Ian Schuman > Latham & Watkins LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Latham & Watkins LLP‘s extensive national and international presence, along with its traditions in capital markets, makes it a top firm in global offerings in both debt and equity. It represents an enviable list of issuers and underwriters. The firm is at the forefront of global offerings originating from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and has a particular niche in Israeli offerings. It represented Oatly Group, the Swedish food company, on its $1.65bn IPO on Nasdaq and advised ATAI Life Sciences, the German clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, on its $285m IPO on Nasdaq. The firm is also building its standing in Latin America, having made some important lateral hires to its Latin America team in recent times.  New York managing partner Marc Jaffe has lengthy track record in global IPOs and high-yield debt offerings, and global head of capital markets Ian Schuman is a market leader in international IPOs. Nathan Ajiashvili is another prominent name, especially in the life sciences sector. All are based in New York.

Latham & Watkins LLP is the leading firm across issuer and underwriter engagements in the high-yield debt field. It holds a major market share on both sides, advising on more than 168 high-yield debt deals with a total value of $118bn during the period of research. The firm’s global standing and extensive geographic presence brings it a wealth of engagements from non-US issuers along with domestic issuers; many of its US offices are involved in capital markets transactions, including New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston and Silicon Valley. On the underwriter side, the firm routinely represents bulge-bracket investment banks such as BofA Securities, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Securities and Morgan Stanley. Amongst its steady diet of deals, it is frequently involved in M&A and buyout-driven transactions, along with debt restructurings. New York managing partner Marc Jaffe and global head of capital markets Ian Schuman are highly rated capital markets practitioners with extensive experience in high-yield debt. Keith Halverstam  is vice-chair of the capital markets practice and has a major focus on high-yield, as does Senet Bischoff . Stelios Saffos  has become a big name in the market and Washington DC’s Rachel Sheridan is a pivotal figure in Washington DC. All named individuals are based in New York, unless stated otherwise.

Latham & Watkins LLP could easily be regarded as the dominant firm in equity offerings given that its market share for  issuer and underwriter engagements routinely puts it amongst the top three firms in both categories. The firm has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of the capital markets field thanks to its effort to target buoyant sectors such as life sciences, tech, and the SPAC segment. It has also landed a series of engagements from foreign issuers seeking US offerings. Showcasing its ability to win the biggest deals in the market, the firm represented Airbnb on its headline $3.83bn IPO on Nasdaq. Global head of capital markets Ian Schuman  has an outstanding record in both equity and debt, as does New York managing partner Marc Jaffe. Gregory Rodgers  continues to be a leading figure in direct listings and Silicon Valley’s Richard Kline is at the forefront of tech sector offerings. Nathan Ajiashvili is widely acclaimed for his expertise in the life sciences segment.

Latham & Watkins LLP has an outstanding reputation in DCM, founded on an exceptional record in high-yield debt and a fast growing investment grade debt workload; in the 12-month research period the team advised on more than 75 investment grade deals valued at over $102bn. Although the firm has a bigger market share on the issuer side, it is a recognised force as underwriters’ counsel. Although the core of the team is located in New York, it benefits from the firm’s geographic spread across the US, including Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Century City, Chicago, Washington DC, Houston and Boston offices. The firm’s impressive client base features a sizeable number of big-name tech businesses. Marc Jaffe is managing partner of the New York office and a recognised authority in debt offerings. Global chair of the capital markets department Ian Schuman has an impressive mix of debt and equity engagements from issuers and underwriters. Gregory Rodgers has a rounded and extensive capital markets practice with a particularly strong record in the convertible debt field.

Latham & Watkins LLP‘s excellent reputation in the corporate governance sphere is reflected by the fact that its team acts for more than 400 public companies on high-risk and reputationally-sensitive matters. The practice is led by Ian Schuman, Keith Halverstam and Jenna Cooper, all of whom are based in New York. Under their leadership, the team advises clients on shareholder activism, control contests, audit and compensation committee matters and tax governance, among many other areas. It particularly distinguishes itself in SEC matters involving complex disclosure and compliance issues. Also notable is that the firm has launched a taskforce that focuses on handling ESG issues for clients. Recently promoted partner Julia Thompson, who is based in Washington DC, is another name to note at the firm.