Boston, MA. Nixon Peabody is proud to announce it has promoted 11 attorneys to counsel, representing each of the global law firm’s three legal departments and a wide variety of different practice areas.
“The attorneys who comprise our new counsel class have all forged notable careers at our firm, fulfilling our promise of delivering exceptional client service while making a positive impact on our communities,” said Stephen Zubiago, Nixon Peabody CEO and managing partner. “The group’s collective energy and entrepreneurial spirit point to a bright future for our firm.”
Business and Finance Department
Christina Chang, Corporate, Los Angeles
Christina provides a full range of entertainment services focused on building, protecting, and monetizing brands and businesses. She negotiates various IP licensing and entertainment agreements, including management and representation agreements, talent endorsement deals, advertising agreements, merchandise licenses, and literary, film, and TV agreements. Christina leverages her background in licensing and valuation to help creators and brands expand into new verticals, focusing on intellectual property, celebrity joint ventures, and related regulatory compliance, and she counsels clients on union/guild, tax, and employment issues that may arise therewith.
Michael Fitzpatrick, Corporate, Boston
Michael advises companies on corporate and business matters, with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, entity formations, organization, and governance. He serves clients across a variety of industries in private equity and venture capital investments, also acting as outside general counsel for early-stage companies on corporate governance matters and commercial transactions. He represents buyers and sellers in private and public company mergers, acquisitions, sales, financing, and restructurings in a wide range of businesses.
Christopher Fong, Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring, New York City
As a bankruptcy lawyer, Chris represents clients in all facets of corporate reorganizations and restructurings, both in and out of court. He works with debtors, creditors, indenture trustees, and lenders, among other parties, in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and out-of-court workouts. His clients cover a range of industries, including energy, retail, healthcare, telecommunications, and manufacturing, both as plaintiffs and defendants. Chris has contributed important insight and thought leadership on the impacts of financial relief emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Litigation Department
Kevin Gualano, Intellectual Property, Chicago
Kevin focuses his practice on patent portfolio development, protection, and prosecution. He is a trained chemical engineer with experience and interests that extend into many different fields. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, he served with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, where he examined patent applications for single and multi-layer structures. Kevin uses this field experience to help clients build strong patent portfolios in a broad range of technologies, including the electrical, mechanical, and chemical arts. He advises clients on all aspects of patent prosecution and counseling, from the product development stage to the commercial monetization of the developed products.
Jenny Holmes, Privacy & Technology, Rochester
Jenny serves as deputy leader of the firm’s new Privacy & Technology practice. She advises clients on the ever-changing legal landscape of data privacy and cybersecurity law, taking an active role in the development and management of the firm’s capability in this evolving area. As a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), Jenny is well-versed in the evolving landscape of domestic and international enforcement regulations and helps clients develop data security policies and plans that comply with their applicable mandates while maintaining their business efficiencies. Jenny also has experience with data breach response and remediation.
Colin Missett, Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense, Boston
Colin’s practice focuses on government investigations, criminal defense, and complex civil litigation. He has experience conducting internal investigations and defending clients in criminal and regulatory matters involving allegations of market manipulation, insider trading, securities fraud, corruption, and False Claims Act (FCA) violations. He has represented corporations, financial institutions, and individuals in investigations and enforcement actions by agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Colin also represents clients in a wide range of complex civil litigation, including securities and FCA disputes. In addition, Colin maintains an active pro bono practice.
Kierstan Schultz, Complex Disputes, Manchester
Kierstan is a skilled litigator on behalf of clients in the healthcare, business and finance, and education sectors. She frequently represents healthcare providers in commercial and regulatory disputes regarding HIPAA privacy and security laws, fraud and abuse, licensing, billing, and reimbursement. Her commercial litigation practice focuses on representing financial institutions, corporate entities, and individuals across the economic spectrum, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in disputes before state and federal courts and in alternative forums. Kierstan dedicates a portion of her practice to social impact litigation and pro bono work, with her work in these areas focused on protecting the interests of abused or neglected children, as well as older adults and people with disabilities.
William Wynne, Construction & Real Estate Litigation, Providence
Bill assists clients with complex commercial, business, land use, and real estate litigation. He also works with healthcare companies and individual practitioners responding to state and federal investigations involving civil, criminal, and regulatory matters. He has extensive experience litigating matters in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts state and federal courts. Bill leverages this experience when acting as outside general counsel to small businesses and startups, helping to identify, assess, and mitigate risk in order to avoid litigation. Bill is an active member of the Boston, Rhode Island, and American bar associations, as well as the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association.
Project Finance, Infrastructure & Real Estate Department
Emily McKinney, Community Development Finance, Washington, DC
Emily focuses her practice on community development finance and revitalization matters, with a particular emphasis on low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs). She represents large institutional investors in the acquisition, finance, and syndication of LIHTC-based real estate transactions to develop affordable housing across the country. In these transactions, she works closely with clients to draft and negotiate core documents to ensure they mitigate risk while enabling successful business outcomes. Emily regularly speaks at national housing conferences, sharing her industry knowledge on housing tax credits and deals with widespread audiences.
Courtney Mooney, Community Development Finance, Boston
Courtney represents clients in LIHTC and renewable energy tax credit transactions. She works with direct investors and syndicators to leverage LIHTCs and other funding sources to finance affordable housing developments nationwide. She also represents developers, equity investors, and syndicators in complex transactions involving renewable energy tax credits, transactions that often involve multiple projects and varying transaction structures. Notably, Courtney is skilled in drafting and negotiating tax equity and loan documents on behalf of clients to ensure they receive the most favorable terms. She is a regular presence on the speaking circuit, serving as a panelist or presenter at national LIHTC and renewable energy conferences.
Dana Stanton, Affordable Housing & Real Estate, Albany
Dana serves as the deputy leader of Nixon Peabody’s Environmental team and helps clients achieve compliance with complex environmental laws and regulations. She advises clients within the energy sector in connection with developing, financing, buying, and selling energy projects and counsels developers and lenders in connection with the remediation of contaminated property and brownfields redevelopment, including advising on federal, state, and local programs to obtain liability relief. Dana also oversees the cleanup of contaminated property from investigation, through remediation, to site closure. She spearheads in-firm training programs, authors articles on regulatory updates, and actively mentors junior associates. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, advising nonprofits on environmental regulatory compliance.
