Paul L. Sandler, P.C.

Kirkland & Ellis announced today that Paul Sandler has joined the Firm as a partner in the Debt Finance Group. “Paul is highly regarded for his experience handling complex finance matters in liability management, credit opportunities, special situations and restructuring transactions,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “His experience adds strength to our market-leading debt finance practice, and we are excited to welcome him to Kirkland.” Mr. Sandler advises private equity sponsors, investment funds, borrowers and creditors on restructurings, financings and liability management transactions, opportunistic credit investments and acquisition financings. His practice focuses on distressed transactions, in particular, and he has extensive experience advising some of the world’s largest investors on complex credit solutions. “Paul has the experience and creativity to guide private equity sponsors, public companies and alternative asset managers in developing sophisticated and novel capital solutions,” said debt finance partner Dave Nemecek. “He is a great fit for Kirkland and the needs of our clients.” With more than 300 dedicated lawyers, Kirkland’s debt finance practice is the largest in the market and serves more than 500 private equity clients. According to Bloomberg, Debtwire and Refinitiv, Kirkland consistently handles more transactions for borrowers than any other law firm in the world and, for the last five years, has led the market in U.S. borrower transactions. The practice is recognized by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and other publications for its work on complex, high-profile transactions; exceptional commercial understanding of U.S. and international financing markets; and excellence in client service. “Kirkland has a world-class platform with top brands in private equity, liability management, restructuring and finance – a very exciting combination for my practice,” said Mr. Sandler. “But beyond that, the firm’s team-first attitude was very attractive, and I’m looking forward to serving clients with my new team and contributing to the group’s success.” Mr. Sandler joins Kirkland from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he was a partner.

Feb 21

1 min

Kirkland & Ells advised Ziff Davis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZD) on a definitive agreement to sell its Connectivity division to Accenture (NYSE: ACN) for $1.2 billion in cash. Ziff Davis’ Connectivity brands are globally recognized in fixed broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi network design, intelligence, insights, testing and incident detection. These brands, including Ookla, Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector and RootMetrics, empower organizations to optimize networks, elevate digital experiences and ensure faster, more reliable connectivity. The transaction is currently expected to close in the coming months, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf; tax lawyer Sara Zablotney; executive compensation lawyer Rob Fowler; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Zoey Hitzert; antitrust & competition lawyer Daniel Zach; and technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall.

Mar 3

1 min

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced today that Lynn K. Neuner has been appointed as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Global Litigation Department, joining current Co-Chair, Jonathan K. Youngwood, effective January 1, 2022. She succeeds Paul C. Curnin, who has served as Co-Chair of the Department since 2011 and is retiring from the Firm at the end of this year. “Lynn is extremely well-credentialed to co-head the Firm’s Litigation Department,” said Bill Dougherty, Chair of Simpson Thacher’s Executive Committee. “She has outstanding leadership skills and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s top litigators. On behalf of the Firm, I would also like to thank Paul for his invaluable contributions to Simpson Thacher over the past 30 years.” Simpson Thacher’s Litigation Department includes a wide variety of practice groups, including securities litigation, government and internal investigations, antitrust and trade regulation, insurance litigation, and other civil, regulatory and enforcement areas. Lynn was recently inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers, where she was selected to give the Inductees’ Remarks, and was named one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” and “Top 10 Women in Litigation” in the United States by Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation. She has the distinction of being Chambers-ranked in four fields: commercial litigation, securities litigation, insurance coverage, and advertising disputes. She tries high-stakes cases in federal and state court, leads trial hearings in international and domestic arbitrations, and conducts evidentiary proceedings before the National Advertising Division. Lynn is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee, served as the Firm’s Co-Administrative Partner, and has been recognized as a star by the New York Law Journal, which named her a “Distinguished Leader” and as a “Notable Women in the Law” by Crain’s New York, which profiles trailblazing female attorneys. “Lynn has been a tremendous asset to our clients and the Firm over the course of her career. She is a fantastic lawyer and partner. I look forward to working with her and the rest of our team to ensure the ongoing success of the Litigation Department and the Firm,” said Jonathan Youngwood, who has served as Co-Chair since 2016. “Simpson Thacher has an outstanding record of securing successful results for clients on their most challenging disputes and investigations,” said Lynn. “I am honored to continue the work of our legendary Litigation Chairs Roy Reardon, Barry Ostrager, Chuck Koob, Tom Rice, and Paul and Jon. I look forward to collaborating even more closely with our talented and inspiring group of litigation colleagues.” Lynn is a Trustee of the Board of Practising Law Institute (PLI). She is a past Vice President of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and is a former Chair of its Executive Committee. She is a former Chair of the Board for the Yale Law School Alumni Fund. She is a member of the Commercial Division Advisory Council and serves on the Lawyers Committee of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund. She is also a former Panel Chair of the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Judicial Department in New York. In addition to her client work, Lynn is committed to serving veterans through pro bono representation. She partnered with the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic on the landmark Monk case establishing the right of veterans to bring class actions in the Veterans Court and continues to work on both class and individual cases advancing veterans’ interests. Lynn joined the Firm in 1994 following clerkships for Judge John M. Walker, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge H. Lee Sarokin of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal on Regulation and the Director of the Barristers’ Union, Yale’s mock trial organization. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Williams College. The Firm’s Litigation Department represents a broad range of sophisticated clients, including financial institutions, corporations, boards, audit and special committees, and senior executives, in their most significant matters and offers a substantial bench of talent to effectively handle litigations, investigations, arbitrations and cross-border disputes in North and South America, Asia and Europe. For more information, please click here.

Dec 13

3 min

Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. and multiple Florida homeowners associations have ended their dispute in Florida federal court over the associations' more than $230 million insurance claim for Pensacola Beach condominiums damaged by Hurricane Sally. According to their joint dismissal stipulation filed Monday, Westchester Surplus and the homeowners associations have agreed to permanently dismiss their claims against each other. The insurer and the homeowners associations initially told the court in February that they decided to settle their dispute and planned to file a joint dismissal stipulation. Westchester Surplus and 15 other insurers began their suit against the homeowners associations in January 2023. According to their amended suit, an appraiser picked by the defendants filed "an egregiously overinflated" hurricane damages claim for more than $230 million. The insurers alleged that the defendants asked for an appraisal after Hurricane Sally hit and filed a more than $6.4 million sworn proof of loss claim. But, according to the insurers, this claim eventually "ballooned to an amount wholly detached from any actual damage resulting from the hurricane." "In particular, the defendants' selected appraiser submitted estimates to the appraisal panel that include charges that are wholly improper, overstated, unrelated, duplicative, and attempt to turn the defendants' legitimate loss into a once-in-a-lifetime windfall at plaintiffs' expense," the insurers alleged. "Defendants' appraiser increased the value of the claim from the unsolicited sworn proof of loss by over $225 million when he submitted an outrageous $233,030,601.80 claim to the appraisal panel, which raises significant questions concerning the appraiser's interest and honesty, as well as the fraudulent nature of the claim and its supporting documentation," they further alleged. In September 2023, the defendants filed counterclaims against the insurers, alleging that the insurers breached their insurance policies by wrongfully refusing to pay for the appraised hurricane damage. However, in September 2025, the presiding court nixed the defendants' $187 million appraisal award, ruling that the defendants' appraiser failed to properly state how much the condominiums were damaged by Hurricane Sally. Counsel for Westchester Surplus and the defendants didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. and multiple other insurers are represented by Alexandra J. Schultz, Juan P. Garrido and John D. Dickenson of Cozen O'Connor. The Portofino defendants are represented by Edward P. Fleming, Matthew A. Bush and Aaron T. McCurdy of McDonald Fleming LLP, Kurtis J. Keefer of Goede DeBoest & Cross PLLC and Charles F. Beall Jr. of Moore Hill & Westmoreland PA. The case is Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. et al. v. Portofino Masters Homeowners Association Inc. et al., case number 3:23-cv-00453, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Mar 3

2 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Quantum Health, the leading creator of healthcare navigation, on the acquisition of CirrusMD, a premier on-demand virtual care company. The acquisition brings together navigation and physician-led virtual care to drive more immediate care integration and stronger outcomes for members across their healthcare journey. This acquisition builds on Quantum Health’s momentum expanding clinically-validated provider steerage through Embold Health and launching its expanded solution suite built on a new agentic AI platform, further strengthening the company’s ability to act earlier, guide members more effectively and deliver measurable savings. Quantum Health is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus and Great Hill Partners. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Keri Schick Norton and Alice Billmire; technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall; healthcare transactions lawyer Robert Kantrowitz; and tax lawyers David Grenker and Vivek Ratnam.

Mar 3

1 min