Davis Polk has announced that 16 lawyers have been promoted to counsel effective December 1, 2020: Craig Bergman, Patrick Blakemore, Gina Cora, Elliot de Carvalho, Joshua Friedman, Jennifer Lan, Gerard McCarthy, Katharine O’Banion, Joseph Payne, Andrew Samuel, Philip Sheng, Xi Shi, Kai Sun, Matthew Yeowart, Kevin Zhang and Yuan Zheng.

Mr. Bergman is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department in New York. He represents clients in a wide range of civil litigation matters in both federal and state courts nationwide, including complex commercial and contractual disputes, securities class actions, M&A-related litigation, shareholder derivative suits and mass tort actions. He also has extensive arbitration experience before a variety of domestic and international tribunals. Mr. Bergman has represented financial institutions, fintech companies, telecommunications and media companies, biopharmaceutical companies, utility providers, professional services firms, defense contractors and state-owned entities, among others. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, with a focus on representing individuals seeking asylum in the United States.

Mr. Blakemore is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department in New York. His work includes representation of companies and individuals in all types of civil litigation matters, including securities and antitrust class actions, multifaceted commercial disputes and professional liability cases. He has represented U.S. and foreign clients from a range of industries, including finance, life sciences, technology and manufacturing, in numerous jurisdictions and at both the trial and appellate levels.

Ms. Cora is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department in New York. She advises financial institutions, corporations and hedge funds in connection with a wide variety of complex civil and commercial litigation matters. In addition, Ms. Cora has extensive experience representing international law firms facing malpractice and breach of duty claims. She also regularly advises multinational financial institutions and corporations in connection with regulatory enforcement actions and related civil litigation. 

Mr. de Carvalho is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department. He practices in the São Paulo office and worked for several years in the New York office. He represents both corporate and financial institution clients across a broad range of capital markets transactions, including SEC-registered and Rule 144A / Regulation S initial public offerings, as well as secondary offerings, high-yield and investment-grade debt offerings, and liability management transactions. He also advises corporate clients primarily based in Latin America on general corporate matters, including with respect to corporate governance, SEC reporting and other compliance matters. Mr. de Carvalho is a native Portuguese speaker.

Mr. Friedman is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department, practicing in the Hong Kong office. His practice focuses on global enforcement and litigation matters, including criminal and civil investigations and regulatory enforcement actions by authorities in the United States, Hong Kong and across Asia. As both a Hong Kong- and New York-qualified attorney, Mr. Friedman also regularly advises clients on related regulatory matters and complex cross-border issues. His clients include large investment banks, broker-dealers, hedge funds, private equity firms and companies in the energy, airline and insurance industries.

Ms. Lan is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, practicing in the Capital Markets Group in New York. She advises U.S. and foreign issuers and underwriters, including all of the major U.S. investment banks, on various public and private capital markets transactions, with a focus on investment-grade debt offerings. She also advises clients on general corporate matters, including corporate governance and securities law matters. Ms. Lan’s practice ranges across a variety of industries, including biotech, financial and consulting services, technology, consumer retail and industrials.

Mr. McCarthy is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department in New York. He has represented financial institutions and corporate clients in a wide range of matters and disputes throughout the country. His practice includes complex commercial and contract disputes, mass tort actions, sovereign immunity-related litigation and bankruptcy litigation. Mr. McCarthy also has an active pro bono practice and has represented and assisted individual asylum seekers in a number of matters.

Ms. O’Banion is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, practicing in the Derivatives and Structured Products Group in New York. She advises financial institutions, companies and investors on the structuring, negotiation and execution of a broad range of equity-linked transactions, including public and private convertible and exchangeable securities offerings and associated derivative transactions, accelerated share repurchase programs, margin loans secured by significant positions in public companies, and various equity-linked hedging and monetization transactions.

Mr. Payne is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, practicing in the Capital Markets Group in New York. He represents issuers and financial institution clients on a variety of public and private capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings and other equity offerings, investment-grade and high-yield debt financings, and liability management transactions. Mr. Payne has practiced in London as well as New York and has experience in securities offerings in a range of industries, including biotech, consumer goods, financial services, industrials, natural resources, pharmaceuticals, technology, telecommunications and utilities. His practice also includes advising U.S. public companies on general corporate, securities law and governance matters.

Mr. Samuel is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, practicing in the Financial Institutions Group in New York. His practice focuses on strategic financial regulatory advice. He advises financial firms on a wide range of financial regulatory matters, from strategic initiatives driven by regulation and supervision to the impact of changes in the regulatory landscape. He has extensive experience in the development and preparation of resolution plans, and has advised clients on enhanced prudential standards, the Volcker Rule and other areas of regulatory reform. His practice also covers corporate governance and risk management, as well as regulatory advice on transactions. Since the start of the pandemic, Mr. Samuel has been deeply involved in advising clients on the CARES Act, the Main Street Lending Program and the Paycheck Protection Program.

Mr. Sheng is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department, practicing in the Northern California office. His practice focuses on intellectual property litigation. He has represented clients before the International Trade Commission, federal district and appellate courts, and state courts, in matters related to life sciences and pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, semiconductor integrated circuits, smartphone and tablet displays, and related technologies. Mr. Sheng’s experience also includes serving as a law clerk to the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has exclusive, nationwide appellate jurisdiction over cases arising under the patent laws.

Mr. Shi is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, currently practicing as a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong. His practice focuses on M&A and private equity transactional matters, including acquisitions, divestitures, buyouts, mergers, going-private transactions, PIPEs and venture and growth capital financings. Mr. Shi has extensive experience advising on transactions in and out of Mainland China as well as other Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. 

Mr. Sun is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, practicing in the Hong Kong office. His practice focuses on capital markets, corporate finance and M&A. Mr. Sun has represented issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings and debt offerings. He has represented lenders, financial institutions and borrowers in connection with investment-grade financings, acquisition financings, spinoffs and cross-border financings. He also regularly advises on public takeovers and private acquisitions, going-private transactions, joint ventures, minority investments and dispositions, ongoing compliance for listed companies, and corporate governance.

Mr. Yeowart is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, practicing in the London office. His practice focuses on EU and U.K. competition law and foreign direct investment screening. He provides general antitrust counseling to companies, represents clients in transactional and behavioral cases before the European Commission and the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, and coordinates the work of local counsel appearing before regulators outside of the EU and U.K. He has also previously advised clients in relation to proceedings before the European Courts, the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal, the U.K. High Court and the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

Mr. Zhang is counsel in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department, currently practicing as a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong. He focuses on both capital markets and M&A transactions in China and the United States. He has substantial experience in complex capital markets transactions, representing both U.S. and non-U.S. issuers and all the major investment banks in IPOs and high-yield debt offerings. He also advises a broad range of corporate and financial investor clients on strategic mergers, pre-IPO investments, PIPE investments and joint ventures. Mr. Zhang also advises U.S. public companies on SEC reporting and corporate governance matters.

Ms. Zheng is counsel in Davis Polk’s Litigation Department, currently practicing as a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong. She advises multinational corporations, banks and Asia-based companies in regulatory and internal investigations of alleged FCPA violations and breaches of securities, anti-money laundering and sanctions laws. She also represents clients in securities litigations and advises fintech firms in relation to regulatory compliance.

 

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