Alston & Bird has strengthened its Corporate, Health Care, and Real Estate practices with the addition of three new partners. Dave Zampa, who focuses on complex M&A transactions, health care, and life sciences, and Erin Felchner, who concentrates on real estate finance, will join the firm’s new Chicago office. In addition, Brielle Cuskelly, who handles real estate and real estate finance matters, will reside in the firm’s new Century City office.
The new partners join from Sidley Austin, where they began their legal careers. Located at 321 North Clark Street, the new Chicago office will also be the professional home of longtime Alston & Bird Litigation partners Tery Gonsalves and Chaka Patterson. The Century City office, at 1900 Avenue of the Stars, is the firm’s second outpost in Los Angeles.
“Our new partners will contribute significantly to dynamic practice areas that have been longtime strengths of our firm while ushering in a new era of growth in two important U.S. markets,” said Alston & Bird Chairman and Managing Partner Richard Hays. “Dave will anchor our presence in Chicago with his valuable experience and deep relationships, helping to position our firm for further success in a city where we have served clients for decades.”
“We jumped at the chance to establish our official presence in Chicago and Century City with this fantastic team of legacy talent and new colleagues,” said Sarah Ernst, Alston & Bird partner and co-chair of the firm’s Corporate Area. “We look forward to providing excellent service to our clients, who are the most sophisticated players in these markets and well beyond.”
Dave handles complex public and private M&A transactions, spinoffs, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions. His practice encompasses transactions in the health care industry, working with medical device, life sciences, and related technology clients, as well as health care providers and health care real estate companies.
“We are delighted to join Alston & Bird, a firm that I have long admired for drawing on its vast resources across practices and geographies to deploy teams that meet clients’ needs,” said Dave.
Erin brings expertise representing commercial banks, investment banks, and institutional investors in complex financings. She also works with borrowers, purchasers, and sellers on a range of commercial real estate matters. In addition, her work has included significant and complex transactions in health care, education, utilities, and numerous other industry sectors.
Erin added, “Alston & Bird has a strong legacy and an inspiring vision for its future, and we couldn’t be more eager to join forces with our talented new colleagues.”
Brielle focuses her practice on real estate and real estate finance transactions, including advising private equity funds, management companies, investment banks, institutional lenders, life insurance companies, and other real estate investors, including many clients in the hospitality industry. Her experience encompasses cross-border and domestic transactions involving various classes of commercial real estate, including office, hospitality, retail, health care, multifamily, industrial, and mixed-use properties.
“With Alston & Bird’s continued momentum across practices and offices, this is an incredible opportunity to contribute to their collaborative culture while achieving synergies that will benefit clients,” Brielle said.
Situated at the intersection of capital markets and real property, Alston & Bird’s Real Estate Group advises leading investors, banks, servicers, advisors, developers, and funds on deals from conception to completion. With attorneys located across the United States and in the United Kingdom, the interdisciplinary team encompasses a sophisticated equity and development practice integrated with cutting-edge debt, fund formation, and capital markets teams. These real estate attorneys also coordinate closely with the firm’s structured finance, litigation, and tax attorneys to deliver the resources needed to navigate a broad range of transactions.
Alston & Bird’s Health Care Group includes nearly 100 professionals fully focused on health care and life sciences. The team closely monitors trends, developing rules and regulations, and new technologies that affect clients’ strategies. Entrenched with a range of professionals – regulatory specialists, policy advisors, transactional and securities counsel, and litigators – who concentrate entirely on health care and life sciences, the transactional team represents industry participants across the country in a variety of corporate and financial transactions.