Rankings: Rising Stars

Law360’s Rising Stars profiles the top legal talent under 40. The winners are comprised of top litigators and dealmakers practicing at a level usually seen from veteran attorneys. Submissions highlight the winner’s age and reasons why his or her record deserves attention.
  • August 24, 2026

    Rising Star: Fox Rothschild's Madison Ott

    Madison Ott of Fox Rothschild LLP led Thrivent Federal Credit Union's board of directors through a complex, four-year merger with Thrivent Bank in the first such conversion since 2006, earning her a spot among the banking attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 21, 2026

    Rising Star: Mayer Brown's Glenn Kunkes

    Mayer Brown LLP's Glenn Kunkes represented Barclays, Morgan Stanley and Citi in establishing Affirm's first-ever master trust and served as lead counsel to Bank of America in a $10 billion financing for KKR and Carlyle, earning him a spot among the banking practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 20, 2026

    Rising Star: Orrick's Nicholas Poli

    Nicholas Poli of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has successfully represented UBS, financial institutions and other lenders in significant litigation, co-leading a bench trial where a judge ultimately turned nine-figure claims against his clients into a nine-figure victory, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 19, 2026

    Rising Star: Sullivan & Cromwell's Patrick Lynch

    Patrick D. Lynch of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has advised several clients on multibillion deals, including one of the largest bank mergers in the past decade in Fifth Third's $10.9 billion acquisition of Comerica, earning him a spot among the banking lawyers under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 18, 2026

    Rising Star: Weil's Jessie Chiang

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's Jessie Chiang has steered multibillion-dollar debt deals that have helped finance major merger and acquisition transactions by Keurig Dr Pepper, Home Depot and McCormick, earning her a place among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 17, 2026

    Rising Star: Cahill Gordon's Miles Wiley

    Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP's Miles Wiley helped Credit Suisse beat nearly decade-old foreign-exchange rigging claims at trial and guide Deutsche Bank to two landmark wins against terrorism financing and fraud-related cases, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 31, 2026

    Law360 Names 2026's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2026, our list of more than 160 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • August 20, 2025

    Rising Star: Latham's Mike Waldman

    Michael H. Waldman of Latham & Watkins LLP helped guide a landmark $2 billion private credit loan to Dropbox last year and has advised on multiple billion-dollar cross-border financing deals, earning a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 19, 2025

    Rising Star: Davis Polk's David Kennedy

    David Kennedy, a partner in Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP's finance practice group, advised one of the largest-ever private credit deals in the U.S., with the refinancing of Finastra Group's existing first-lien and second-lien credit facilities, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 18, 2025

    Rising Star: Orrick's Jennifer Lee

    Jennifer Lee of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP helped Nationstar Mortgage LLC defeat a slew of claims tied to the sale of nearly $2 billion in delinquent loans and represented Credit Suisse in a two-week trial in New York state court involving nine-figure litigation, earning her a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 15, 2025

    Rising Star: Sullivan & Cromwell's Ana M. González Pérez

    Ana M. González Pérez of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP helped steer Credit Suisse through its merger and integration with UBS and co-negotiated investment terms that pulled a struggling New York Community Bancorp back from the brink, earning her a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 18, 2025

    Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 17, 2024

    Rising Star: Covington's Charlotte May

    Charlotte May co-chairs Covington & Burling LLP's fintech initiative and assists a wide range of corporate clients in mergers and acquisitions, including representing CFBanc Corp. in its merger with Broadway Financial Corp. to create one the largest Black-led minority depository institutions in the nation, earning her a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 16, 2024

    Rising Star: King & Spalding's Jenny Pelaez

    King & Spalding LLP's Jenny Pelaez has put in powerhouse litigation efforts that have helped NatWest and TD Bank beat financial benchmark-rigging claims, landing her a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 15, 2024

    Rising Star: Davis Polk's Sanders Witkow

    Sanders Witkow of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is getting used to steering highly complicated banking transactions, including as lead counsel for a group of banks that put up $13.2 billion in financing for Elon Musk's $44 billion hostile takeover of Twitter, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 12, 2024

    Law360 Names 2024's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2024, our list of 158 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 12, 2024

    Rising Star: Cahill Gordon's John MacGregor

    John MacGregor of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP has successfully defended Credit Suisse in litigation over a complex financial product alleging more than $2 billion in losses, and secured dismissal in a claim alleging losses of $1 billion over its financial adviser work. These matters and others have earned him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 03, 2023

    Rising Star: Simpson Thacher's Spencer Sloan

    Spencer Sloan of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has advised a host of top financial institutions on multibillion-dollar acquisitions, including an $8 billion deal in which U.S. Bancorp scooped up MUFG Union Bank, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under ago 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 30, 2023

    Rising Star: Skadden's Timothy J. Gaffney

    Timothy Gaffney is a core member of the banking team at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP with a list of longtime clients that he has guided through significant transactions, including Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo and DMG Bancshares, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 29, 2023

    Rising Star: Sullivan & Cromwell's Ken Li

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's Ken Li was in the trenches helping a struggling Credit Suisse sell off its securitized products unit and line up this spring's unprecedented fire-sale takeover by UBS, earning him a place among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 28, 2023

    Rising Star: Quinn Emanuel's William Sears

    William Sears has been a key part of several teams at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that have secured high-dollar settlements for clients, including a $1 billion cash settlement in a shareholder suit challenging Dell Technology Inc.'s 2018 redemption of its DVMT stock, earning him a spot among the banking law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 27, 2023

    Rising Star: Schulte Roth's Jessica Romano

    Jessica Romano of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP steered Visa's acquisition of payments infrastructure company Currencycloud and advises fintech companies on compliance amid major changes affecting the sector. These achievements and others have earned her a place among the banking law practitioners under age 40 recognized as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • June 26, 2023

    Rising Star: Cahill Gordon's Sesi Garimella

    Sesi Garimella of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP has represented Deutsche Bank in litigation involving the $155 million Biscayne Capital Ponzi scheme and underwriters facing investor ire after a Chinese fintech company's U.S. markets debut, earning her a place among the banking law practitioners under age 40 recognized as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • June 17, 2023

    Law360 Names 2023's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2023, our list of 183 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • June 23, 2022

    Rising Star: Sullivan & Cromwell's Michelle Chen

    Michelle Chen of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP shepherded M&T Bank's $8.3 billion acquisition that vaulted it to "superregional" status, steered MUFG's $8 billion exit from the U.S. retail banking market and advised on Fiserv's mammoth $22 billion buy of First Data, landing a spot among the banking law attorneys under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.