Marsha E. Simms and Deryck A. Palmer, partners with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP were named among an elite group of America’s leading lawyers in the November issue of Black Enterprise. The magazine consulted America’s premier law schools and legal scholars as well as the country’s major legal organizations to create their first list of high-powered black attorneys. The magazine is scheduled to be on newsstands October 21, 2003, and information will be posted on its Web site, www.blackenterprise.com .
Simms, who oversees debt financing and restructuring in industries such as retail, telecommunications, energy and manufacturing, was recognized for her role as counsel for Leucadia National Corp. and Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s insurance and investment holding company, in the FINOVA Group acquisition.
Palmer, who concentrates his practice in the representation of debtors as well as creditors under Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has handled a wide variety of workout and corporate restructuring matters, was recognized for his representation of AK Steel in its bid to acquire National Steel Corp. Also cited by Black Enterprise, Palmer chairs Health Watch, the only organization in the country devoted exclusively to minority health improvement.
“We congratulate Marsha and Deryck on this wonderful honor. That they have been recognized in this impressive list is a testament to the significant contributions they have made to the legal profession and our firm,” said Stephen J. Dannhauser, Chairman of Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
Palmer received his B.A. from Syracuse University and his J.D. from the University of Michigan. Simms received her B.A. from Barnard College and her J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is deeply committed to advancing opportunities for women and minorities. The firm employs focused diversity recruiting strategies to compete effectively for qualified, highly sought-after women and minority graduates. Weil, Gotshal & Manges was one of the first firms in New York to institute a firm-wide diversity training program and a formal diversity policy, which served as the initial model for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
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