Zachary Shub-Essig McGuireWoods LLP is expanding its transactional team, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing in a Sidley Austin LLP private equity expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

Zachary Shub-Essig focuses on private equity matters, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity offerings, and other complex corporate deals, particularly in the technology, healthcare, and industrial sectors. He spent the past five years at Sidley.

Shub-Essig told Law360 in an email that McGuireWoods would be a better fit for him, and that he would be able to better service his clients there.

"What excites me about McGuireWoods is the platform they have set up to serve clients of varying sizes," Shub-Essig said. "Much like Sidley, they possess all of the specialist and regulatory muscle to address any deal, big or small, but I think McGuireWoods is better positioned to tackle smaller deals that often require greater flexibility in terms of team structure and fee arrangements. It was critical for me to remain at a true full-service firm, and McGuireWoods is that firm."

Although McGuireWoods has been in Los Angeles for 20 years and San Francisco for 10 years, the firm just opened a Seattle office earlier this month. Shub-Essig is looking forward to being "a part of influencing and shaping that growth" on the West Coast.

"McGuireWoods is focused on growing generally in the West Coast market, but there is a particular focus on healthcare private equity," Shub-Essig said. "McGuireWoods already has a strong national healthcare private equity and the firm is looking to leverage my experience for transactions within this space."

Richard W. Viola, deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods' corporate practice, said Shub-Essig's arrival furthers the firm's "commitment to expanding in key markets to deliver the highest level of service to our clients."

"Zach's skill in guiding clients through sophisticated deals in dynamic industries enhances our West Coast capabilities and our growing national practice," Viola said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Tom Zahn, chair of McGuireWoods' corporate & private equity department, is enthusiastic about Shub-Essig's joining.

"Zach's versatile skill set and deep understanding of clients' strategic and financial objectives make him a perfect fit for our practice," Zahn said in a statement.

Shub-Essig's arrival comes after the August arrival of Los Angeles partner Shahrooz Shahnavaz, who advises on tax issues associated with large, intricate corporate deals.

Shub-Essig earned his law degree in 2013 from Fordham University School of Law and earned his bachelor's degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.

He spent four years as an associate with at Shearman & Sterling LLP, which is now known as Allen Overy Shearman Sterling.

In 2017, he moved to Hogan Lovells, according to his LinkedIn profile. Then in 2021, he joined Sidley.

Shub-Essig knew he wanted to focus on transactional work even before starting law school.

"Corporate transactional work is an ever-changing and dynamic practice," Shub-Essig said. "The beauty of contract law is that there is a great deal of flexibility in how to structure legal instruments and transactions. This practice leaves a lot of space for creativity, and I enjoy being able to try new approaches and devise creative solutions for clients. Effective corporate transactional practice requires the input of robust, talented teams, and I believe McGuireWoods has that team in place to ensure I am able to provide the best results for my clients."

McGuireWoods, which traces its roots back to the 1830s in Virginia, has more than 1,000 lawyers across 21 offices worldwide.