DLA Piper Recruits Corporate Partners

Anthony Lin

New York Law Journal

DLA Piper has recruited New York corporate partners from the local offices of three different Chicago firms.

Drew Chapman is joining DLA Piper as chair of the fund services group, a practice he previously headed for Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. He focuses on representing hedge funds, private equity funds and other alternative investment groups.

DLA Piper has also recruited Jack Kantrowitz, previously a partner at Sidley Austin.

Kantrowitz specializes in corporate finance and represented France Telecom in a 2001 $16.4 billion debt offering that was one of the largest ever by a corporation.

From Winston & Strawn, DLA Piper has recruited New York private equity partner Christopher Giordano.

Giordano is joining DLA Piper as part of a five-partner group making the move from Winston & Strawn. That group also includes Chicago partners Steven V. Napolitano, Richard E. Ginsberg, Brendan P. Head and Jason L. Booth.

Napolitano, who will co-chair DLA Piper's U.S. private equity practice, is expected to spend much of his time in New York.

The partners are the latest recruited by DLA Piper corporate chair Roger Meltzer, who joined DLA Piper earlier this year from New York's Cahill Gordon & Reindel. DLA Piper has tasked him with building a world-class New York corporate practice for the 3,400-lawyer firm.