Davis Polk Welcomes Prominent M&A Partner Bill Curtin in Washington DC

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Davis Polk today announced that prominent M&A practitioner Bill Curtin has joined the firm as a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice in Washington DC.

“Bill is a highly respected senior M&A practitioner with a strong track record of working on the most sophisticated and consequential transactions in the market,” said Neil Barr, Davis Polk’s Chair and Managing Partner. “He is an exceptional addition to our first-rate M&A team, and we are pleased to welcome him to Davis Polk as we continue to grow our platform in Washington to provide a full-service corporate offering in the region.”

For over three decades, Mr. Curtin has served as lead counsel on market-shaping transactions across the globe. He advises industry-leading companies on their most significant U.S. and cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. His work spans a wide array of industries, including aerospace and defense; consumer products and retail; energy; healthcare and life sciences; industrials; sports; tech, media and telecom; and transportation and logistics. Mr. Curtin has represented clients on deals amounting to more than $100 billion in aggregate transaction value. Mr. Curtin joins Davis Polk from Hogan Lovells, where he served as the Global Head of M&A and had been a partner since 2003.

“Bill has built an impressive practice advising many of the world’s leading companies on cutting-edge deals,” said Oliver Smith, head of Davis Polk’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice. “His arrival deepens our elite corporate offering in Washington and will further strengthen our position as a go-to firm for the largest and most innovative M&A transactions.”

Multiple publications, including Chambers USA, Legal 500 U.S. and IFLR1000, consistently recognize Mr. Curtin as a leading M&A lawyer. Clients quoted by Chambers note that Mr. Curtin is “absolutely fantastic to work with” and “a remarkably gifted attorney” whose “dedication to the success of a deal is beyond par.” Another notes, “Nobody cares more about their clients than Bill Curtin.” In addition, the American Lawyer has named Mr. Curtin a “Dealmaker of the Year.” He is a frequent commentator on the M&A market in major publications and has served as an adjunct professor on corporate law at Duke University and the University of Virginia.

Mr. Curtin said, “Davis Polk is widely regarded for both its high-caliber M&A practice and its uniquely team-oriented culture. I am excited to join such a distinguished firm and to build on its impressive expansion in Washington. I look forward to partnering with my new colleagues as trusted advisers to our clients on their most significant mandates.”

Mr. Curtin earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996 and an A.B. from Duke University in 1992.

About Davis Polk.
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (including its associated entities) is an elite global law firm with world-class practices across the board. Clients know they can rely on us for their most challenging legal and business matters. From offices in the world’s key financial centers and political capitals, our more than 1,000 lawyers collaborate seamlessly to deliver exceptional service, sophisticated advice and creative, practical solutions. Visit davispolk.com.

About Davis Polk’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice.
Clients engage Davis Polk because of our long history of legal excellence, innovation and creative problem-solving. We provide effective and efficient advice through the lens of the commercial goals of our clients, who rely on our sophisticated judgment and unsurpassed client service in all types of M&A transactions. Above all, our clients engage us because of our track record of getting deals done. Boards and management teams of public companies also look to our lawyers for strategic, real‑time counsel in high‑stakes, event‑driven shareholder activism scenarios, along with proactive strategies to safeguard against vulnerabilities and preempt shareholder challenges.