporate, real estate, tax, M&A and private equity expertise as well as experience in restructuring and insolvency, capital markets, finance, and litigation. The team advised Seritage Growth Properties, a subsidiary of a publicly traded retail REIT, on refinancing its existing unsecured term loan facility. Lee Parks, Christopher Roman and Steven Rudgayzer in New York are key contacts in the practice group. Also of note, the DC office was strengthened by the arrivals of Stuart Barr and Cameron Cosby from Hogan Lovells US LLP.

Capital markets: debt Tier 4

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP’s robust acquisition finance practice is well versed in representing private equity sponsors in bond offerings. The New York-based team also stands out for its expertise in financial services and energy-related matters, as well as cross-border transactions. Among its issuer-side highlights, Joshua Coleman assisted ONEOK with notes offerings totaling $1.2bn. On the underwriter front, capital markets head Daniel Bursky paired up with ‘excellent lawyer’ Andrew Barkan to advise Citigroup Global Markets, Goldman Sachs and HSBC Bank on Procter & Gamble’s €2.1bn three-tranche notes offering. The department also includes ‘outstanding up-and-coming partner’ Mark Hayek and newly promoted partner Lee Barnum. Onex and Permira are also among the group’s key clients.

Capital markets: global offerings Tier 4

A popular choice for private equity sponsors on IPOs and bond offerings, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP also acts for an impressive roster of corporations on capital markets issues, including Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Merck and Under Armour. In addition, the New York-based group stands as designated underwriters counsel to several seasoned issuers including Athene, Estée Lauder and Procter & Gamble. Names to note include capital markets head Daniel Bursky, who recently acted alongside Andrew Barkan to advise the underwriters on Procter & Gamble’s €2.1bn offering of notes in three tranches. Shipping is another group sweet spot and shipping head Joshua Wechsler, together with Mark Hayek, advised Navios Maritime Holdings and Navios Maritime Finance II (US) on their $305m notes issuance and $291m tender offer.

Financial services litigation Tier 4

Tapping into the resources of general commercial litigators with substantial financial services experience, as well as lawyers with significant experience across white-collar criminal defense and internal investigations, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is well positioned to represent banks, insurance companies, asset managers and broker-dealers across the spectrum of regulatory investigations, enforcement actions and private litigation, from both a civil and criminal perspective. 'Outstanding' New York-based partner Stephen Juris provides 'extremely strong oral and written advocacy skills' across private litigation and agency enforcement matters.

International arbitration Tier 4

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP's arbitration team has expertise in representing multinational corporations, international organizations and sovereign entities in complex arbitration proceedings. The team is headed by James Wareham, and is acting for Total in ICSID proceedings against the Republic of Uganda regarding certain investments in petroleum operations in Uganda, contractual obligations and obligations under the Netherlands-Uganda BIT. Key contacts are Douglas Baruch and David Morris in New York. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

M&A: large deals ($1bn+) Tier 4

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a New York powerhouse with an additional US presence in Washington DC. It has an established record in strategic M&A, hostile takeovers and defense matters and is recognized for its experience in real estate, media, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and financial institutions transactions. It has 'one of the top deal teams in the US', is 'business savvy, aware of all the latest trends and has experts in all of the areas of deal-making'. It has 'a market leading financial services M&A business, having led and set precedent for many deals in the space', according to one client. Clients include Aleris, Catalent, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Humana, Knight Transportation, Koch Industries and Leidos Holdings. It advised Aleris, the US-based aluminium producer, on its $2.6bn acquisition by Novelis. It advised Becton, Dickinson and Company, the global medical technology company on its acquisition of TVA Medical. Robert Schwenkel is global head of M&A and private equity and has an outstanding reputation in advising corporates and financial sponsors. Steve Epstein is an 'excellent counselor', 'the consummate deal lawyer who is very attuned to his clients, extremely responsive, thoughtful, with no wasted effort and knows the deal space intimately'; he and Philip Richter are co-heads of the practice, with the latter noted for his experience in representing financial advisers in M&A transactions. Washington DC’s Brian Mangino has an extensive record in private equity and M&A and Matthew Soran is 'a rising star with excellent skills and a total command of the documents and the issues'. Christopher Ewan 'has broad expertise and experience, is hugely commercial and fantastic in negotiations'. All partners are based in New York unless stated otherwise.

Merger control Tier 4

At Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in New York, Nathaniel Asker and special counsel Aleksandr Livshits 'are excellent attorneys with particular strength in asset management, which is a rarity in the world of antitrust'; they are 'exceptionally responsive and client-focused'. The pair recently represented Landmark and its subsidiary Dominion Enterprises in its sale of ForRent to CoStar, and collaborated with the London office to advise Aleris on its acquisition by Novelis. Permira Funds also appointed the group to handle a number of its transactions, including its takeover of Cisco's service provider video software solutions business and its sale of the Magento Commerce e-platform to Adobe.

Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate Tier 6

The ‘pragmatic and cost-effective’ Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP ‘knows how to go for the jugular to achieve the result for its client’. The multidisciplinary team of ‘great strategic thinkers’ specializes in investor work, representing buyers in distressed asset transactions, as well as cross-border litigation and capital markets deals related to Chapter 11 filings. New York-based practice head Brad Eric Scheler is ‘an exceptional adviser, very knowledgeable about his space’. He leads the ‘deep bench of talent’, which represented Centerbridge Partners, as the new capital provider in relation to the restructuring of Seadrill's bank and bond debt; the matter includes 13 credit facilities consisting of more than 70 banks across North America, South America, Europe and Asia within the Seadrill consolidated group. Former bankruptcy and restructuring partner Matthew Roose moved to Ropes & Gray LLP.

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP's team (which is 'always professional and personable') displays real aptitude for handling individual representations for clients in a variety of white-collar matters. It is chaired by James Wareham in Washington DC and Steven Witzel in New York. As an example of the group's capabilities, Witzel successfully represented William Tirrell, managing director and former head of regulatory reporting at Bank of America, in a four-year SEC investigation and active litigation relating to alleged securities law violations; Witzel achieved a settled order for the client. He also represents former New York City Department of Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte in connection with investigations by the New York City Department of Investigation and other government entities, concerning the alleged personal use of City vehicles and illegal monitoring of telephone calls between inmates and the Department of Investigation. Other recommended practitioners include New York's Evan Barr (whose 'vast experience and understanding of securities law puts clients at ease'), Lawrence Gerschwer, Stephen Juris and Una Dean.