Eric M. Swedenburg

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP today announced that William N. Lay has joined the Firm’s Boston office as a Partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice.~~“Will has sharp commercial judgment and a strong track record advising on complex deals, and we are excited to welcome him to Simpson Thacher,” said Eric Swedenburg, Head of Simpson Thacher’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. “His addition reflects the continued momentum of growth in our Boston office and our broader strategy to continue expanding Simpson Thacher’s transactional capabilities in key markets to meet clients’ demands in an increasingly dynamic deal environment.”~~Will has extensive experience advising private equity sponsors and public companies on complex M&A, carve-outs, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. His work spans numerous industries, including healthcare and life sciences, technology, retail and manufacturing. He joins Simpson Thacher from another international law firm.~~“Will is a great addition to the dynamic and growing team we are building in Boston,” said Josh Bonnie, Co-Managing Partner of the Boston office.~~“Simpson Thacher’s reputation for excellence in M&A is second to none,” said Will. “I’m excited to join a team that is not only shaping the market but that is also deeply committed to clients, collaboration and growth in Boston.”~~Since launching in 2024, Simpson Thacher’s Boston office has grown rapidly to meet client demand across transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. Repeatedly recognized around the world by Chambers, Legal 500, The American Lawyer, Law360 and many others, Simpson Thacher’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice is an industry leader unrivaled in its reputation and unique in its breadth. The team has advised on many of the most prominent U.S. and international transactions of the past several decades as well as on deals with an aggregate value of more than $1.5 trillion from 2020—2024 alone (Bloomberg). The Firm’s clients include public and private companies, founder-owned and family-owned businesses, investors and boards. The scale and depth of Simpson Thacher’s private equity experience also gives the Firm insight into the needs of participants across the sector, making it the firm of choice for many of the world’s most sophisticated private equity firms.~~For more information, please click here.

Dec 8

2 min

Simpson Thacher Partners Eric Swedenburg and David Hernand have been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyers 2025,” an annual list honoring the top 100 lawyers in the entertainment industry. THR highlighted Eric for his work advising Paramount Global in its $28 billion “game-changing” merger with Skydance. David was recognized for advising Metaphysic in its cross-border combination with the “Brahma AI” subsidiary of the DNEG Group, as well as for his role advising Ashley Flowers and audiochuck Media in connection with The Chernin Group’s $40 million minority investment in audiochuck.~~The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyers” series spotlights the 100 lawyers who are “the entertainment industry’s most powerful legal advocates.” To learn more, and to read the full report, please click here (subscription required).

Aug 4

1 min

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz corporate partner Allison Preiss, after close to two decades at the firm, has moved to Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett. Simpson confirmed the lateral hire on Tuesday.A spokesperson for Wachtell said the firm wishes her well in her future endeavors. Preiss is at least the fourth partner to leave Wachtell in a lateral move since the beginning of 2025. Others include Viktor Sapezhnikov (DLA Piper), Zach Podolsky (Latham & Watkins) and John Sobolewski (also to Latham). The firm also lost partner David Shapiro to the Commerce Department in March 2025. Preiss advises public and private companies in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, complex restructuring deals, cross-border transactions, securities offerings and joint ventures. She also advises boards of directors and board committees with respect to proxy contests, takeover defense strategies and other corporate governance matters. “Clients are navigating unprecedented complexity—transformative market forces, heightened activist pressure and evolving regulatory considerations, all of which require sharp, creative and pragmatic counsel,” Alden Millard, Chair of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee, said in a statement. “Alison is a star. She’s dynamic, exceptionally commercial and known for delivering solutions that advance business objectives." Eric Swedenburg, global head of Simpson's M&A practice, said in a statement that her addition "reflects our continued investment in our preeminent transactional team focused on strategic M&A, corporate governance and activism defense." "In addition to Alison, we’ve made several other impactful moves in this space, both through lateral hires and internal elevations, across our global platform.” Some of her transactional highlights include representing Pfizer Inc. in its $5.2 billion acquisition of Anacor Pharmaceuticals and in its $160 billion terminated transaction with Allergan plc. She also represented Alexion in its $8.4 billion acquisition of Synageva BioPharma Corp. Preiss began her late career as a summer associate at Calfee, Halter & Griswold in 2004 before summering at Wachtell in May 2005. She joined the firm the following year and became a partner in 2016.

Jan 20

1 min

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced that Joseph B. Conahan and Andrew P. Alin have joined the Firm as Partners in the M&A Practice. Joe will be joining the Firm in Boston, after having practiced for more than 20 years. Andy will be based in New York and will also spend time in our Boston office, helping to support the office’s growth.~~“Simpson Thacher has the world’s best global M&A platform, and the addition of Joe and Andy will help us to meet growing demand from clients in Boston and the Northeast region for the sophisticated transactional advice that is a hallmark of the Firm,” said Eric Swedenburg, Head of Simpson Thacher’s M&A Practice. “Joe and Andy are exceptionally talented dealmakers and trusted advisers to significant public companies, private equity sponsors and other financial institutions in the Boston region and beyond. We are very excited to welcome them to Simpson Thacher.”~~Both Joe and Andy advise clients on a range of complex transactions in the life sciences, technology, financial services, FinTech and industrial sectors, among others. Their work includes high profile mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, carve outs, spinoffs and other strategic transactions, as well as corporate governance matters and disclosure issues. Joe has been recognized for his M&A work by Legal 500 U.S. and Boston Magazine, among others. Andy has been consistently recognized by IFLR 1000 in M&A and Private Equity Transactions. They both join from WilmerHale, where Joe served as Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice.~~“Joe and Andy bring a wealth of experience and will complement and enhance our growing transactional bench in Boston,” said Josh Bonnie and David Blass, Co-Managing Partners of Simpson Thacher’s Boston office.~~“I am excited to be joining Simpson Thacher’s Boston office at a time of such momentum, and I am eager to help grow the team,” said Joe. “The Firm has a premier global M&A platform, and it is the ideal place for me to continue to grow my practice,” added Andy.~~Simpson Thacher’s Boston office advises clients on the full spectrum of their transactional, disputes, regulatory and enforcement needs. The Firm provides coordinated counsel to clients across several industries, including asset management and other financial institutions, healthcare, biotechnology, life sciences and technology. Simpson Thacher’s M&A Practice is an industry-leader unrivaled in its reputation and unique in its breadth and has advised on many of the most prominent U.S. and international transactions of the past several decades. The team has been repeatedly recognized among the world’s best M&A advisors, including by Chambers USA, Chambers Global, The Legal 500, The American Lawyer, Law360 and many others. The Firm’s clients include public and private companies, founder-owned and family-owned businesses, investors and boards.~~For more information, please click here.~~

Mar 31

2 min

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP today announced that Carleigh Rodriguez has joined the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office as Co-Head of the Environmental Practice.~~“Environmental review is an important aspect of nearly all corporate deals and Carleigh’s addition will enable us to meet the growing demand from clients across our world-class transactional platform,” said Alden Millard, Chair of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee. “We’re excited to welcome her to the Firm.”~~Carleigh advises clients on environmental law issues arising in the full array of commercial transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, securities and financing transactions, bankruptcies and restructurings, among others. Recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. as a leading lawyer in Environment: Transactional, her work extends across a broad range of industries, from real estate, technology and commercial, to energy, infrastructure, waste, chemicals, manufacturing and other industrials. Prior to Carleigh’s career in law, she spent several years advising on federal and state coastal and ocean management and policy matters with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She joins the Firm from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.~~“Simpson Thacher’s M&A Practice is second-to-none because of our ability to develop strategies and solutions that get deals across the finish line,” said Eric Swedenburg, Simpson Thacher’s Head of M&A. “Carleigh is known for being creative and for providing commercial, practical advice in response to the multitude of environmental issues arising in highly complex transactional matters, and she will be an asset to clients.”~~“I have worked with Carleigh before for many years—she’s incredibly accomplished and pragmatic, and she brings a wealth of experience that will help clients navigate the full spectrum of environmental matters,” said Toby Chun, Co-Head of Simpson Thacher’s Environmental Practice. “She is a fantastic addition to our team.”~~Simpson Thacher’s Environmental Practice provides best-in-class advice to a broad range of clients (from mergers and acquisitions to capital markets to banking and credit to real estate) on the complex environmental issues that arise in a wide variety of commercial transactions. The team takes pride in working with Simpson Thacher’s sophisticated client base to accomplish their objectives on high-profile transactions spanning a diversity of industries and businesses. Simpson Thacher’s Environmental team is recognized by Chambers, The Legal 500 and many others.~~For more information, please click here.

Mar 17

2 min