Steptoe Continues Expansion of M&A and General Corporate Practices With Addition of Jim Modlin
Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that it has continued the expansion of its corporate practice with the addition of Jim Modlin as a partner in the New York office, focusing on M&A and general corporate service.
Modlin brings significant corporate and M&A advisory experience to Steptoe’s corporate practice, which continued its trend of targeted and aggressive expansion in both lawyer headcount and volume of complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions handled in 2021. This dynamic growth has been driven by client demand in the Caribbean and Latin American markets as well as domestic sectors such as crypto, cybersecurity, healthcare, and energy.
Modlin was previously a partner in the M&A practice at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, where he advised on high-profile transactions in the media, professional services, chemicals, and pharma industries, before joining EY as deputy general counsel for corporate and transactions in 2018. His practice focuses on advising management and corporate boards of public and private companies in the areas of M&A, capital structure transactions, governance and fiduciary duties, and commercial disputes.
“Jim provides outstanding experience and depth to complement the exceptional attorneys that make up our growing corporate practice,” said Steptoe chair Gwen Renigar. “We look forward to adding such a recognized and well-established deal lawyer as we continue the expansion of our M&A capabilities and meet our clients’ growing transactional needs.”
Modlin added: “It is a truly exciting time to be joining Steptoe’s Corporate Group as the practice experiences rapid growth driven by demand from the firm’s broad client base. I look forward to working alongside such an accomplished and talented team of lawyers as we continue to build a market-leading practice while collaborating with Steptoe’s renowned tax, trade, export controls and sanctions, IP, real estate, bankruptcy, energy, transportation, and environmental teams.”
Steptoe corporate lawyers represent companies in all areas of corporate, securities, and finance transactions, particularly those in a cross-border context. The firm works with its public and privater company clients at every stage of the business cycle, from entity formation and early stage financing, to day-to-day advice on business and legal issues, to negotiating mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and dispositions, to complex financial and restructuring transactions.
Steptoe’s domestic and international presence, coupled with the practical experience and business acumen of its corporate lawyers, enables the firm to provide its clients with advanced solutions to even the most complicated transactions, wherever they occur. Steptoe represent buyers, sellers, special committees, and investment bankers in structuring and negotiating mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other investments and dispositions worldwide.
Modlin was ranked by Chambers USA for New York M&A in his previous practice. He received his J.D. from Columbia University, where he was a Stone Scholar, and his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s Chair is a woman; the majority of Steptoe’s nine offices are managed by women; the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders; and the firm’s twelve-person elected compensation committee is headed by a woman and includes five women as members. The firm’s eight-person professional business services leadership is equally diverse, with half the c-suite made up of women, including three women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
