International law firm McDermott Will & Emery announced today that it has appointed Hamid Yunis as London Health Partner-in-Charge. Mr. Yunis joins McDermott’s London Transactions team where he will be primarily responsible for leading and developing the Firm’s UK Health Care practice and working with other health and transactions partners to further develop its client base across Europe and globally.
Hamid Yunis joins from Taylor Wessing’s London office where he spent over 14 years and was head of that firm’s Health Care Group.
Mr. Yunis has substantial experience in the health industry and has advised on a number of innovative structures for complex joint-venture, public-private partnerships and funding arrangements. He has significant experience of corporate, funds, major projects and infrastructure transactions, both in a domestic and international context. His projects span Europe, the Middle East, North America, Asia (in particular, the sub-continent, ASEAN region China and Japan) and Africa. Mr Yunis also has a particular interest in advising Sovereign Wealth Funds on their investments and other transactions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Hamid to the McDermott Health team” said Stephen W. Bernstein, Global Chair of the Firm’s Health Industry Practice Group. “His arrival marks a new milestone in the development of our health care practice internationally. We are a US market leader in advising the health industry. Hamid’s arrival will further enable us to connect our top ranked US practice with our health practices in the UK, Germany and China, therefore offering our clients high-quality, comprehensive services across the world,” he added.
Ira Coleman, global head of the Firm’s Transactions Practice Group said: “Hamid’s appointment gives us an unprecedented opportunity to create a leading health care presence in the UK. Additionally, his strong international corporate, finance and transactional experience will also significantly bolster our London and European Transactions practices.”
Mr. Yunis’ global client base includes health care providers, medical products manufacturers and organizations establishing “medical cities”, along with non-health oriented clients, including Sovereign Wealth Funds, whom he advises on transactions involving infrastructure projects and project finance.
Some of his recent transactions include advising Varian Medical Systems on the sale of major medical equipment (including proton beam therapy) and advising First Core Tertiary Care on the establishment of a hospital in India. He advised C&C Alpha Group on various funding rounds and the sale of London International Hospital and a client on the proposed development of two “medical” cities. Mr. Yunis also acted for Circle Health in relation to various development transactions. He also represents Border Control Solutions in its negotiations with a number of different governments relating to the use and development of border entry/control data systems.
Mr. Yunis is recognized as a leading individual in both Legal 500 and Chambers 2016 guide.
Andrew Vergunst who heads the Firm’s London office added: “Our London Transactions practice has been going from strength to strength with the recent appointments of partners Michael Holter, Piero Carbone and now Hamid. I am confident that Hamid’s corporate, finance and transactional experience, combined with strong credentials demonstrated by our recent hires, will provide additional strength to our growing UK practice.”
McDermott also announced the appointment of Gary Howes as a Senior Counsel in its Transactions practice in London. Mr. Howes is a recognized life sciences lawyer, listed in Legal 500 and Chambers directories. He advises private and public companies in that sector on commercial, IP and regulatory matters, patent licensing, alliances and collaborations, and product acquisitions and disposals. His arrival will bolster the Firm’s market leading US and European life sciences practice.
The Firm’s Corporate & Transactional practice in London works with major corporate clients (such as Olam International, Honeywell and Universal Health Services), private equity funds (such as H.I.G. Capital Partners, Great Point Partners and Levine Leichtman) and family offices. The team advises on M&A, capital markets and structured finance, private equity and corporate restructuring transactions providing clients with cross border and multi-jurisdictional transaction management.
Source: www.mwe.com
