New York – Sidley is pleased to announce that Deborah Paul will be joining the firm as a partner in the New York office and as co-head of the firm’s Tax practice. She was previously a Tax partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York.
Ms. Paul advises public and private companies, private equity firms, and other market participants on the tax aspects of complex corporate transactions. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spinoffs, and financial instruments, with extensive experience advising on both domestic and cross-border transactions. Ms. Paul serves as the principal tax lawyer on significant strategic acquisitions, private equity transactions, divestitures, and corporate separations. She advises clients on transactions across a wide range of industries, including media and entertainment, energy and natural resources, technology and data, consumer products, healthcare, financial services, and business services. Ms. Paul works closely with clients and their deal teams to navigate complex tax considerations and develop structures that support their strategic and commercial objectives, and she is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA for Tax in New York (ranked by Chambers USA for Tax in New York 2004–2026).
“Debbie is one of the country’s preeminent M&A tax lawyers, with an exceptional combination of technical skill, long-standing relationships, and leadership in the tax bar,” said Brian Fahrney, chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee. “Her experience advising on many of the market’s largest and most complex public company and private equity transactions will further strengthen our Tax practice and create significant opportunities for collaboration across our transactional platform.”
“As we continue to expand our M&A and private equity capabilities in New York, Debbie brings sophisticated transactional tax experience that will be a tremendous addition to the office,” said Nancy Chung, managing partner of the New York office and a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Executive Committee. “Our lawyers who have worked with her have long admired both Debbie’s technical abilities and her collegial approach, qualities that will enable her to integrate seamlessly with our teams and collaborative culture.”
Sidley’s Tax practice includes more than 60 tax lawyers located across the U.S. and Europe. Our team combines deep industry knowledge and technical excellence with a practical perspective to provide clients with tax services in multiple jurisdictions. Our lawyers work seamlessly to help clients navigate the tax implications of an ever-evolving business and legal environment around the world.
Over 20 lateral partners have joined Sidley’s office in New York in 2026, and Ms. Paul will be the third Tax partner to join this year, with the earlier arrivals of Jim Gouwar and Greg Featherman.
Sidley is an elite global law firm. With approximately 2,300 lawyers and 160 years of experience, we have established a reputation for deploying innovative legal strategies to achieve powerful results for our clients in complex transactional, restructuring, crisis management, investigation, regulatory, and litigation matters.
Our perspective and reach are truly global, supported by 21 offices strategically situated in key commercial, regulatory, and financial centers across the world. Our lawyers and business professionals, fluent in more than 75 languages, possess the cultural awareness and cross-border legal acumen needed to bring clarity to a dynamic business landscape.
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