Bracewell & Giuliani LLP — The law firm announced a slate of new hires for its San Antonio office. William Avila, Michael Bernard, Blakely Fernandez and Jane Macon (pictured) are each joining as partners. Avila, previously of counsel at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP from May 2011, focuses on public finance law. Bernard, a San Antonio-based attorney since 2005, was a first assistant district attorney for Bexar County. He specializes in public law, public finance, energy and litigation. Fernandez has held a variety of leadership positions, including partner with Tuggey Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather LLP. Other firms include Winstead Sechrest & Minick PC and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Macon, who was city attorney of the City of San Antonio from 1977 to 1983, is currently chairwoman of Siebert Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: SIEB), a holding company that provides various investment banking and broker services to retail investors. At Bracewell & Giuliani, she will advise on public finance deals as well as public and private partnerships, real estate zoning, municipal bonds and economic development.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP — Andy Soh has joined the New York law firm as international counsel. He will be based in Hong Kong. Over the years, Soh has worked in New York and Singapore, beginning with Jones Day from January 2005 to October 2008. From there, he went on to Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP and Kobre & Kim LLP, before his most recent position with General Electric International Inc. as executive counsel for Asia-Pacific litigation and investigations. Soh specializes in complex commercial disputes, as well as government enforcement defense.
Mayer Brown LLP — The New York law firm is adding Mayank Gupta and Trevor Wood as partners for its banking and finance team in London. Gupta, who advised the emerging markets team at Deutsche Bank AG, was previously with White & Case LLP in Hong Kong for two years. Wood has worked with various firms, including Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, Jones Day and Clifford Chance LLP. Like Gupta, Wood was also based in Hong Kong during his stint with Clifford Chance.
OppenheimerFunds Inc. — The investment management firm hired Peter Mintzberg, former co-chairman of BlackRock Inc.'s (NYSE: BLK) regional operating committee, as senior vice president, strategy and market planning. He spent seven years at BlackRock where he was head of marketing and head of strategy, Latin America and Iberia, and was a senior member of its global corporate strategy group. Earlier, Mintzberg advised financial institutions on corporate strategy and acquisition opportunities as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. The firm also announced the hiring of Rupa Athreya and Stephen Tisdalle. Athreya joins as head of product development, coming from Chase Wealth Management where she was head of strategy. Tisdalle joins as a senior vice president, brand marketing from Ogilvy & Mather, where he was a managing director leading strategic marketing services across the agency.
Pharos Capital Group LLC — The Dallas private equity firm enlisted Brett Jackson as a senior financial analyst. He will be based in the firm's Nashville, Tenn. office where he will be responsible for deal review, financial due diligence and financial modeling. Previously, Jackson was an investment banking analyst at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock, Ark.
Winston & Strawn LLP —The New York law firm brought in Glen Barrentine as a partner in the financial services practice. Barrentine, a broker-dealer regulatory specialist, was previously a special counsel at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP. Before that, he was chief regulatory officer of the American Stock Exchange. His experience also includes assistant general counsel with Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), and as an assistant director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission where he served under the commission's office of compliance inspections and examinations.
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