Katherine Blair Brings Extensive Corporate, Securities, M&A and Governance Experience to Los Angeles Office

Manatt announced today that Katherine J. Blair has joined the firm's Capital Markets practice as a partner in its Los Angeles office. Previously a partner at K&L Gates LLP, Blair reconnects with her former partner Thomas J. Poletti, who joined Manatt's Capital Markets practice in Orange County last month.

Blair's practice focuses on corporate, securities, finance, venture capital and emerging companies, mergers and acquisition, corporate governance, and general commercial matters. She represents companies and underwriters in corporate finance and capital market transactions. She also has substantial experience in public and private equity and debt offerings, venture capital financings, corporate partnering transactions and strategic investments. She counsels companies on state and federal regulatory, governance and compliance matters and provides guidance for corporate counsel on such topics as board and management matters, disclosures and equity compensation.

"We are delighted to have Katherine join Manatt," said Gordon M. Bava, chair of the firm's Business, Finance & Tax Division. "She is an accomplished capital markets lawyer whose work counseling clients on corporate finance and transactions complements our strong national team. Our clients will benefit from her experience in public and private equity as well as her knowledge of critical regulatory and governance issues."

Blair has represented companies in a variety of industries, including specialty finance, consumer goods, digital media and telecommunications, foreign manufacturing, biotechnology and travel.

"Manatt has a reputation for excellence," Blair said. "The firm's strong financial services platform and collaborative approach present many opportunities. I look forward to working alongside my former partner Tom Poletti, with whom I've done innovative work in Asia helping companies raise money in the U.S. public and private markets, and with my new, accomplished colleagues across the country."

In addition to Poletti, Blair joins a number of recent partner additions to Manatt offices on both coasts. New California partners include Los Angeles entertainment litigator John Gatti and privacy, advertising and media lawyer Jesse Brody; Orange County employment litigator Mandana Massoumi; and San Francisco financial services and banking lawyer David Gershon.

Blair is an advisory board member of the Pepperdine University School of Law's Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law, and a member of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section, the Association for Corporate Growth in Los Angeles, the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Broads Circle.

Manatt's Capital Markets practice assists issuers and underwriters in a wide variety of capital markets transactions, regularly advising established and emerging companies in various industries, including financial services, technology, healthcare, telecommunications, energy, consumer products, manufacturing and real estate. Whether involving equity, debt or hybrid securities, the firm's lawyers find and structure solutions through a comprehensive approach to financing transactions. Using a team-oriented approach, Manatt's Capital Markets lawyers work closely with the firm's industry practices to provide a thorough understanding of all issues affecting transactions and to find the most effective approaches to those issues.

Blair earned her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, and her J.D., cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law.

About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is one of the nation's leading law and consulting firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base - including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies - across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.