Rankings: MVPs of the Year

Law360’s MVPs of the Year recognizes the five attorneys who had extraordinary wins and contributed most to their practice area in the past year. The series showcases standout attorneys across the practice areas and industries covered by Law360.
  • October 26, 2023

    MVP: Paul Weiss' Audra Soloway

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP partner Audra Soloway played a key role last year in securing a ruling that could set the tone for the future of state court shareholder lawsuits and played a part in establishing a successful defense against class actions, earning her a spot on Law360's 2023 Securities MVPs.

  • October 26, 2023

    MVP: Paul Weiss' Taurie Zeitzer

    Taurie Zeitzer of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP advised funds managed by private equity giant Apollo Global Management in its $8.1 billion leveraged buyout of specialty chemical and ingredient distributor Univar Solutions Inc., as well as its $5.2 billion take-private acquisition of industrial parts manufacturer Arconic Corp., earning her a place among Law360's 2023 Private Equity MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Kasowitz's Paul M. 'Tad' O'Connor III

    Paul M. "Tad" O'Connor of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP navigated InterContinental Hotels Group through a years-long journey upholding a Times Square hotel's license agreement despite pandemic pressures, earning him a spot among Law360's Real Estate MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Latham's Katharine Moir

    Katharine Moir of Latham & Watkins LLP's tax practice led technology investment firm Silver Lake through a $12.5 billion acquisition of Qualtrics, advised on the acquisition of an Indiana gas and electric utility, and worked on Madison Dearborn Partners' $1.8 billion acquisition of MoneyGram International, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Tax MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Debevoise's Spencer Gilbert

    Spencer Gilbert of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP played a critical role in a handful of multibillion-dollar private equity deals over the past year, including co-leading the team that advised TPG in its joint $2.1 billion acquisition of OneOncology, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Private Equity MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Shearman's Daniel Litowitz

    Daniel Litowitz of Shearman & Sterling LLP's mergers and acquisitions practice guided CVS Health Corp. in a $10.6 billion acquisition that helped it enter the primary care industry and fought for JetBlue Airways Corp. in its $3.8 billion hostile takeover of Spirit Airlines, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Mergers and Acquisitions MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Labaton Sucharow's Ned Weinberger

    Labaton Sucharow LLP partner Ned C. Weinberger's work in scoring a historic settlement for former Dell Technologies Inc. stockholders, as well as other recent victories in Delaware's Chancery Court, secured him a spot among Law360's 2023 Securities MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: O'Melveny's Amy Siegel

    Amy Siegel of O'Melveny & Myers LLP shepherded UCLA and Stanford University as the schools prepared to make historic moves from the Pac-12 to other NCAA conferences, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Sports & Betting MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Seeger Weiss' Chris Seeger

    Seeger Weiss LLP co-founder Chris Seeger's work on the historically large multidistrict litigation over allegedly defective 3M combat earplugs, which recently culminated in a $6 billion settlement, landed him a spot on Law360's 2023 Product Liability MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: O'Melveny's Denise Raytis

    Denise Raytis of O'Melveny & Myers LLP helped lead the firm's multifaceted work on major facilities projects at New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and at Los Angeles International Airport, and worked on a public-private partnership toll road project in Puerto Rico, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Project Finance MVPs.

  • October 25, 2023

    MVP: Paul Weiss' Bob Zochowski

    Bob Zochowski of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP's structured finance and securitizations group helped launch a new asset class in one of many complex transactions he spearheaded over the past year, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Structured Finance MVPs.

  • October 24, 2023

    MVP: Dentons' Erik Klingenberg

    Erik Klingenberg, chair of Dentons' capital markets practice, represented lenders in simultaneous multibillion-dollar deals in the esoteric net lease commercial real estate space under intense deadline pressure, garnering him a spot among Law360's 2023 Structured Finance MVPs.

  • October 24, 2023

    MVP: Gibson Dunn's Michael Celio

    Michael Celio of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP helped score a unanimous verdict in the U.S. Supreme Court this summer in a major win for Slack that limited shareholders' ability to sue companies that go public through a direct listing, earning him a spot among Law360's 2023 Securities MVPs.

  • October 24, 2023

    MVP: Eversheds Sutherland's Eric Tresh

    Eric S. Tresh of Eversheds Sutherland successfully argued that a federal law preempted New York from imposing a gross receipts tax on certain Verizon services, freeing the company from more than $12 million in additional tax, earning him a place among Law360's 2023 Tax MVPs.

  • October 24, 2023

    MVP: Hogan Lovells' Matt Eisler

    Matt Eisler of Hogan Lovells' sports and betting practice has made a name for himself in part by serving as lead counsel on the Washington Commanders' $6 billion sale and guiding USA Cricket in its successful effort to co-host the sport's Men's T20 World Cup in 2024, earning him a spot among Law360's 2023 Sports & Betting MVPs.

  • October 24, 2023

    MVP: Kaplan Kirsch's Adam Giuliano

    Adam Giuliano of Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP helped Los Angeles World Airports craft a pre-development agreement to hire a team that will manage a makeover of its air cargo operations and advised the Chicago Transit Authority on a $2.1 billion rail line project, earning him a spot among Law360's 2023 Project Finance MVPs.

  • October 24, 2023

    MVP: Hogan Lovells' Scott Campbell

    Scott Campbell of Hogan Lovells led the Walton-Penner family's $4.65 billion acquisition of the NFL's Denver Broncos, along with advising on a mezzanine loan from VICI Properties for the development of the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Real Estate MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Paul Weiss' Laura Turano

    Laura Turano of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP was lead adviser on tens of billions of dollars' worth of transactions over the last year, including megadeals for clients as diverse as Estée Lauder, Carrier Global Corp. and Merck & Co., easily securing her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 M&A MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Cadwalader's Bonnie A. Neuman

    Bonnie Neuman of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP's real estate finance practice has worked on multiple billion-dollar deals, including representing lenders in a $13 billion transaction that saw Blackstone acquire American Campus Communities, the largest developer of student housing communities in the nation, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Real Estate MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Covington & Burling's Peter Zern

    Peter Zern, co-chair of Covington & Burling LLP's sports practice, guided his client through a $4 billion purchase of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and advised the NFL on the $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos, which were some of the largest sports acquisitions ever, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Sports & Betting MVPs. 

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Covington's Ursula Owczarkowski

    Ursula Owczarkowski, of Covington & Burling LLP's project finance practice, guided ACWA Power through two projects in Saudi Arabia — an $8.4 billion megaproject to use solar and wind power to produce green hydrogen, and a $639 million reverse osmosis desalination plant conversion — earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Project Finance MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Cohen Milstein's Laura H. Posner

    Laura Posner of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC served as the managing partner helping a group of pension funds secure a $1 billion settlement with Wells Fargo — one of the largest securities settlements of all time — earning her a spot among Law360's 2023 Securities MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Baker McKenzie's Joseph Judkins

    Baker McKenzie's Joseph "Jud" Judkins has led the way in applying key administrative law principles to tax guidance, including representing FedEx this year in a successful challenge against repatriation regulations, landing him a spot among Law360's 2023 Tax MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Davis Polk's Marc Williams

    Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP partner Marc Williams steered several mammoth private-equity-related deals despite turbulent financial markets over the past year, including Emerson Electric Co.'s $14 billion sale of its climate technologies business to buyout firm Blackstone Inc., earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 private equity MVPs.

  • October 23, 2023

    MVP: Kirkland's Renee D. Smith

    Renee D. Smith of Kirkland & Ellis LLP has helped secure settlements while representing 3M in multidistrict litigation over its Combat Arms Earplugs and defending Juul in litigation over its advertising of vape products, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Product Liability MVPs.