The Deal Honors Top Rising Stars: Class of 2021

The Deal is proud to announce its Top Rising Stars honorees.

Comprising the top new partners at U.S. law firms as nominated by their peers, this year’s list identifies individuals who have displayed excellence in their respective legal fields including mergers and acquisitions and private equity.

Through its unique transactional perspective, The Deal looked to identify associates, now partners and firm members, doing spectacular work in the field of dealmaking and who have continued to progress in their career despite the obstacles put in front of them.

The Deal’s Top Rising Stars list honors top U.S.-based, M&A-focused partners. To be eligible, individuals should have made partner between March 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021, and shown an ability to navigate complex dealmaking situations.

Congratulations to the honorees!

Name – Firm — Date of Partnership — Date Joined Firm

• Stephen P. Alicanti – DLA Piper LLP (US) – April 2020 – September 2012
• William Allen – Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP – January 2021 – December 2012
• John Anderson – King & Spalding LLP – January 2021 – January 2015
• Carina Antweil – Baker Botts LLP – March 2021 – June 2018
• Lauren Battaglia – Hogan Lovells – January 2021 – October 2011
• Leah Baucom – K&L Gates – March 2020 – July 2017
• Katherine Baudistel – Goodwin Procter LLP – October 2020 – July 2018
• Daniel Belzer – Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP – March 2021 – August 2012
• Lauren Benny – Holland & Knight LLP – January 2021 – June 2011
• Will Boothby – Kirkland & Ellis LLP – October 2016 – March 2014
• Daniel Breslin – Latham & Watkins LLP – January 2021 – September 2012
• Ann Marie Brodarick – McDermott Will & Emery LLP – January 2021 – September 2013
• Vadim Brusser – Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP – January 2021 – May 2005
• Daniel J. Cerqueira – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP – January 2021 – October 2013
• Cheryl Chan – Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP – July 2020 – January 2012
• Esther Chang – Mayer Brown LLP – January 2021 – January 2018
• Barath Chari – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC – February 2021 – November 2011
• David R. Clark – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP – April 2020 – October 2011
• Peter Clarke – Winston & Strawn LLP – December 2020 – February 2017
• Corey Dickey – Jones Day – January 2021 – October 2010
• Katherine Duncan – Fenwick & West LLP – January 2021 – January 2010
• Matt Falcone – Vinson & Elkins LLP – January 2021 – January 2015
• Cynthia Fernandez Lumermann – Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – January 2021 – December 2013
• Katherine Frank – Vinson & Elkins LLP – January 2021 – October 2012
• Hannah Freeman – Ropes & Gray LLP – October 2020 – November 2011
• Benjamin C. Galea – Winston & Strawn LLP – December 2020 – April 2018
• Elizabeth Gallucci – Ropes & Gray LLP – November 2020 – January 2012
• Justin Gonzales – Perkins Coie LLP – January 2021 – May 2016
• Asim Grabowski-Shaikh – BakerHostetler – January 2021 – May 2018
• Ellen Grady – Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman – January 2021 – July 2018
• Rodin M. Hai-Jew – Kirkland & Ellis LLP – February 2021 – September 2010
• Airi Hammalov – Baker McKenzie – January 2021 – July 2019
• Ian Helmuth – Sidley Austin LLP – January 2021 – May 2018
• Craig Hilts – WilmerHale – January 2021 – January 2017
• Morgan Hollins – White & Case LLP – January 2021 – May 2018
• Danielle Jackson – Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP – January 2021 – December 2012
• Hill Jeffries – Eversheds Sutherland – January 2021 – October 2012
• Daniel J. Kahan – King & Spalding LLP – January 2021 – November 2019
• Andrew M. Kaplan – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP – January 2021 – September 2011
• Rohit Kapuria – Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP – January 2021 – October 2016
• James Kennedy II – Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP – April 2020 – August 2014
• Saad Khanani – Latham & Watkins LLP – January 2021 – March 2011
• Ryan Kim – Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP – January 2021 – May 2014
• Samuel Kim – Nixon Peabody LLP – January 2021 – January 2017
• Dohyun Kim – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP – April 2020 – January 2011
• Noah Kornblith – O’Melveny & Myers LLP – January 2021 – September 2011
• Jason Krochak – Proskauer Rose LLP – November 2020 – November 2012
• Sarah Kupferman – Dechert LLP – January 2021 – October 2012
• Alison LeVasseur – Alston & Bird LLP – January 2021 – September 2018
• Anne Lieberman – Cooley LLP – January 2021 – August 2014
• Christina Ma – Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – January 2021 – January 2013
• Justin Macke – Jones Day – January 2021 – November 2011
• Benjamin C. Martin – Bracewell LLP – January 2021 – October 2021
• Jenna McBain – Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP – January 2021 – September 2012
• Brandon McCoy – Haynes and Boone LLP – January 2021 – October 2012
• Morgan McDevitt – Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP – January 2021 – November 2017
• Allie Misner Wasserman – Dechert LLP – January 2021 – October 2012
• Annie Nazarian Davydov – Lowenstein Sandler PC – January 2021 – September 2010
• Forrest Neal – DLA Piper LLP (US) – April 2020 – January 2011
• Gerold Niggemann – Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP – January 2021 – March 2016
• Bradley Noojin – Winston & Strawn LLP – December 2020 – May 2015
• Patrick O’Malley – DLA Piper LLP (US) – April 2020 – January 2011
• Dotun Obadina – Jones Day – January 2021 – June 2016
• Craig Oliver – Norton Rose Fulbright – January 2021 – July 2008
• Jean Park – Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP – January 2021 – November 2008
• Ted Powers – Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman – January 2021 – February 2019
• Daniel Rawner – Sidley Austin LLP – January 2021 – July 2018
• Shannon Reaves – Stroock & Stroock & Lavan – January 2021 – June 2013
• Kristen Rohr – White & Case LLP – January 2021 – October 2012
• Joseph J. Ronca – Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC – December 2020  – January 2014
• Anatoliy Rozental – Reed Smith LLP – January 2021 – September 2015
• Allison Schiffman – Covington & Burling LLP – October 2020 – April 2014
• Jennie Simmons – Locke Lord LLP – January 2021 – March 2017
• Cullen Sinclair – Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP – January 2021 – September 2013
• Matt Squires – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC – February 2021 – September 2014
• Suni Sreepada – White & Case LLP – January 2021 – April 2016
• Erica Stalnecker Wilson – Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP – January 2021 – February 2014
• Aaron Stine – Milbank LLP – January 2021 – January 2011
• Roy Tannenbaum – Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP – March 2021 – May 2014
• Curtis Tiffany – Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP – January 2021 – January 2011
• Albert Vanderlaan – Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP – January 2021 – November 2019
• Victoria VanStekelenburg – Latham & Watkins LLP – January 2021 – October 2012
• Andrew M. Wark – Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP – January 2021 – September 2013
• Adam Wexner – Kirkland & Ellis LLP – February 2021 – June 2015
• Megan Wolf – Crowell & Moring LLP – January 2021 – September 2011
• Sarah Young – Ropes & Gray LLP – November 2020 – April 2017

For the entire breakdown of The Deal’s 2020 Top Rising Stars: Class of 2021 list, and more, check out the latest Dealmaker Quarterly:

More information on The Deal’s Top Rising Stars: Class of 2021:

• The Deal Recognizes Latham & Watkins’ Daniel Breslin as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes White & Case’s Morgan Hollins as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Latham & Watkins’ Saad Khanani as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Hughes Hubbard’s Gerold Niggemann as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Stroock’s Shannon Reaves as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes White & Case’s Kristen Rohr as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Mintz’s Joseph Ronca as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Paul Weiss’ Cullen Sinclair as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes White & Case’s Suni Sreepada as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Latham & Watkins’ Victoria VanStekelenburg as Part of Top Rising Stars List

• The Deal Recognizes Crowell & Moring’s Megan Wolf as Part of Top Rising Stars List

To find about the next Dealmaker Quarterly, contact senior business development manager Chris Edouard.

The Deal is an award-winning financial news organization founded in 1999. Since its founding The Deal has been providing up-to-the-minute news, analysis and perspective to dealmakers across the globe through its network of events, subscription products and power rankings.