Latham & Watkins Adds Elite M&A Partners in New York
The law firm Latham & Watkins announced the addition of esteemed finance and public M&A partners Emily Johnson and Mark Stagliano to its New York office. The firm stated the hires are intended to enhance its corporate and finance practice, focusing on sophisticated and transformative transactions.
- Both partners were hired from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, an elite New York-based firm from which lateral departures are notably rare. - This move is part of a larger strategic push by Latham to recruit top talent from rival firms; in June 2025, the firm also hired leading M&A lawyer Zach Podolsky from Wachtell, as well as partners from Weil and Paul Weiss. - The hires bolster a practice that ranked as a top global M&A legal advisor in 2025, having advised on deals valued at more than $740 billion. - Latham & Watkins' recent financial performance enables such aggressive hiring, with revenue reportedly growing 23% to over $7 billion and profits per equity partner increasing 30% to more than $7 million in 2024. - Johnson specializes in the complex financing aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, while Stagliano focuses on M&A, securities matters, and corporate governance. - The addition of these partners expands Latham's New York office, which has grown into a legal powerhouse with more than 750 lawyers. - This recruitment reflects a broader trend in New York's legal market, where top firms are increasingly focused on aggressive lateral hiring to secure experienced M&A partners.
