Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the appointments of three new Office Managing Partners, including transactions partner Michael Boykins in Chicago, health partner Ed Zacharias in Boston and transactions partner Clemens Just in Frankfurt. Each leader will focus on deepening the unique McDermott culture with an emphasis on team happiness and high performance while driving enhanced market recognition and growth.
“On the heels of three years of double-digit growth and a stellar spree of lateral talent acquisition around the globe, we’re excited to announce these new appointments,” McDermott Chairman Ira Coleman said. “There is no doubt that Michael, Ed and Clemens are the right choices to lead these offices and we are thrilled to welcome them into their new positions. We are particularly delighted with the diverse leadership that Michael brings to our Chicago office, which is our Firm’s largest.”
Chicago Office Managing Partner Michael Boykins focuses his practice on corporate finance, representing corporate and individual lenders, investors and borrowers in connection with secured and unsecured credit facilities, asset-based lending, high-yield financings, employee stock ownership plan financings, acquisition financings, over-the-counter derivatives, insurance industry financings, senior subordinated debt, mezzanine and venture capital transactions. Michael is also a member of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and was past chair of the Racial and Ethnic Diversity Sub-Committee. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to lead our Chicago office and continue to showcase our incredible talent,” added Michael. “I plan to continue to expand our engagement across offices and further propel McDermott’s global brand.”
Boston Office Managing Partner Ed Zacharias represents clients across the health care industry and beyond on compliance and transactional matters. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional and advises health care providers, insurers, health information technology and digital health companies, pharmacies, drug and device manufacturers, life sciences companies and health services vendors on a range of information privacy and cybersecurity laws. Ed has also been deeply involved with helping clients from across the technology and healthcare spectrum in their response efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These clients range from large multi-national technology companies, to digital health services platforms, to electronic health record vendors, to health care providers. “Boston is a technological and commercial beacon and offers incredible opportunities for expansion and growth for our Firm,” added Ed. “I am thrilled to lead a group of exceptional lawyers and colleagues who I deeply respect, and I look forward to welcoming new hires who share our passion for handling cutting-edge and high-stakes matters and providing our clients practical advice they can use to achieve their business goals.”
Frankfurt Office Managing Partner Prof. Dr. Clemens Just advises clients on all aspects of corporate law and mergers and acquisitions transactions across sectors including Automotive, Banking, Life Sciences and Telecommunications. Clemens has extensive experience acting for financial and strategic investors and on private and public takeovers. He is admitted as a civil law notary (“Notar”) in Frankfurt am Main and his experience includes corporate restructurings and insolvency law issues. Clemens lectures regularly on these topics, including at the Frankfurt School of Finance and is also qualified as a Solicitor (England &Wales). “I am honored to lead our Frankfurt office and to work closely with the creative individuals who strive every day to be #AlwaysBetter,” noted Clemens. “Together we can help our clients tackle any challenge 2021 holds and are already working to help them anticipate what’s next.”
All three appointments went into effect January 1, 2021.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
