Mr Anthony Vernace > Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP continues to operate at the apex of the private equity market, a consistent advisor to major firms and their portfolio companies across the gamut of PE areas from fund formation, acquisition and liquidity strategies, to exit transactions including sales and IPOs. In recent times the practice has handled a number of ultra-high-value transactions for blue-chip clients, advising KKR in its acquisition of Barracuda Networks Inc and representing Blackstone on the acquisition of PS Business Parks for approximately $7.6bn. Marni Lerner co-heads the practice and has a strong track record when it comes to complex M&A, divestitures, strategic investments and securities matters. Co-head Elizabeth Cooper specializes in M&A and boasts an impressive client list of the likes of Carlyle, Oaktree and New Mountain. In Palo Alto, Atif Azher represented Silver Lake Partners in connection with Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, with a total value around $61bn. Anthony Vernace has developed a stellar reputation among PE firms for joint ventures and other corporate transactions, while New York-based Michael Holick represents EQT in high-value transactions. Veteran Gary Horowitz has recently left the firm, while former co-head of M&A Katie Sudol departed in July 2022. All lawyers are New York-based unless otherwise specified.

Showcasing decades of experience in the structuring and negotiation of blockbuster M&A, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP remains a market leader, working with a broad range of strategic clients on a wealth of multi-billion dollar and headline-grabbing transactions, with particular strength in the life sciences, financial services, and technology sectors. Praised for its ‘exceptional level of knowledge‘, the team offers ‘practical advice‘ in the context of cross-border M&A matters, and is a prime destination for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. The ‘excellent‘ Eric Swedenburg is the go-to advisor to several public companies and special committees of boards of directors in M&A, spin-offs, joint ventures and shareholder activism; his practice also includes advising private equity firms and financial advisors in domestic and international transactions. Head of the financial institutions practice Lee Meyerson has an unrivalled reputation for complex mergers in the financial services space. Alan Klein‘s recent highlights include major transactions in the technology sector, such as Microsoft’s $75bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Strategic clients, investment banks and private equity firms routinely turn to Mario Ponce for representation in contested and negotiated M&A transactions, restructuring and governance issues. Anthony Vernace has worked on marquee deals on behalf of both public companies and private equity clients. All named attorneys are based in New York. Kathryn King Sudol is no longer at the firm.