At the Euromoney Women in Business Law awards, which celebrate “the best female lawyers in the Americas,” partners Deborah Festa and Fiona Schaeffer, of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, earned top honors in their respective practices. The awards ceremony took place in New York on June 8.
Ms. Festa, winner of “Best in structured finance (including securitization & derivatives),” is a partner in Milbank’s Los Angeles and New York offices and a member of the Alternative Investments practice. Head of the firm’s West Coast securitization and investment management practices, she has extensive experience representing sponsors, collateral managers, arrangers and investors in securitization and other structured finance transactions, with a particular emphasis on the collateralized loan obligations (CLO) asset class.
Ms. Schaeffer, honored as “Best in antitrust/competition,” is based in Milbank’s New York office. An international antitrust lawyer with over 20 years of experience practicing on both sides of the Atlantic, Ms. Schaeffer is known for her successful representation of clients in “bet the company” criminal and civil cases as well as complex transactions. She counsels clients in a variety of industries, with a particular depth of experience in healthcare, financial services, energy, media and communications.
In addition to these individual honors, Milbank was lauded for its commitment to gender diversity and legal excellence with two firm awards: “Best international firm Latin America practice” and “Best international firm for work-life balance.” Having led the way in capital markets, project finance, energy and infrastructure, and other deals in Latin America for decades, Milbank consistently earns recognition for its work in the region. The firm’s commitment to work-life balance reflects its ongoing support and commitment to retention of talented lawyers; initiatives include a coaching benefit available to all new parents as well as alternative schedule options to help associates successfully integrate work, family and other obligations.
The Euromoney Women in Business Law awards recognize the achievements of women lawyers across the Americas in a range of practice areas, with individual lawyers selected based on the impact of their work and other achievements over the past 12 months. Reflecting the strength of women leaders across an array of practices, Milbank earned numerous nominations for the 2017 awards, including individual practice area nominations for partners Antonia Apps (Rising Star: Litigation), Lauren Hanrahan (Banking), Elizabeth Besio Hardin (Structured Finance), Atara Miller (Media and Entertainment), Georgiana Slade (Wealth Management), and Karen Wong (Energy, Natural Resources & Mining) as well as firm award nominations for gender diversity, pro bono, talent management, innovation, and women in business law.
Previous Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law winners from Milbank have included Ms. Hardin, who took home top honors in structured finance in 2015 and 2016; Trusts and Estates head Georgiana Slade, who was named “Best in Wealth Management” in 2015; and Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance partner Karen Wong, named “Best in Energy, Natural Resources & Mining” in 2014.
