Alston & Bird follows structured finance hires with first London tax partner

Alston & Bird has hired Satvi Vepa as its first tax partner in London, continuing the firm's City expansion.

Vepa joins the US firm after spells at Simmons & Simmons and Goodwin. She advises on the tax aspects of domestic and cross-border transactions, with a particular focus on financing deals, including structured finance and securitisations.

The hire follows Alston & Bird's recruitment of structured finance partners Steven Krivinskas and Marcus Lovatt from DLA Piper earlier this year.

London buildout

Vepa is the first tax partner in Alston & Bird's London office, which opened in 2019 and now counts 16 partners.

The Atlanta-headquartered firm has kept a relatively limited international footprint compared with many US rivals. London and Brussels are its only offices outside the US, where it operates from 11 locations.

Alston & Bird generated revenue of $1.4 billion last year, according to The American Lawyer, placing it among the 50 largest US law firms by revenue.

What they said

“We are thrilled to welcome Satvi, who will play a critical role in our growing transactional team in London and across offices,” said Paul Simcock, partner-in-charge of Alston & Bird’s London office.

Scott Harty, chair of the firm’s tax department, said Vepa’s arrival “brings exactly the kind of sophisticated UK tax experience clients need for complex financing and cross-border transactions”.

He added: “Satvi’s arrival creates greater opportunities for our transactional practices to collaborate seamlessly and strategically across our global offices.”