Linklaters Hires Market-Leading M&A Team in New York Led by Rainmaker George Casey

• George Casey comes as Global Co-Chair of Corporate, joined by Heiko Schiwek, who will be one of the Global Leaders of the Chemicals Sector at Linklaters

• The team will add a full spectrum of US and cross-border M&A capability to Linklaters’ pre-eminent global Corporate and M&A offering

• Casey and Schiwek will spearhead the next chapter of Linklaters’ US growth strategy, building on the firm’s recent growth in the US, and the integration of US M&A capability with the firm’s global platform

• The team also includes M&A Partner Greg Gewirtz, Counsel Yiting Du, Senior Associate Wendy Suh, and Associate Michael Lomtevas

Linklaters is delighted to announce that a market-leading M&A team led by dealmaker George A. Casey will be joining the firm’s New York office on 16 January.

Aedamar Comiskey, Linklaters Senior Partner, said:

“Growing our M&A capability in the US is a strategic priority for us and George and the team joining is a transformational step. Adding a market-leading M&A practice in New York to our preeminent global M&A offering means we can support our clients in all core markets.”

Casey said:

“I have worked across the table from and alongside Linklaters for many years and got to know the firm’s culture and its global presence. I am thrilled that my team and I will add significant US M&A capability to one of the most formidable global Corporate and M&A platforms. I am excited about the opportunity to lead Linklaters’ US growth strategy as the firm opens a new chapter in this market.”

Casey, one of the top dealmakers in the market, joins as a Partner and will serve as Linklaters’ Global Co-Chair of Corporate. He is a top-rated M&A practitioner with almost 30 years of experience with a market-leading global practice focused on the chemical, industrial, healthcare, mining, media, technology, and telecommunications sectors. He was a partner at Shearman & Sterling for over 20 years, with roles including Global Head of Corporate, Global Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group Leader, and Global Managing Partner.

Casey represents many of the largest US and non-US corporate clients, advising boards and management on strategic M&A transactions, corporate governance, ESG, and shareholder relations issues.

He has represented clients on over $300 billion of M&A transactions and is highly regarded in key financial markets around the world for working on some of the largest and most complex landmark deals.

Casey was inducted into the Legal 500 Corporate/M&A “Hall of Fame” in 2020, one of only 21 M&A lawyers across the US awarded this recognition and is included in the 2023 Legal 500 M&A USA Powerlist. He was named by clients as one of nine M&A “Super All-Stars” in a survey of US M&A lawyers by BTI Consulting. The American Lawyer named Casey Dealmaker of the Year and Transatlantic Corporate Dealmaker of the Year (US) for his work.

In addition to his work with clients, Casey is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and is a regular guest lecturer on US M&A at l’École de Droit de la Sorbonne — Université Paris I.

Casey serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the American University and American College of Greece, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a Washington, DC think tank.

Also joining Linklaters in New York are Heiko Schiwek and Greg Gewirtz as Partners, Yiting Du as Counsel, Wendy Suh as a Senior Associate, and Michael Lomtevas as an Associate.

Heiko Schiwek, previously a partner at Shearman & Sterling, has extensive experience in US domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, ranging from public company acquisitions to complex carve-out sales, strategic investments, and joint venture transactions. Known for working on some of the most complex deals, particularly in the Chemical and Industrials space, Schiwek joins Linklaters as one of the Global Leaders of the Chemicals Sector.

Greg Gewirtz, previously counsel at Shearman & Sterling, brings 15 years of experience advising on public and private M&A, including carve-outs, divestitures, reorganisations, minority investments, joint ventures, and financial advisory assignments.

Yiting Du joins Linklaters from Shearman & Sterling as Counsel, bringing significant experience in US domestic and cross-border M&A transactions.

Wendy Suh is a highly regarded Senior M&A Associate with a number of years of Chemical and Industrials M&A practice, and Michael Lomtevas has been an important member of the team since he joined Shearman & Sterling.

Linklaters has a pre-eminent global M&A practice, with over 650 M&A lawyers advising clients across the globe on their most complex and important transactions. The firm is Band 1 ranked by Chambers for Corporate/M&A in the UK, Europe, and Asia, as well as for Global Multi-Jurisdictional Corporate/M&A. In 2022, Linklaters advised on over 240 global M&A deals worth a total of $164 billion, including advising 35 of the world’s top 50 corporates.

In addition to the M&A team led by Casey and Schiwek, Linklaters has made a series of significant hires in the US over the past 18 months, including across energy & infrastructure, financial regulation, capital markets, tax, executive compensation & employee benefits, environmental and other areas complementary to the firm’s corporate offering.

Linklaters is a 185 year-old leading global law firm with over 3,100 lawyers across 31 offices in 21 countries. We combine legal expertise with a collaborative and innovative approach to help clients navigate constantly evolving markets and regulatory environments, pursuing opportunities and managing risk worldwide. In order to offer our clients the highest quality advice, our lawyers across three divisions — Corporate; Litigation, Arbitration, and Investigations; and Finance — specialise in industry sectors as well as practice areas.