Thomas J. Malone and David J. Penna joined Davis Polk as partners. Malone joined Davis Polk’s mergers and acquisitions practice and Penna joined the firm’s finance practice.
“We are delighted to welcome Tom and David to Davis Polk as we continue to grow our preeminent M&A and finance teams,” Neil Barr, managing partner at Davis Polk, said. “Tom and David are fantastic lawyers at the top of their fields, and there are a number of compelling synergies between their practices and our platform that will be very valuable to our clients.”
Both partners joined Davis Polk from Latham & Watkins, where Malone was a partner in the mergers and acquisitions and private equity practices and Penna was a partner in, and previously served as global co-chair of, the project development and finance practice.
Malone represents private equity funds, public and private companies and boards of directors in connection with a range of matters involving mergers and acquisitions, complex investments, carve-outs, auction processes, joint ventures, recapitalizations, corporate governance and defense, strategic planning, project development and other corporate matters.
“Tom has a broad-based and highly respected practice servicing both private equity and corporate clients,” Will Aaronson, head of the mergers and acquisitions practice at Davis Polk, said. “He is an excellent fit with our M&A team and will further solidify our leadership position in the market.”
“Davis Polk has a deep bench of world-class M&A lawyers committed to collaboration and an unmatched level of client service,” Malone said. “I am excited to work with this outstanding team to help clients execute on their largest and most significant deals.”
The arrival of Penna establishes Davis Polk’s infrastructure finance practice. Penna represents sponsors, lenders, developers, multinational corporations and governmental entities on complex project development, financing and M&A transactions, with a focus on the energy, power and infrastructure sectors. From 2019 to 2020, he served in the office of strategic initiatives at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, providing strategic policy advice related to U.S. national security and international development matters.
“David has an enviably diverse background that includes government service and extensive work with lenders, sponsors and strategics, allowing him to truly understand the market,” Jason Kyrwood, co-head of the finance practice at Davis Polk, said. “We are thrilled to have David on board to anchor our multidisciplinary infrastructure team as we continue to build out a one-stop shop for sophisticated financing transactions of all types.”
“I have long admired Davis Polk’s exceptional finance lawyers and am thrilled to be joining such an energetic and team-oriented group,” Penna said. “I look forward to hitting the ground running and building on the excellent work the team is doing in the finance space.”
