McDermott Will & Emery has announced today (28 October) that Jason Zemmel (pictured) has joined the firm’s transactions group as a partner.
Recognised as a Legal 500 leading partner for mid-market private equity deals, Zemmel previously co-headed the international PE group at CMS. He brings with him experience in M&A and PE matters, particularly in the healthcare sector.
His clients include private equity firms, corporates, investors, and advisers on PE, M&A, corporate finance, and other commercial transactions.
Harris Siskind, global head of McDermott’s transaction group, emphasised that Zemmel’s hire is part of the firm’s ambition to ‘supercharge’ its London private equity bench.
‘There are many similarities between our clients and Jason’s, which makes him an exceptional fit for both the firm and the transactions practice,’ he said.
Zemmel added that McDermott is ‘an appealing option to [his] clients because of its strong international platform and service offering, which includes PE, M&A, healthcare, restructuring, real estate, and finance in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, and Milan.’
Zemmel’s recruitment comes shortly after the recent additions of partners Sebastian Bonneau and Candice Nichol, who joined the firm in September and October respectively. Nichol joined McDermott’s tax practice in London following a three-year stint at KPMG. Bonneau, who specialises in M&A, private equity, and joint venture transactions, with a particular emphasis on the data centre sector, moved from Eversheds.
When asked if he expected lateral hiring to continue, London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud said: ‘Very much so, our discussions with potential laterals tells us that there is a lot of excitement around what we are building’.
In a May interview with Legal Business, Mahmoud said that the firm is committed to ongoing strategic expansion in London.
Other recent hires include Chris Kandel, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer in acquistion finance who joined from Morrison Foerster in May, and Fatema Orjela, a Legal 500 leading partner for mid-market private equity deals who joined from Sidley Austin in April. The transactions team has also recently been boosted by Michal Berkner from Cooley in February, Adrian Cohen from Proskauer in May, and real estate duo Darren Rogers and Devina Rana from Fried Frank in June.
Former partners have suggested that there has been a push from the US to drive up the profitability of the London office. The firm’s commitment to London is evident in the recent salary hike for its London associates to $225,000, putting it on par with leading US firms such as Cravath, Milbank and Paul Weiss, as revealed by LB.