Pillsbury Elects Eight New Partners for 2015

NEW YORK—Pillsbury today announced it has selected nine lawyers for promotion to partner, effective January 1, 2015. The 2015 class demonstrates the firm’s go-to strengths in complex litigation, global sourcing and technology transactions, public and private company business strategies, and global nuclear energy projects. They also enhance Pillsbury’s platform of providing international services to clients.

“Creativity and persistence are the threads that run through this year’s class,” said Pillsbury Chair James Rishwain Jr. “Each has proven to be adept at responding to rapidly changing client needs and expectations. Our firm and our clients will benefit from their contributions for many years to come. They are a big part of our bright future.”

The members of Pillsbury’s 2015 partner class are:

Tom Allen

(Litigation/Washington, DC): Allen handles complex litigation/arbitration, compliance, and enforcement matters with a focus on environmental law, nuclear energy, aviation, and securities. He represents clients before U.S. government agencies, state and federal trial courts, international tribunals, state and federal courts of appeals, and commercial arbitration panels. He received his law degree from the Catholic University of America.

Benjamin Dean

Global Sourcing/Washington, DC): Dean is a member of the firm’s highly regarded Global Sourcing team. He helps clients negotiate and structure a broad range of complex technology transactions and advises clients who are experiencing performance issues with sourcing and technology projects and suppliers. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Steve Kaplan

(Corporate & Securities-Tech/Northern Virginia): Kaplan represents technology and other high-growth companies as they build, grow and run successful businesses. He counsels on venture financings, capital formation strategies, corporate governance, employment and compensation matters, licenses and transfers of technology, supplier and customer contracts, and shareholder issues. He also represents buyers and sellers in complex M&A transactions. He earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Andrew Lanphere

(Litigation/San Francisco): Lanphere prosecutes and defends cases in state and federal courts and in arbitration, with an emphasis on antitrust and unfair competition matters. His experience includes securities, real estate, intellectual property, insurance and reinsurance. He regularly advises corporate and individual clients concerning coverage under directors and officers (“D&O”) insurance policies. He earned his law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law.

Heidi Mayon

(Corporate & Securities/San Francisco): Mayon practices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley and has represented corporations and underwriters in more than 50 public offerings of equity and debt. In addition, she advises on divestitures through mergers, acquisitions, tender offers and spin-offs. Her emerging company practice focuses on venture capital financings and pre-incorporation counseling. She earned her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Sam Pearse

(Corporate & Securities/London): Pearse advises on international corporate transactions. He has wide experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, finance, joint ventures and investment funds. He has completed secondments at BBC Worldwide, where he assisted with asset disposals and joint ventures, and at an activist investment advisory fund advising on fund administration, fund structuring and acquisitions. He earned his law degree from the University of Manchester and completed a Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School.

Andrew Smith

(Litigation/New York): Smith has a complex commercial litigation practice with a focus on international issues and clients, adversary proceedings in bankruptcy, and financial services litigation. He has also worked on product liability matters. Smith is a member of the firm’s Corporate Investigations and White Collar Defense practice, and he has significant appellate experience. He earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Elina Teplinsky

(Energy/Washington, DC): Teplinsky is a member of Pillsbury's premier nuclear energy practice and International Nuclear Projects team. She advises owners and operators, reactor and equipment suppliers, architect-engineering companies and technical consulting firms on complex nuclear transactional and regulatory matters. She has also become a go-to adviser in nuclear trade and export control matters. She earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law. She speaks Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.

About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pillsbury is a full-service law firm with an industry focus on energy & natural resources, financial services including financial institutions, real estate & construction, and technology. Based in the world's major financial, technology and energy centers, Pillsbury counsels clients on global business, regulatory and litigation matters. We work in multidisciplinary teams that allow us to understand our clients’ objectives, anticipate trends and bring a 360-degree perspective to complex business and legal issues—helping clients to take greater advantage of new opportunities, meet and exceed their objectives and better mitigate risk. This collaborative work style helps produce the results our clients seek.