Debevoise & Plimpton partners Jennifer L. Chu (M&A/Private Equity) and Rebecca F. Silberstein (Investment Management) have been named to the 2019 Crain’s New York Business list of “Notable Women in Law.”
According to Crain’s, the 114 “lawyers on this year’s list are passionate about opening doors to career and client development opportunities” and “have responded with an arsenal of techniques to lessen that gap for younger women by developing their leadership, legal and business skills.”
Ms. Chu is a corporate partner and member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Groups. Her practice focuses on advising corporations and private equity firms in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other corporate matters, across a broad range of industries with a particular focus on transactions in the healthcare, financial services and insurance industries. In 2018, she represented TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, in their $4.1 billion acquisition with Humana of Kindred Healthcare, a deal that was named The Deal’s “Private Equity Deal of the Year,” as well as The Carlyle Group in its strategic minority investment in DiscoverOrg, a deal that was named The M&A Advisor’s “Information Technology Deal of the Year (over $100MM).” Ms. Chu is actively involved in the development of young lawyers, particularly women and diverse lawyers. She co-chairs Debevoise’s Women’s Resource Group and is a member of its Diversity Committee. She serves on the Board of Directors of Practicing Attorneys for Law Students, a not-for-profit organization focusing on enhancing the skills and careers of minority law students and early career lawyers through mentoring, education and professional development opportunities. She has spoken on panels about women in the legal profession, including at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Women Lawyers and at Harvard Law School.
Ms. Silberstein is Co-Head of the firm’s Private Equity Group and has built a leading fund formation practice over her 25 years at the firm. She focuses on advising private equity firms and financial sponsors of private investment funds, including global private equity, leveraged buyout, energy and infrastructure, banking and financial services, mezzanine, credit and distressed debt funds, as well as bespoke fund products and separate accounts. She also advises on carry plans, employee investment programs and acquisitions and dispositions of interests in private equity firms, as well as joint ventures and strategic partnerships, management team spin-outs and the establishment of new private equity firms. Ms. Silberstein is the New York City Bar Association’s 2018‒2021 Chair of the Private Investment Funds Committee and has been a leader of the International Bar Association’s Investment Funds Committee for over a decade, serving as 2017-2018 Co-Chair of the Committee. She was the 2014 Chair and is a leading member of the Private Investment Funds Forum and is an Advisory Board Member of the Private Equity CFO Association. Ms. Silberstein is also a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences. She is on the Organizing Committee of the IBA’s Private Funds Conference and is Chair of the 2019 IBA Annual Conference on the Globalisation of Investment Funds.
Read the 2019 Crain’s New York Business “Notable Women in Law” list.
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