Davis Polk today announced several updates to the firm’s practice area leadership:

Oliver Smith has been named co-head of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice alongside Will Aaronson. Oliver has a wide-ranging M&A practice encompassing U.S. and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and restructuring transactions. Oliver also represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies in all aspects of their businesses. In 2024, the American Lawyer named Oliver a “Dealmaker of the Year” for his work advising ExxonMobil on its $59.5 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources. Law360 named Oliver an “M&A MVP of the Year” in 2018 and again in 2024.

Howard Shelanski joins Art Burke as co-head of the firm’s Antitrust & Competition practice. Howard is one of the nation’s leading authorities on antitrust and regulation, with high-level experience at the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and in the Executive Branch. He is also a Professor of Law at Georgetown University. Howard advises clients on the antitrust aspects of their most important mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnerships across a range of industries. He also represents clients in conduct investigations by federal, state and non-U.S. antitrust authorities, and provides counsel on a variety of general competition and regulatory matters. From 2013 to 2017, Howard served as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Before that, he was Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics. Howard also served as the FCC’s Chief Economist and as a Senior Economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Meyer Dworkin has assumed the role of head of Structured Finance. Meyer advises lenders and borrowers on a wide range of finance transactions, including private credit and syndicated acquisition and other leveraged and investment-grade financings, asset-based financings, debtor-in-possession and other distressed financings, and structured credit financings. Since 2019, Meyer has advised on approximately $60 billion of structured credit financings across more than 260 transactions for leading private equity and private credit investors and financial institutions. His structured credit practice includes work on NAV facilities, capital call facilities, and single-asset and portfolio back-leverage transactions secured by liquid and illiquid debt, equity and other asset classes. In addition, he represents hedge funds, private equity funds and corporations in negotiating prime brokerage, derivatives and repurchase agreements, as well as other trading and financing documentation and complex structured financial products. 

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