Emily Johnson and Mark Stagliano have joined Latham & Watkins as partners in the New York office. Johnson joins the banking and private credit and capital markets practices, while Stagliano joins the mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice.
Johnson’s practice focuses on all financing aspects of complex corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and spin-offs, with particularly deep experience in company-side, issuer-focused financings.
Stagliano’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities matters and company representation work, including corporate governance.
“Emily and Mark are among a select group of highly experienced and incredibly talented practitioners, and we are delighted to welcome them to our firm,” Rich Trobman, chair and managing partner of Latham & Watkins, said. “Their market-leading practices directly support our strategic focus to advise our clients on complex transactions across the capital structure and high-profile public company M&A. No other firm combines our excellence and scale — nor our ambition — and Emily and Mark joining us is another major milestone for our firm.”
Marc Jaffe, managing partner of Latham’s New York office, said, “We are thrilled to add partners of Emily’s and Mark’s stature to our practice in New York and globally. They are well-respected senior counselors with enormous credibility in boardrooms. Having led numerous sophisticated and transformative transactions over many years, their range of skills and sought-after expertise significantly expands our already strong and growing platform and the best-in-class counsel we provide to our clients.”
Johnson’s practice focuses on advising public companies, corporate borrowers and strategic acquirers on the design and execution of debt and capital structures that advance strategic objectives and remain durable across market cycles. Her experience spans investment-grade and leveraged financings, bank and direct lending, public and private capital markets transactions and liability management, including corporate separations, carve-outs and transformational M&A transactions, as well as distressed acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. Johnson’s practice also involves close, ongoing engagement with boards of directors, senior management teams and corporate treasury functions to balance financing certainty, ratings considerations, disclosure obligations and execution risk.
“Emily is an incredible addition to our top-ranked practice at the intersection of complex financings, capital markets and liability management,” Stelios Saffos, global chair of Latham’s capital markets and public company representation practices and global chair of the hybrid capital practice, said. “She further expands our unparalleled reach across private credit providers, banks, bond investors and capital markets participants, and enhances the scaled advice we deliver to clients through our fully integrated practice. Her experience leading complex transactions that require coordinated advice across multiple disciplines — often under heightened board, investor and public market scrutiny — carries tremendous credibility among public company boards and senior management teams. We are thrilled that Emily is joining our team, further expanding our capacity in an area where client demand is robust and expected to grow.”
Stagliano’s practice focuses on public company and sponsor-side mergers and acquisitions, securities matters and corporate governance. He advises companies in a variety of industries on a wide range of matters, including domestic and cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, IPOs and other capital markets and private equity transactions, as well as shareholder activism, takeover defense and proxy contests.
“Mark’s breadth of experience further enhances our world-class M&A practice, and he brings many complementary strands to our corporate ambitions in New York and globally,” Alex Kelly, global co-chair of Latham’s M&A and private equity practice, said. “His impressive track record leading landmark transactions — including high-profile strategic combinations, corporate governance matters and contested situations — bolsters our capabilities, and it is exactly the kind of integrated, cross-practice advice that sophisticated boards and management teams need in today’s increasingly competitive market. Mark has earned a standout reputation for being extremely hard-working, entrepreneurial and an outstanding team player, and his arrival reinforces Latham’s position at the forefront of the practice.”
Johnson said, “Latham is well-known for excellence across financial products, industries and jurisdictions, and I am delighted to join the firm and contribute to its long-term growth. Latham’s unique 360-degree view of the public and private markets provides a powerful platform to help boards and senior management teams navigate increasingly complex financing decisions, combining strategic insight with execution across the full range of capital solutions — from traditional syndicated and capital markets to the expanding private credit ecosystem.”
Stagliano said, “Latham is a transactional powerhouse that is exceptionally well positioned to capitalize on the increased activity in public M&A. I am delighted to join the firm’s all-star team, and excited to be part of Latham’s ongoing success and growth in New York and beyond.”
Johnson and Stagliano join Latham & Watkins from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Johnson received her JD from Duke University School of Law and BA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Stagliano received his JD from Harvard Law School and BA from University of Pennsylvania.
