Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP Elects 7 New Partners

NEW YORK - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has announced that it has elected seven attorneys as members of the firm effective Jan. 1, 2011. The new partners are: Elizabeth A. Cooper, Igor Fert, Melissa Hutson, Jonathan Karen, Noah M. Leibowitz, Alvaro Gomez de Membrillera and Erik Quarfordt.

Cooper, Fert, Hutson, Karen, Leibowitz and Quarfordt are based in the firm's New York office. Membrillera is based in the firm's London office.

Leibowitz is a member of the firm's intellectual property group and litigation department. He concentrates on representing clients in complex patent litigation, licensing disputes and in matters involving scientific, medical and technical expertise. Leibowitz has litigated patent cases in courts across the country and has experience in all aspects of such cases, including discovery, Markman hearings, dispositive motion practice, pre-trial, trial and appeal to the Federal Circuit. He received his A.B., magna cum laude, in Biology and Psychology from Columbia University in 1996 and his J.D. from Columbia Law School (James Kent Scholar, Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar) in 1999. Leibowitz was a senior counsel at the firm before his election as partner. He joined Simpson Thacher in 2001.

Cooper is a member of the firm's corporate department. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions. She represents public and private companies, as well as private equity firms, in a wide range of corporate matters, with a particular emphasis on financial institution transactions. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2001, where she was a James Kent Scholar, and her A.B., cum laude, in 1997 from Harvard University. Cooper joined Simpson Thacher in 2001.

Fert is a member of the firm's corporate department. He represents several leading private equity sponsors and issuer clients in connection with public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, including acquisition financings, corporate governance and other securities and corporate law matters. Fert also advises the firm's investment banking clients on underwritten offerings of debt and equity securities. He received his J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law in 1999 where he was a managing board member of the Virginia Journal of International Law and his B.A. from Vilnus University in 1992. Fert joined Simpson Thacher in 1999.

Hutson is a member of the firm's corporate department, focusing on banking and finance. Hutson regularly represents leading private equity firms and their portfolio companies in connection with various bank financings, including acquisition, bridge and other corporate financings. She also advises several of the firm's commercial banking clients in connection with a broad range of syndicated bank financings. She received her J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law in 2001, and her B.A. from University of Virginia with high honors in 1998. Hutson joined Simpson Thacher in 2001.

Karen is a member of the firm's corporate department, focusing on private investment funds. Karen's practice focuses on organizing and advising a wide range of buyout funds, mezzanine, distressed and other debt funds, real estate funds, venture and growth capital funds and other kinds of private equity funds, as well as hedge funds and other kinds of funds for alternative asset categories. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2001, where he edited the Annual Survey of American Law from 1999-2000. He received his B.A. from Duke University, cum laude, in 1998. Karen joined Simpson Thacher in 2001.

Membrillera is a member of the firm's corporate department. His practice focuses on private equity mergers and acquisitions and high-yield offerings for both underwriters and private equity sponsors in Europe and Latin America. Membrillera received his Master of Laws from New York University School of Law as a Fulbright Scholar in 2001 and his Licenciatura en Derecho, summa cum laude, in 1998 at Universidad Pompeu Fabra. He joined the Firm in 2001 and moved to the London office in September 2002.

Quarfordt is a member of the firm's real estate department. His practice focuses primarily on representing private equity firms in commercial real estate acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures and financings. He received his J.D. from University of Texas School of Law in 2000, where he graduated with honors and was a member of the Texas Law Review. He received his B.A. from Rice University, cum laude, in 1997. Quarfordt joined Simpson Thacher in 2000.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a leading international law firm with offices in New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. Established in 1884, the firm has more than 800 lawyers who provide coordinated legal advice on some of the world's largest and most complex business transactions and disputes.