10 Simpson Thacher M&A partners
Partner, M&A Partner and Head of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice are among the current roles held by these Simpson Thacher M&A partners in US offices. A reader can learn how M&A partners work at Simpson Thacher from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Ana Maria Sanchez
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Ana Maria Sanchez has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2025, based in Houston, and the profile headline reads M&A Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Ana Maria Sanchez was Counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP from 2024 to 2025 and an Associate there from 2015 to 2023.
Atif Azher
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Atif Azher has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2014, based in Palo Alto, working in the firm's Corporate Department and concentrating in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and securities laws and corporate governance. The listing shows only this role, so check the full profile for the rest of the background.
Benjamin A. Bodurian
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Benjamin A. Bodurian has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2025, based in Washington, D.C., and the profile headline reads M&A Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Benjamin A. Bodurian was an Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP from 2018 to 2024 and at Gibson Dunn from 2014 to 2018.
Chris May
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Chris May has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since October 2002, based in Houston, and describes being Co-Managing Partner of the Houston office with a practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions across the energy and digital infrastructure industries. The listing shows only this role, so check the full profile for the rest of the background.
Daisy Wu
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Daisy Wu has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since May 2025, based in New York, and the profile headline places Daisy Wu in the firm's Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Daisy Wu was Counsel at Gibson Dunn from 2024 to 2025 and held Mergers and Acquisitions counsel and associate roles at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP from 2016 to 2024.
David Bumgardner
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
David Bumgardner has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2025, based in Houston, and the profile headline names M&A, private equity and infrastructure as the practice. David Bumgardner was an Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP from 2024 to 2025 and a Senior Associate at Vinson & Elkins from 2016 to 2024.
Eric Swedenburg
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Eric Swedenburg has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2008, based in New York, and describes being an M&A and corporate partner who is currently the Head of the firm's Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and a member of the Executive Committee. The listing shows only this role, so check the full profile for the rest of the background.
Lisa M. Morales
LinkedInExperience: M&A Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Lisa M. Morales has been an M&A Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2026, based in New York. Lisa M. Morales was M&A Counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in 2025, an M&A Associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP from 2017 to 2025 and a Judicial Intern at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2015.
Malik Ladhani
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Malik Ladhani has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since January 2026, based in New York, and describes being a Partner in the firm's Mergers and Acquisitions practice, with a headline naming M&A and private equity. Malik Ladhani was an Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP from 2018 to 2025 and a Legal Intern at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in 2016.
William Lay
LinkedInExperience: Partner · Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
William Lay has been a Partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP since August 2025, based in Greater Boston, and describes representing private equity sponsors and corporate clients on complex corporate and M&A matters. William Lay was a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis from 2023 to 2025, a Corporate Associate there from 2018 to 2023 and a Corporate & Securities Associate at Bass, Berry & Sims from 2016 to 2018.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's practice focus, such as private equity deals, energy and infrastructure transactions or public company mergers, to the question you want to explore. Weigh how long each person has been a partner and which office they work from, since that shapes the range of matters they have seen.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What does a typical week look like for you as an M&A partner?
- 02How has your own practice changed since you became a partner?
- 03What do you think people outside the field most often misunderstand about how a transaction gets done?
Reaching Simpson Thacher M&A partners
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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