New York, June 9, 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Shearman & Sterling LLP today announced the election of Rohan S. Weerasinghe as senior partner.
Weerasinghe is one of the leading corporate and securities lawyers in the United States, with a practice that focuses on securities law advisory and corporate finance. He regularly represents underwriters and corporate clients in public offering transactions, especially complex transactions such as those involving leveraged buyouts, high yield debt issuances, initial public offerings and cross-border offerings. He also advises companies on corporate and securities law issues and corporate governance matters.
New York-based M&A partner John Madden and Dusseldorf-based M&A partner Georg Thoma have been asked by Weerasinghe to continue as firmwide co-managing partners. The two will also continue to serve as members of the firm’s Executive Group along with Executive Director Kimberly Gardner. Weerasinghe’s new Executive Group appointments are London managing partner Kenneth MacRitchie and New York-based partner Linda Rappaport, head of the firm’s Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits/Private Clients Group.
Weerasinghe, 54, was previously head of the Capital Markets Group, and is a member of the firm’s Policy Committee. He joined Shearman & Sterling in 1977 and was elected to the partnership in 1985. Born in Sri Lanka, Weerasinghe was educated in the United States and holds a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar. Weerasinghe earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College summa cum laude.
“Rohan is a strategic thinker and has strong client relationships,” says Madden. “His business perspective and leadership skills make him well-suited for the Senior Partner role.”
“He is widely regarded as a leader in his field,” says Thoma. “Rohan’s broad practice and the diversity of his client base, which includes many of the world’s leading investment banks as well as major corporate entities, match the breadth and diversity of our global practice.”
As senior partner, Weerasinghe will focus on solidifying the firm’s global leadership position. He said: “Shearman & Sterling is one of the world’s premier law firms, with a proud history of excellence in legal practice and client service. It is an honor to be called upon to carry forward this tradition and to build on our firm’s success.”
Shearman & Sterling LLP is an international law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers located in 19 offices around the world. The firm is a leader in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, project development and finance, bank finance, complex business litigation and international arbitration, asset management and tax.
