Zheng (Jonathan) Zhou

Thirty-four Freshfields partners have been selected to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Dealmakers in America guide for 2026. The guide recognizes the M&A, corporate, securities, finance, private equity, tax, corporate governance and ESG leaders and other transactional lawyers handling the biggest deals. The partners recognized are: Andrea Merediz Basham – Corporate/M&A Elizabeth K. Bieber – Shareholder Engagement and Activism Defense Oliver J. Board – Corporate/M&A Ian N. Bushner – Private Capital Calise Cheng – Capital Markets Timothy J. Clark – Private Funds & Secondaries Chris DeCresce – Capital Markets Sebastian L. Fain – Corporate/M&A John A. Fisher – Corporate/M&A Erik Gerding – Capital Markets Adam H. Golden – M&A (Life Sciences) Matthew Goulding – Private Capital Alison M. Hashmall – Financial Services Regulatory Jenny Hochenberg – Corporate/M&A Paul Humphreys – Corporate/M&A Vinita Kailasanath – M&A (Life Sciences) Menachem Kaplan – IP and Tech Transactions Ethan Klingsberg – Corporate/M&A Denny Kwon – Corporate/M&A Kyle Lakin – Finance Michael Levitt – Capital Markets Allison Liff – Leveraged Finance Aly Love – Corporate/M&A Pamela L. Marcogliese – Capital Markets and Corporate Governance Jerome Ranawake – Finance Brian Rance – Finance Neal J. Reenan – Private Capital Damian Ridealgh – Private Credit and Capital Solutions Kristen Olvera Riemenschneider – M&A (Life Sciences) David Sewell – Financial Services Regulatory Sarah K. Solum – Capital Markets Phillip Stoup – Capital Markets Zheng 'Jonathan' Zhou – Corporate/M& Damien Zoubek – Corporate/M&A

Oct 20

1 min

Freshfields LLP is guiding eBay Inc. on its planned acquisition of Depop, a fast-growing mobile fashion resale marketplace, from Fenwick & West LLP-advised Etsy Inc. for about $1.2 billion in cash, as the online commerce giant seeks to expand its reach among younger consumers. The boards of both companies have unanimously approved the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, according to a joint deal announcement Wednesday from the companies. EBay plans to fund the acquisition with cash on hand, while Etsy intends to use proceeds for general corporate purposes, share repurchases, and investments in its core marketplace, the companies said. Depop, known for targeting Generation Z and millennial shoppers, generated roughly $1 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2025, with nearly 60% growth in the U.S., according to the announcement. The platform has about 7 million active buyers, almost 90% of them under 34, and more than 3 million active sellers, it said. "Depop has built a trusted, social-forward marketplace with strong momentum in the pre-loved fashion category, and we are confident that as part of eBay, Depop will be even more well-positioned for long-term growth," eBay CEO Jamie Iannone said in the announcement. Fashion represents more than $10 billion in annual gross merchandise volume for eBay and was one of its fastest-growing categories in 2025, the company said. Iannone said the acquisition would help eBay reach younger buyers while leveraging its global scale, shipping solutions, and services such as its Authenticity Guarantee. Etsy CEO Kruti Patel Goyal said the sale allows the company to focus on its core marketplace while providing "a positive next step for all involved." Depop will retain its brand, platform, and culture under eBay, according to the announcement. Depop CEO Peter Semple said joining eBay would accelerate growth in the U.S. and beyond, calling the deal "a testament to the significant growth we have delivered as we have evolved our product experience and strengthened our brand's place in the world." The Freshfields team advising eBay is led by partners Ethan Klingsberg and Zheng (Jonathan) Zhou. The Fenwick team advising Etsy is led by partners Ken Myers and Bomi Lee.

Feb 19

2 min

Thirty-three Freshfields partners have been named to Lawdragon’s 500 Dealmakers in America guide. The guide recognizes the M&A, corporate, securities, finance, private equity, tax, corporate governance and ESG leaders and other transactional lawyers handling the biggest deals. The lawyers recognized are: Andrea Merediz Basham – Corporate/M&A Elizabeth Bieber – Shareholder Engagement and Activism Defense Oliver Board – Corporate/M&A Ian Bushner – Private Capital Timothy Clark - Private Funds & Secondaries Chris DeCresce – Capital Markets Sebastian Fain – Corporate/M&A John Fisher – Corporate/M&A Adam Golden – M&A (Life Sciences) Alison Hashmall – Financial Services Regulatory Jenny Hochenberg – Corporate/M&A Paul Humphreys – Corporate/M&A Valerie Ford Jacob – Capital Markets Vinita Kailasanath – M&A (Life Sciences) Menachem Kaplan – IP and Tech Transactions Ethan Klingsberg – Corporate/M&A Denny Kwon – Corporate/M&A Kyle Lakin – Finance Michael Levitt – Capital Markets Allison Liff – Leveraged Finance Pamela Marcogliese – Capital Markets and Corporate Governance Steven Matays – Tax Melissa Raciti-Knapp – Project Finance Jerome Ranawake – Finance Brian Rance - Finance Neal Reenan – Private Capital Damian Ridealgh – Private Credit and Capital Solutions Kristen Riemenschneider – M&A (Life Sciences) David Sewell – Financial Services Regulatory Sarah Solum – Capital Markets Paul Tiger – Corporate/M&A Zheng 'Jonathan' Zhou – Corporate/M&A Damien Zoubek - Corporate/M&A

Oct 18

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields is advising CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) on its acquisition of SGNL, a leader in Continuous Identity. This acquisition will accelerate CrowdStrike’s leadership in Next-Gen Identity Security, enabling access for human, non-human (NHI), and AI identities to be continuously granted and revoked based on real-time risk. Learn more about this transaction here . The Freshfields team is led by partners Denny Kwon and Zheng (Jonathan) Zhou and includes counsel Stella Lee and associates Richard Bae Gong, Elen Shlyakhanova, Eli Merkadeau, and Essey Abebe. Partner Sarah Ghulamhussain, Counsel Jordan Salzman and associate Meilun Chen advised on executive compensation and employee benefits matters; partner Joe Soltis and associate Hannah Golden advised on tax matters; partner Mena Kaplan, counsel Marissa Yu and associate Olivia Luongo advised on intellectual property matters; partner Brock Dahl, senior associate Christine Chong and associate Ian Allen advised on data privacy and security matters; partners Meghan Rissmiller and Kevin Yingling, special counsel Charles Ramsey, associate Kaylynn Moss advised on antitrust & FDI matters; partner Calise Cheng advised on securities law matters; and partner Nabeel Yousef and associate Keian Razipour advised on international trade and sanctions matters.

Jan 8

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields is advising CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) on its acquisition of SGNL, a leader in Continuous Identity. This acquisition will accelerate CrowdStrike’s leadership in Next-Gen Identity Security, enabling access for human, non-human (NHI), and AI identities to be continuously granted and revoked based on real-time risk. Learn more about this transaction here . The Freshfields team is led by partners Denny Kwon and Zheng (Jonathan) Zhou and includes counsel Stella Lee and associates Richard Bae Gong, Elen Shlyakhanova, Eli Merkadeau, and Essey Abebe. Partner Sarah Ghulamhussain, Counsel Jordan Salzman and associate Meilun Chen advised on executive compensation and employee benefits matters; partner Joe Soltis and associate Hannah Golden advised on tax matters; partner Mena Kaplan, counsel Marissa Yu and associate Olivia Luongo advised on intellectual property matters; partner Brock Dahl, senior associate Christine Chong and associate Ian Allen advised on data privacy and security matters; partners Meghan Rissmiller and Kevin Yingling, special counsel Charles Ramsey, associate Kaylynn Moss advised on antitrust & FDI matters; partner Calise Cheng advised on securities law matters; and partner Nabeel Yousef and associate Keian Razipour advised on international trade and sanctions matters.

Jan 8

1 min