New York, NY (PRWEB) March 03, 2016
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP continues to strategically grow its private equity capabilities with the additions of shareholders Christopher R. Machera and Adam S. Tope as well as Of Counsel Christopher P. McHugh in its New York City office. McHugh will also work in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Machera, who previously served as vice president and Associate General Counsel for Goldman Sachs; Tope, whose previous position was at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; and McHugh, who previously served as counsel to Commissioner Kara M. Stein at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), join Greenberg Traurig during a critical time of growth for the firm’s Corporate Practice.
Machera focuses his practice on representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in various transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, minority investments, and general corporate governance matters. While at Goldman Sachs, he served as internal counsel to the Merchant Banking Division, focusing on private equity transactions. He earned his J.D. from Duke University School of Law, and his B.A. from Hamilton College.
Tope represents private equity, real estate, hedge fund, and venture capital sponsors in the formation, structuring, and operation of domestic and offshore investment funds. He provides his sponsor clients with comprehensive representation from entity formation through the fundraising process to ongoing operational advice. Tope’s practice also includes advising private equity-related cross-border mergers and acquisitions and investment adviser and fund compliance matters. In addition to representing sponsors of funds, Tope also represents institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices in acquiring and selling positions in private equity, real estate, venture capital, and hedge funds in the United States and abroad. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, and his B.S. from Cornell University.
McHugh, who is experienced in advising clients in all aspects of regulation under the Investment Advisers Act, will focus his practice on investment fund and investment adviser matters. He will represent investment advisers and investment funds, including hedge, private equity, offshore, and real estate funds, with fund formation, operational, and compliance related issues. He will advise clients on a variety of private fund matters, including: preparing private placement memoranda, partnership agreements, and subscription agreements; fund structuring; negotiating with investors’ counsel; and drafting operating agreements for the fund manager. McHugh will assist clients with SEC and state filings, SEC registration, regulatory compliance, adequacy of disclosure documents, Form ADV, custody and soft dollar matters, and investment performance advertising and marketing issues. In addition, he represents institutional investors in their investments in private funds. He earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University.
“We are proud to welcome Chris Machera, Adam Tope, and Chris McHugh to the firm; they are strong examples of the type of high-caliber attorneys joining Greenberg Traurig as we continue to effectively grow our Corporate Practice to meet the needs of our clients,” said Alan I. Annex, deputy chair of the firm’s Global Corporate Practice. “Chris Machera’s work at Goldman Sachs with the Merchant Banking Division, Adam Tope’s extensive experience in the formation, structuring, and operation of investment funds, along with Chris McHugh’s SEC work, will be a great asset to our private equity and hedge fund clients and further support a critical area of focus for the firm.”
“Joining Greenberg Traurig’s New York Corporate Practice was a unique opportunity for me, and I am thrilled to join the talented team of attorneys here, especially during this time of expansion,” said Machera. “I look forward to leveraging my skills to better serve the firm’s private equity clients.”
Tope, before practicing law, was president and CEO of a technology incubator that was ranked one of the 500 largest online companies by a leading technology magazine. In his role at Greenberg Traurig, he will continue to advise start-up companies in a variety of corporate matters.
“I’m excited about joining Greenberg Traurig and helping expand the firm’s fund formation capabilities,” said Tope. “I am drawn to the firm not only because of the business know-how and skillset of its attorneys, but also because it provides me with the right platform to continue to better address client needs while also widening my client network.”
Machera, Tope, and McHugh join Greenberg Traurig during an exciting time in the firm’s New York office, with the recent additions of former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Marc L. Mukasey, Robert S. Frenchman, and Laurence A. Levy, all joining from Bracewell.
In addition to the Oct. 1, 2015 opening of Greenberg Traurig's Berlin office with 55 attorneys, Greenberg Traurig's Global Corporate & Securities Practice has achieved unprecedented growth during the last year. Shareholders who joined the practice since January 2015 in New York include, Nanette Aguirre, Meredith J. Beuchaw, Iskender H. Catto, Joseph Cosentino, Frank Martire, Stephen M. Pepper, Ivan J. Presant, and Allan D. Reiss. Also joining the practice were, in Amsterdam, Thédoor Melchers; in Berlin, Dr. Henrik Armah, Claudia Hard, Dr. Josef Hofschroer, and Dr. Peter Schorling; in Chicago, John P. Boelter, Raymond F. Bogenrief, and Stacey T. Kern; in Dallas, Christina A. Tate; in Denver, Thomas B. Romer; in Fort Lauderdale, Flora R. Perez; in Houston, Derek J. Anchondo; in London, Dorothee Fischer-Appelt and Joel Wheeler; in Mexico City, Miguel Flores Bernés, Víctor Manuel Frías Garcés, José Raz Guzmán, and Miguel Moisés; in Miami, Marc L. Druckman; in New Jersey, James A. Dempsey and Seth E. Zuckerman; and in Tokyo, Koji Ishikawa and Koichiro Ohashi.
Greenberg Traurig’s Corporate Practice comprises more than 400 lawyers who advise public and privately held companies on global mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, underwritten and syndicated offerings, commercial finance and syndicated lending, cross-border transactions, and general corporate matters. The group’s industry experience includes transactions in a wide range of fields, from the pharmaceutical, medical devices, and life sciences fields, to representations involving clients in the aviation, banking, energy, health care, manufacturing, technology, and telecommunications sectors.
Greenberg Traurig’s Private Equity Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s Private Equity Practice utilizes the collective experience and resources of the firm to help clients achieve their goals. An experienced team of private equity attorneys leverages the firm’s unique geographic platform and extensive range of practice and industry capabilities across the firm, which distinguishes Greenberg Traurig from other large firms. To learn more about Greenberg Traurig’s Private Equity Practice, click here.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 1900 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No 1. on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, third largest in the U.S. on the 2015 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com/.