Finn Dixon & Herling LLP is pleased to announce that David Allen, Matt Donaher and Rob Barbieri were elected partners of the Firm, and Ben Arrow, Ben Smyser and Kate Dougherty were promoted to the position of counsel, effective January 1, 2023.
Christopher H. Craig, Managing Partner of the Firm said, “We are thrilled to announce our new partners and counsel. Each of them is an outstanding advocate who is dedicated to providing excellent service to our clients. We are proud and extremely fortunate to have such a strong group of dedicated and talented attorneys.”
David Allen
David Allen is a trusted advocate and advisor in federal criminal and regulatory investigations, complex civil matters, and internal investigations. David has represented clients in a wide variety of white-collar criminal and regulatory enforcement matters involving allegations of mail and wire fraud, commodities fraud, embezzlement, FCPA violations, and accounting fraud, among others. David has also conducted internal investigations of suspected fraud, negligence, and other misconduct on behalf of the leadership of companies and nonprofit institutions, and regularly counsels leadership in their work to address and take remedial measures in response to investigation findings. David’s civil litigation experience is equally broad, including disputes involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent conveyance, securities fraud, civil RICO, and corporate control. David also regularly counsels companies on a general representation basis to assess pre-litigation matters and disputes.
Deirdre Daly, Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group, said, “David is a rare talent who is uniformly respected by everyone – clients, peers and partners alike. In my extensive experience working with David, he has consistently shown himself to be an excellent attorney and a tremendous asset to our Group.”
“It is an honor to join the partnership at FDH, a firm committed to providing the highest level of service to its clients. I look forward to continuing to work with an accomplished and dedicated group of litigators in guiding clients through the most complex investigations and disputes,” said David.
David earned his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. Mr. Allen resides in Westport, Connecticut with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three daughters.
Matthew M. Donaher
Matthew Donaher represents borrowers and lenders in acquisition and other financing transactions, in both the large cap and middle-market spaces, primarily for private equity sponsors, finance companies and investment funds.
Mr. Donaher’s financing experience encompasses acquisition financings, cash-flow and asset-based financings, refinancings, first lien/second lien transactions, subordinated debt transactions, debtor-in-possession financings, exit financings and cross-border transactions.
Tanyee Cheung, Co-Chair of the Debt Finance Practice Group, said, “Matt is an invaluable member of the finance group. His unique and unusually strong substantive legal expertise across varying deal structures provides clients sophisticated and knowledgeable counsel, creating positive results. Matt often deals with complex matters on tight time frames. We are very excited with Matt’s promotion to Partner and look forward to the continued advancement of the finance group and the firm in general for years to come.”
“I am filled with immense gratitude and pride at being elevated to partnership in a firm that fosters a culture of kindness, civility and respect, and working alongside a team of attorneys noted for their legal excellence, conscientiousness and tireless dedication to serving their clients,” said Matt.
Matt earned his J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.B.A. from University of Notre Dame. Mr. Donaher resides in North Carolina with his wife, Vanessa.
Robert A. Barbieri
Robert Barbieri practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions, securities and general corporate representation.
Mr. Barbieri has extensive experience representing private equity and venture capital funds in leveraged buyouts, control investments, equity financings, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. He also regularly advises established and emerging companies on general corporate, strategic, and commercial matters.
Charles J. Downey III, Co-Chair of the Corporate Practice Group, said, “Rob Barbieri has practiced corporate law in a variety of contexts, which gives him a fairly unique ability to appreciate the multiple facets of most business transactions and commercial problems. We value Rob’s practical style and commitment to our clients, and are thrilled that Rob is being promoted to partner.”
“It is an honor and privilege to be elected partner at FDH. I am thrilled to continue practicing corporate and M&A law in this new role alongside such esteemed and dedicated colleagues,” said Rob.
Rob earned his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and his B.A. from Boston College. Mr. Barbieri resides in Orange, Connecticut with his wife, Eliane, and their three children.
Benjamin M. Arrow
Benjamin Arrow’s practice focuses on business and commercial litigation, commercial arbitration, and SEC and other regulatory investigations.
Mr. Arrow represents corporate and individual clients in a variety of complex commercial disputes and regulatory investigations. He has recently represented clients in commercial contract disputes and civil RICO actions in state and federal court in Connecticut and in commercial arbitration proceedings in New York. Ben’s recent regulatory defense matters include defending individual clients in SEC investigations involving allegations of bond-marking fraud and violations of SEC Regulation FD.
Evan Cohen, Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group, said, “Ben has been a valued member of the Litigation group for years. He is a tremendous advocate for the firm’s clients and brings a keen intellect and unwavering devotion to his client to bear on all that he does. Ben’s work has contributed to trial victories, appellate victories and countless other successes for the Firm and its clients. We thrilled that he will remain a key contributor to the group and the firm for the long term.”
“It is a great privilege to work alongside the talented and dedicated professionals at Finn Dixon & Herling and an honor to be promoted to Counsel. I look forward to continuing to serve our clients in my new role,” said Ben.
Ben earned his J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law, his B.A. from Tufts University, and his B.M. from New England Conservatory. Mr. Arrow resides in Stamford, Connecticut with his wife, Nicole, and two daughters.
Benjamin F. Smyser
Ben Smyser represents both borrowers and lenders in mid-market to large-cap debt financing transactions. Ben has significant experience in leveraged acquisition financings, dividend recapitalizations, and related matters.
Mr. Smyser’s experience representing borrowers has proven invaluable in representing his lender clients, as he provides insight into their borrowers’ thought processes. Likewise his experience representing lenders has allowed him to advise his borrower clients about their lenders’ likely priorities.
Mr. Smyser has a wide range of transactional experience, having represented borrowers and lenders at all levels of the market.
Peter Buscemi, Co-Chair of the Debt Finance Practice Group, said, “Ben is a long-standing and valuable member of the finance group, providing innovative, practical and solution-oriented counsel to both lender and borrower clients. He is a detailed and thoughtful advocate, with a balanced approach and reasoned positions, producing excellent results in often fast-paced transactions. Ben is also a strong contributor to the firm’s internal culture and we are thrilled with his advancement and look forward to his continued positive impact on the firm and our clients.”
“I am honored to have been elected to Counsel and am eager to continue working with the fantastic team at Finn Dixon. Along with having an intense devotion to client service and the skills to make that devotion meaningful, the team at Finn Dixon are just plain good people and a pleasure to work with,” said Ben.
Ben earned his J.D., cum laude, from Emory University School of Law and his B.A. from Wesleyan University. Mr. Smyser resides in Pelham, New York with his wife, Elanor, and their two daughters.
Kate Dougherty
Kate Dougherty focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters. Ms. Dougherty is experienced in transactional work for private equity funds, their portfolio companies, strategic investors and target companies, including acquisitions, divestitures, mergers, strategic investments, recapitalizations, and financings. Kate also provides ongoing corporate advice to private companies.
Charles J. Downey III, Co-Chair of the Corporate Practice Group, said, “Kate Dougherty is a very experienced lawyer with broad and deep corporate law experience. She exemplifies our firm’s client-focused approach to sophisticated business transactions, which is exactly why the partners decided to promote Kate to counsel. We are very pleased that Kate will be continuing to help our clients with all of their varied and complex matters.”
“I’m consistently impressed by the dedication and intellect of my colleagues at FDH. I have been fortunate to spend the majority of my legal career as a member of this community and am honored to continue my work here in this new role,” said Kate.
Kate earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law, and her B.A. from Trinity College. Ms. Dougherty resides in Fairfield, Connecticut.