Latham & Watkins Expands M&A Practice in New York
Law firm Latham & Watkins has hired Emily Johnson and Mark Stagliano, two partners specializing in finance and public M&A, for its New York office. The firm stated the additions are intended to enhance its corporate and finance practice by bringing in expertise on sophisticated and transformative transactions.
- Both Emily Johnson and Mark Stagliano were previously partners at the prestigious New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. This type of senior-level move between elite law firms is relatively uncommon. - Latham & Watkins has been actively recruiting senior partners in New York, growing that office to over 830 lawyers and successfully attracting talent from established Wall Street rivals. - In 2025, Latham & Watkins' M&A and Private Equity practice advised on more than 760 transactions globally, with a total value exceeding $1.15 trillion. The firm achieved a number one global ranking for announced M&A deals by both deal value and count. - Emily Johnson is a highly-regarded finance lawyer, ranked as the #1 financing lawyer in North America by MergerLinks in 2024 and named a Capital Markets MVP by Law360. She specializes in the complex financing aspects of corporate transactions, including M&A, divestitures, and spin-offs. - Mark Stagliano has a notable track record in M&A, having advised on major transactions such as United Technologies' $147 billion merger with Raytheon and T-Mobile's $146 billion combination with Sprint. His expertise also covers corporate governance, shareholder activism, and takeover defense. - Johnson is also active in pro bono work, serving on the board of Her Justice, which offers free legal services to women in need, and co-chairing a subcommittee of the New York State Attorney General's Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health.
