Milbank LLP announced today that partners Deborah Conrad and Michael Duff have been named the new Managing Partners of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Partner Mark Scarsi, who is a nominee to be a United States Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and partner Paul Aronzon previously co-managed the office.
Ms. Conrad and Mr. Duff take the helm of the office following a period of growth. The Los Angeles office added four highly regarded intellectual property litigators – David Gindler, Gary Frischling, Lauren Drake and John Lu – to Milbank’s Litigation and Arbitration Group, and welcomed Litigation and Arbitration partner Adam Fee who relocated from the New York office in August.
Ms. Conrad first joined the firm in 1995 as a member of its Global Corporate Group, where she continues to represent public and privately-held companies, investment banks and private equity funds in mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, private financings and other sophisticated transactions. Most recently, Ms. Conrad advised on Eldorado Resorts, Inc. in its US$17 billion acquisition of Caesars Entertainment Corporation. Mr. Duff joined Milbank in 2015 as a partner, where he focuses on matters relating to renewable energy, partnership taxation and infrastructure/project finance. He has represented clients such as JPMorgan, Citigroup, Wells Fargo Bank, Northwestern Life Insurance Co., Union Bank, MetLife, NY Life Insurance Co., Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Key Bank.
Ms. Conrad said: “We are excited about the recent expansion of our litigation group in Los Angeles and it is my privilege to have been chosen with Mike to spearhead the next era of evolution at Milbank in order to deliver exceptional service for our clients in the years to come.”
Mr. Duff added: “Our work on the West Coast has historically been at the forefront of the most complicated deals, transactions and litigation across a variety of sectors, and I look forward to building upon the success of our Los Angeles office and continuing this work with Deborah.”
Under the leadership of Ms. Conrad and Mr. Duff, the nearly 80 lawyers in the Los Angeles office continue advising clients on a wide range of matters, including significant M&A transactions, complex restructurings, contentious intellectual property disputes and cutting-edge renewable power projects. The office is widely recognized for its corporate, project finance, litigation, financial restructuring, structured finance and securitization expertise.
In addition, the Los Angeles office has a longstanding commitment to pro bono work, dedicating hundreds of hours to serving its community and clients in need. The office’s pro bono team continues to work with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to ensure immigrant children’s rights are protected.
Garnering local, national and international attention, Milbank’s Los Angeles office regularly has top rankings in Chambers, Managing Intellectual Property, IJ Global, IFLR, Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, The Daily Journal and The Deal.
