Naveed Anwar - Partner

Named a 2024 Law360 “MVP” in Private Equity and a 2022 “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer, Naveed Anwar is a Corporate Partner based in the Firm’s Bay Area offices. Naveed’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, where he represents private equity firms and public and private companies in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions. He has experience in a broad range of transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, leveraged buyouts, carve-outs, recapitalizations, venture financings, joint ventures, de-SPAC transactions and other complex transactions across a wide variety of sectors.

Naveed’s private equity representations have included KKR, Hellman & Friedman, EQT, Francisco Partners, Blackstone, Silver Lake, Centerbridge, True Wind Capital, Technology Crossover Ventures, Carlyle and Riverwood Capital and their respective portfolio companies, among others. His corporate representations have included Airbnb, Applied Systems, Dell, PPD, McKesson and UKG, among others

Naveed was also recognized as a 2024 “Next Generation Partner” by The Legal 500, 2021 “West Trailblazer” by The American Lawyer, a 2019 Law360 “Rising Star” in Private Equity and included in the Daily Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” in California in 2019.

Atif Azher - Partner

A trailblazer in the technology sector and recent American Lawyer “Corporate Attorney of the Year,” Atif Azher is Managing Partner of the Bay Area offices, where he represents clients in a wide range of complex corporate matters, with a focus on M&A and private equity. He is a two-time Law360 “MVP” in Private Equity and was twice named one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California” by the Daily Journal, which described him as “synonymous with the market’s largest and most complex transactions.” Atif is regularly recognized by The Legal 500 US and Chambers USA for “Private Equity: Buyouts.”

Atif provides sophisticated transactional counsel to public and private companies, investment funds and financial institutions in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions. He regularly advises on multi-billion-dollar mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and JVs, drawing on his substantial experience across a broad range of industries, including technology, technology-enabled services, software, internet, sports and media, healthcare, fintech, accounting firm M&A, retail and consumer products, infrastructure and real estate. Additionally, he has significant experience guiding SPAC transactions, including advising target companies, SPACs and PIPE investors. 

His corporate representations have included Airbnb, Applied Systems, Cohesity, Dell, Multiplan, PPD and UKG, among others. Atif’s private equity clients have included Apollo, Blackstone, Carlyle, Centerbridge, Francisco Partners, Haveli Investments, Hellman & Friedman, KKR, Riverwood, Silver Lake, Sterling, TCV and True Wind.

William B. Brentani - Partner

Based in the Firm’s Bay Area offices, Bill Brentani is a leading capital markets lawyer whose practice focuses on corporate finance and general securities and corporate matters. Bill regularly works for issuers and underwriters in connection with a broad range of capital market transactions, including initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on equity and preferred stock (including PIPEs) offerings, and debt, equity-linked, high yield and hybrid capital transactions. Bill was named among the 2024 “Top 100 Lawyers” by Daily Journal and a 2021 Healthcare “MVP” by Law360. He has been recognized as a leading lawyer for a number of years by Chambers USA, which describes him as “highly sought after for his expert counsel on transactions in diverse sectors, including healthcare, technology and retail.” Clients laud him as “our go-to person” and a “trusted partner and adviser” and, tellingly, “capable of doing really complex work.” Bill currently serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Opinion Committee and is a prior Head of the Firm’s Palo Alto office and a former member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Tristan Brown - Partner

Lauded by Chambers as “incredibly intelligent and highly responsive,” Tristan Brown is based in Palo Alto, where he is part of Simpson Thacher’s multi-office Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Practice. Tristan has broad experience advising a variety of clients, including private equity funds and public companies, on executive compensation and employee benefits issues arising in mergers, takeovers, sales, spin-offs, IPOs and other transactions.

Tristan also regularly assists companies in designing and implementing employee compensation and benefit programs and has extensive experience negotiating executive employment and separation arrangements—both on behalf of companies and executives. His clients include Silver Lake Partners, KKR, KSL, Airbnb, Alibaba, Ant Financial, Dell Technologies, Inc., Ancestry.com, Oaktree, CBRE, BrightView, Masonite, McKesson and Sedgwick.

Tristan was named as a 2017 Top 20 Lawyer in Employee Benefits by Lawdragon.

 

Frederick W.P. de Albuquerque - Partner

Recognized as a 2025 Law360 “Rising Star” in M&A, Fred de Albuquerque is a Partner in the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice based in the Firm’s Bay Area offices, where he represents financial sponsors and public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions, investments, divestitures, carve-outs, joint ventures, recapitalizations and other business transactions. He also regularly counsels clients in connection with general corporate governance and securities law matters. Fred’s representations span a wide range of sectors, including technology, financial services, healthcare, transportation and consumer products. His financial sponsor clients have included, among others, Centerbridge Partners, EQT, Genstar Capital, Hellman & Friedman, KSL Capital Partners, Silver Lake, Technology Crossover Ventures, True Wind Capital and their respective portfolio companies.

Robert Guo - Partner

A Partner in the Firm’s Private Funds Practice, Robert Guo advises private fund sponsors on the establishment and operation of private investment funds across multiple asset classes ranging in size from under $50 million to over $24 billion. Robert also counsels sponsors with respect to internal economic and governance matters, as well as regulatory compliance and fund-related aspects of mergers and acquisitions transactions.

Robert also has advised many private equity and venture capital investors on venture financing, growth equity and other investment, acquisition and sale transactions.

Harry N. Hudesman - Partner

Harry Hudesman focuses his practice on executive compensation and employee benefits issues arising in the context of a wide range of transactions, including high-profile mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs and initial public offerings, among others. He regularly advises public and private companies across numerous industries on a broad range of employment, compensatory and benefit matters including the design, negotiation and implementation of employment and separation arrangements, cash-based and equity-based incentive plans, golden parachute excise tax issues and related employment matters. 

Makala M. Kaupalolo - Partner

Makala Kaupalolo is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Financial Institutions Practice and is based in the Palo Alto office. She regularly represents public and private financial institutions, as well as private equity sponsors, in a broad range of mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, investments and other significant corporate transactions and corporate governance matters. Makala works with clients across the financial services sector, including in fintech, banking, specialty finance and insurance.

Robert Langdon - Partner

Robert Langdon is a leading private equity and M&A lawyer with more than 25 years of broad experience representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in high-stakes matters. Robert has advised numerous private equity funds, including Carlyle, EQT Partners, Francisco Partners, Hellman & Friedman, KSL Capital Partners, Silver Lake, Technology Crossover Ventures, True Wind Capital and Warburg Pincus. He is ranked as a top attorney for Private Equity: Buyouts (Nationwide) by Chambers USA. Robert was recently named “Private Equity Dealmaker of the Year” for 2020 by The Deal. He is also a recipient of the Law360 awards for both “MVP-Private Equity” and “Rising Star-Private Equity,” and is recognized as a “go-to attorney” in the area of private equity. 

Heidi Mayon - Partner

Heidi Mayon is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Bay Area offices and a member of the Capital Markets Practice. She focuses on advising companies, investors and underwriters on a wide range of securities matters, including initial public offerings (IPOs), venture financings, growth equity, follow-on equity, block trades, bought deals, ATM programs, committed lines of equity, spin-offs and transactions by special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). She has extensive experience across numerous industries including technology, healthcare and life sciences, FinTech and payments, marketplaces and retail, energy and clean technology. Heidi also regularly advises public and private companies on reporting obligations, corporate governance and other general corporate matters. Heidi is recognized by Chambers USA where clients describe her as “pragmatic and collaborative” and a “very strong lawyer.”

Mark Myott - Partner

A Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Mergers and Acquisitions Practice, Mark Myott has broad experience representing corporate and private equity clients in complex and high-profile transactions. He frequently advises clients in connection with leveraged buyout transactions, mergers, spin-offs, recapitalizations, restructurings, growth equity and venture capital investments and other complex transactions across a wide variety of sectors, with numerous representations in the technology and healthcare sectors.

Recently, Mark was named among 2022’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track” by The Recorder, honoring the next generation of legal leaders aged 40 and under in California. He was also recognized by Law360 as a “Rising Star” in Mergers and Acquisitions for 2022.

David S. Park - Partner

David S. Park concentrates his practice on the establishment and operation of private investment funds, including buyout funds, growth equity funds, infrastructure funds and real estate funds, as well as co-investment arrangements and secondaries. He also advises sponsors on internal governance matters and regulatory compliance. He has represented leading fund sponsors, including Hellman & Friedman, TCV, Blackstone, KKR, Carlyle and Rockpoint Group, among others.

Karen J. Reyes - Partner

Karen Reyes is a Partner in the Firm’s Capital Markets Practice, focusing on securities offerings and corporate governance matters. She has a multifaceted practice, representing issuers, underwriters and private equity sponsors in connection with a broad array of capital markets offerings, including initial public offerings and secondary equity offerings, as well as high yield and investment grade debt offerings.

Kelli Schultz-Panas - Partner

A member of the Firm’s Capital Markets and Public Company Advisory Practices, Kelli Schultz advises on a wide range of capital markets offerings and compliance with federal securities laws and the rules of the major U.S. exchanges. She represents issuers, underwriters and investors in a variety of securities transactions across numerous industries, including technology, consumer electronics, healthcare, hospitality, real estate, financial services and retail. She also regularly counsels management and boards of directors on a range of matters, including disclosure and reporting requirements, corporate governance, proxy materials, shareholder proposals, insider trading matters, investor communications, SEC inquiries, crisis management and navigating the transition to public company life.

Daniel N. Webb - Partner

Dan Webb’s practice focuses on capital markets transactions, corporate governance and securities law matters. He advises issuers, underwriters and sponsors on initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, block trades, PIPEs and other equity offerings, and offerings of preferred stock and investment grade, high yield and convertible debt, as well as tender and exchange offers, SPACs and various types of acquisition financing. His representations have included Facebook’s $16 billion IPO and Apple’s inaugural $17 billion bond offering, the largest corporate bond offering in history at the time. Dan is recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA, which quotes clients and counterparts who describe him as “terrific, incredibly knowledgeable, very practical and very collaborative” and “very experienced.”

Simona G. Strauss - Senior Counsel Simona Strauss is Senior Counsel in the Firm’s Litigation Department. Her areas of concentration are securities litigation, M&A litigation, government and internal investigations and complex commercial disputes. In addition to defending companies and individuals in direct and derivative shareholder litigation, she regularly represents clients (both domestic and foreign) involved in investigations conducted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Simona represents clients in litigation and in arbitration, at the trial court level and on appeal.

Jonathan C. Sanders - Counsel

Jonathan Sanders is Counsel in the Firm’s Litigation Department. He focuses on patent litigations, including managing complex cases in federal district courts, litigating appeals in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court and handling proceedings before the Patent and Trademark Office.

Yizhou (Jo) Xu - Counsel

Yizhou (Jo) Xu is Counsel in the Firm’s Private Funds Practice where she advises clients on the establishment and operation of private investment funds including real estate funds, buyout funds and other customized fund arrangements. Jo has represented leading sponsors such as American Industrial Partners, Carlyle, KKR, Lexington Capital Partners, Lone Star, Pretium, Rockpoint Group, Square Mile Capital Management and Sterling Investment Partners.