Alison Ressler and Diane McGimsey were named to the Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers for 2018, which recognizes women lawyers in California at the top of their practice.
Alison was recognized for her work leading clients to major deals across industries. The Daily Journal highlighted her representation of Kite Pharma in its acquisition by Gilead Sciences for $11.9 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a pre-commercial pharmaceutical company, as well as her work advising Verily Life Sciences in an $800 million minority equity investment by Temasek Holdings and representing Joseph Tsai in his purchase of a stake in the Brooklyn Nets. “I think it’s really about figuring out what your client’s objectives are, and then how to achieve them in the most successful way,” Alison said of how she approaches such complex deals.
Diane was honored for her work leading the implementation of Volkswagen’s $14.7 billion global settlement related to its diesel emissions issues. “As is typically the case, the key to getting the deal done was to focus on the elements that were most important to our client and not getting stuck at an impasse on ‘winning’ issues for the sake of winning,” she said. Her representation of Dolby Theatre owner CIM Group in a contract dispute with the owners of the TCL Chinese Theatres over programming rights was also highlighted.