Risë Norman is a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in the Firm’s Corporate Department, where she represents a broad range of corporations, investment banks and other financial institutions engaged in capital markets transactions involving initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings, PIPE offerings, high yield and investment grade debt offerings and restructurings, as well as in mergers and acquisitions and leveraged buyout transactions. She also advises such clients with respect to corporate governance, securities laws and general corporate matters.
Risë has advised, among others, The Hershey Company, ITC Holdings, MDC Partners, Owens & Minor, Peabody Energy, TRW Automotive, Unisys, Walter Energy and Walter Investment Management Corp. She has also represented:
- Vanguard Health Systems and its majority shareholder, Blackstone, in its initial public offering and NYSE Listing and $350 million debt offering
- ITC Holdings Corp. and its majority shareholders, and KKR and Trimaran, in its initial public offering and NYSE Listing and $267 million debt offering
In addition, Risë represents major investment banking firms in public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. She recently represented:
- Underwriters in secondary offerings of common stock by SBA Communications Corporation
- Initial purchasers in debt offerings by Covanta Holding Company
- Underwriters in debt offerings by Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
- Underwriters in an $11.0 billion debt offering by Broadcom Inc. in addition to other transactions
- Placement agents in approximately $100 million of committed PIPE financing of Thayer’s common stock as part of Inspirato LLC’s announced merger with Thayer Ventures Acquisition Corp., a SPAC
- Placement agents in approximately $270 million of committed PIPE financing of KVSB’s common stock as part of Nextdoor, Inc.’s announced merger with Khosla Ventures Acquisition Co. II, a SPAC
Risë became a member of Simpson Thacher in 1998. From June 1997 to November 1997, she practiced in the Firm’s Hong Kong office.
Risë is a former member of the Securities Regulation Committee, a former member of the Financial Reporting Committee of the New York City Bar Association, and a current member of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. She sits on the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School, was the Area Enrollment Director for the Dartmouth Alumni Association of New York, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Lawyers Division of the UJA-Federation. In June 2016, Risë participated in the Inaugural Women in Law Hackathon, a competition created by the Diversity Lab in collaboration with Stanford Law School and Bloomberg Law, to generate innovative ideas and solutions that will lead to greater retention and advancement of experienced women in law firms. Risë was recently honored as “Debt Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year” at the 2021 Americas Women in Business Law Awards and has been named a recommended lawyer by The Legal 500 United States for her capital markets work. In addition, Risë was named a 2013 BTI Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting Group for delivering superior client service to Fortune 1000 clients and she has also been recognized by Super Lawyers 2013-2021.
Risë recently authored a chapter for Practicising Law Institute’s Financial Product Fundamentals treatise, titled “Special Purpose Acquisition Companies,” which provides an extensive overview of SPAC formation, structures and related transactions (including IPOs, PIPEs, de-SPACs).
Risë received her A.B., magna cum laude, in 1985 from Dartmouth College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1988 where she was an Articles Editor for the Stanford Law Review. From 1988 to 1989, Risë was a Law Clerk to the Hon. Jesse E. Eschbach, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.