Five Latham & Watkins partners have been named 2023 MVPs of the Year by Law360 in the legal news service’s annual selection of leading lawyers in a range of practice area and industry categories. Law360 recognizes honorees who “have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.” The 2023 Latham Law360 MVPs are: Gary Axelrod, Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Hospitality, Gaming & Leisure Industry Group, named a Hospitality MVP. Based in Chicago, he advises clients on complex and high-profile real estate transactions, serving as strategic counsel to real estate private equity sponsors and funds, institutional investors, operating companies, real estate investment trusts, and entrepreneurial developers. His experience spans all types of transactions and asset classes, with a particular focus on hotels, resorts, and gaming properties. He recently advised Flynn Properties and Värde Partners on their US$1.1 billion acquisition of 89 select service and extended stay hotels from affiliates of Highgate and Cerberus Capital Management. This year marks the sixth time he has been honored as a Law360 MVP since first being recognized in 2013. Damara Chambers, co-lead of the firm’s CFIUS & US National Security Practice, honored as an International Trade MVP. Based in Washington, D.C., she advises on cross-border investment, trade, and national security matters, including counseling US and non-US clients on complex US national security regulatory issues involving Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews, facility security clearances, mitigating FOCI (foreign ownership, control, or influence), and US export controls and economic sanctions. She recently advised Con Edison in securing CFIUS clearance to sell its interest in wholly owned subsidiary Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses and its subsidiaries to RWE Renewables Americas. Kyle Jefcoat, a member of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice, selected as a Government Contracts MVP. A Washington, D.C.-based litigator, he advises clients on bid protests, False Claims Act litigation, and government contract related transactional matters. In addition, he assists clients with government contract compliance matters including mandatory disclosure and code of business ethics, organizational conflicts of interest (OCI), small-business size status and affiliation, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses and requests, requirements to provide cost or pricing data, the suspension and debarment process, and potential False Claims Act liability. He advised Carlyle on the government contracts aspects of its US$4.2 billion acquisition of ManTech, a provider of mission-critical national security programs. Katharine Moir, Global Chair of the Transactional Tax Practice, named a Tax MVP. Based in the Bay Area, Katharine advises leading private equity firms and companies on comprehensive tax issues in connection with their largest and most complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, recapitalizations, structured investments, and securities offerings. She regularly advises on landmark deals, including recently representing Silver Lake on the tax aspects of its US$12.5 billion take-private acquisition of experience management software company Qualtrics. Michael Rubin, Global Co-Chair of the Privacy & Cyber Practice and Global Vice Chair of the Technology Industry Group, honored as a Cybersecurity & Privacy MVP. Based in the Bay Area, Michael is renowned for successfully leading multi-national companies through their most complex, high-stakes litigation and regulatory matters, and working with them to navigate the challenges that novel technologies and emerging laws pose to business model and product innovation. He recently guided Otonomo to victory in a novel privacy suit that had accused the car data services platform of tracking drivers’ location in real time in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act.~~