News & Insights

Arabella Okwara, senior associate in Alston & Bird’s Construction and Government Contracts groups, has been named to the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, an honor reserved for a select group of lawyers who have demonstrated excellence and have achieved outstanding results in their careers.

Alston & Bird has been honored again as one of Atlanta’s top five employers by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Corporate Control Alert – a service of The Deal that provides analysis of key Delaware case law and trends in dealmaking, activism, and regulation – has ranked Alston & Bird second among counsel to financial advisors on U.S. M&A transactions with a value of $100 million or more announced between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2025.

For the thirteenth year, Alston & Bird has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the best companies to work for in Los Angeles in the category of large companies with more than 250 employees.

Alston & Bird represented CommScope, a global leader in network connectivity, in the $10.5 billion sale of its Connectivity and Cable Solutions (CCS) segment to Amphenol Corporation. The all-cash transaction is expected to be completed within the first half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Alston & Bird advised World Acceptance Corporation, a publicly traded consumer finance company, on closing its $640 million asset-based revolving credit facility, with Bank of Montreal serving as the administrative agent.

Alston & Bird has been named the #1 M&A legal adviser in the financial services sector by total number of deals during the first half of 2025, according to a new report by UK-based analytics company GlobalData. In topping last year’s #2 ranking, the firm advised on 24 transactions totaling nearly $4 billion, an increase of over 30% in deal volume compared with H1 2024.

Alston & Bird represented InterDigital, a leading developer of wireless and video technologies, in a high-stakes international arbitration with Samsung, one of the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturers.  The dispute centered on the valuation of InterDigital’s patent portfolio.  After a 10-day merits hearing and a full-day closing statement and oral argument, the arbitration panel awarded InterDigital $1.05 billion for an eight-year patent license, a significant outcome for InterDigital.

Alston & Bird represented JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. as sponsor, originator, administrator, and servicer; Chase Card Funding LLC as depositor and transferor; and Chase Issuance Trust as issuing entity on the public securitization of approximately $1.5 billion in credit card receivables. The securitization consisted of Class A (2025-1) notes issued by Chase Issuance Trust and rated AAAsf by Fitch Inc. and AAA(sf) by S&P Global Ratings. J.P. Morgan, Barclays, CastleOak Securities L.P., Mischler Financial Group Inc., Scotiabank, Siebert Williams Shank, and TD Securities were the underwriters for the SEC-registered issuance, which closed on July 25, 2025.

Alston & Bird represented Stratos Wealth Holdings and its Stratos business, a family of companies focused on supporting the success of financial advisors, in securing a $527 million strategic growth investment from SEI, a global provider of financial technology, operations, and asset management services. The business partnership will enable Ohio-based Stratos to strengthen its national network of over 360 financial advisors and planning practitioners working in more than 26 states.

Alston & Bird announced today that Emily Stephens has joined the firm as a partner in Los Angeles. Emily will work primarily with the firm’s Investment Funds Group, Fund Finance Group, and Private Credit Group. Her arrival further expands the firm’s investment funds and fund finance / private credit offerings and strengthens its West Coast impact.

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