Winston & Strawn Strengthens West Coast Presence, Adds 18 New Attorneys
Winston & Strawn LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Chicago, has announced the addition of 18 new attorneys to its Los Angeles office. Fifteen of these attorneys come from Scheper Kim & Harris LLP, a leading white-collar litigation boutique law firm on the West Coast. The new lawyers bring with them expertise in white-collar and complex commercial litigation.
The other three attorneys who were former partners at Sidney Austin, LLP, focus on real estate finance, restructurings and workouts, and related litigation. These attorneys are Paul Walker, Elizabeth Walker, and Bruce Fraser. They have worked together for more than 25 years on the West Coast. Paul Walker advises clients on real estate loan workouts and restructurings, real estate loan investments, equity investment in real estate assets or investment vehicles, and real property and loan portfolio purchase and sale transactions. His expertise also includes commercial leasing and partnership disputes. Elizabeth Walker focuses on real estate litigation, bankruptcy, and workout and her clients include national banks, investment banks, hedge funds, opportunity funds, pensions, and trusts. Bruce Fraser focuses on real estate finance, workouts, and joint ventures and his clients include commercial banks, hedge funds, life insurance companies, and other institutional capital providers.
The new team of 15 attorneys joining from Scheper Kim & Harris consists of 7 partners, 3 of counsels, and 5 associates. The attorneys joining the firm as partners are David Scheper, Alexander Cote, Peggy Dayton, Kathy Farkas, William H. Forman, Angela M. Machala, and Michael Swartz. The team has expertise in representing clients in white-collar and complex commercial litigation matters, including appellate, commercial, and employment litigation, securities litigation, intellectual property matters, corporate compliance, and False Claims Act defense.
Tom Fitzgerald, Chairman at Winston & Strawn, said, “The addition of these outstanding lawyers to our Los Angeles office adds tremendous value for our clients, and is in keeping with Winston’s mission to continue to meet our clients’ growing and evolving needs on the West Coast. We know this group of highly regarded lawyers well, having worked closely with a number of them for many years. Their reputation for client service is second to none, and the group shares Winston’s long-standing commitment to strategic growth through execution and client service.”
David Scheper, former Scheper Kim & Harris partner joining Winston & Strawn, said, “We know this group of highly regarded lawyers well, having worked closely with a number of them for many years. Their reputation for client service is second to none, and the group shares Winston’s long-standing commitment to strategic growth through execution and client service.”
Commenting on the new additions, Eva Davis, Managing Partner at Winston & Strawn Los Angeles Office, said, “Scheper Kim & Harris’s complex commercial and securities litigation capabilities are a terrific complement to Winston’s core transactional practices in California, the U.S., and internationally. Paul, Liz, and Bruce will immediately elevate our capabilities in addressing the growing number of commercial real estate restructurings, workouts, and complex litigation generated by the extended COVID lockdown. These additions represent a significant increase in Winston’s ability to serve the unique and growing needs of the West Coast market, and we look forward to their valued contributions.”
Winston & Strawn has also hired a former partner at Eversheds Sutherland, Kathleen Blaszak, to expand the firm’s mergers and acquisitions offerings in the media and technology industries. She will join as a partner in Washington, D.C. office.