Benesch, one of the fastest-growing firms on the AmLaw 200 list, is pleased to welcome Partners Matthew Fox, Jonathan Grippo and Abbey Walsh to its New York City office.
Opening last June, the Benesch New York office has expanded by 18 attorneys this year. Reflecting a trend of BigLaw attorneys transitioning to Benesch, Matthew joins the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, while Abbey joins the Litigation and Insolvency & Creditors’ Rights Practice Groups and Jonathan joins the Real Estate Practice Group.
Matthew, who comes to the firm from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, where he was of counsel; Jonathan, former counsel at Goodwin Procter LLP; and Abbey, previously special counsel at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to Benesch, enhancing the firm’s commercial litigation, real estate property and insolvency practices.
“We are thrilled to welcome Matthew, Jonathan and Abbey to our rapidly growing New York office, which has expanded by 69% in the past year,” said Managing Partner Gregg Eisenberg. “That growth—part of our strategy to build strength on strength—is driven directly by the needs of our growing client base to handle their increasingly sophisticated matters. All three attorneys bring invaluable skills that will greatly benefit both our firm and our clients.”
Matthew is a highly experienced trial lawyer, recognized as an emerging leader in M&A litigation and shareholder disputes by Law Dragon 500 X – The Next Generation 2024. He has successfully guided numerous high-stakes cases from inception through trial, focusing on complex commercial disputes such as those involving M&A and “busted deal” litigation, business divorces, shareholder disputes, hostile takeovers, activist campaigns, short sellers, corporate governance and fiduciary duties. Matthew’s extensive experience also includes valuation, financial markets, swaps and derivatives, intellectual property and antitrust work. His diverse client base includes Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, hedge funds, activist investors, start-ups and high-net-worth individuals. Matthew holds a B.A. with college honors from Washington University in St. Louis, was a Hansard Scholar at the London School of Economics, and holds a J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law.
“There are so many law firms doing various versions of the same thing since the beginning of time,” Matthew noted. “And then there’s Benesch: A storied firm with a start-up’s hunger. Real, sustainable growth year-over-year, all before tapping into the New York market. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Jonathan handles all aspects of a diverse construction transactional and litigation practice, focusing on construction and design documents for private and public development and redevelopment projects. His clients include corporate and institutional owners, developers, and companies in the real estate and hospitality industries.
“Benesch’s deep real estate capabilities very much complement my practice,” explained Jonathan. “The ability to join an already great firm as it expands and builds in New York was a no-brainer.”
With extensive experience in various construction projects, Jonathan also provides litigation support, resolving disputes and managing claims in court and ADR proceedings, helping to mitigate risks for his clients. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University at Albany and a J.D. from Albany Law School.
Abbey offers strategic guidance in debt restructurings, recapitalizations, M&A transactions and other insolvency situations, representing secured lenders, DIP lenders, asset purchasers, equity sponsors, trade creditors and debtors in Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 proceedings. She also advises and represents clients in complex bankruptcy dispute resolutions and litigation, including avoidance actions. Abbey holds a B.S. from Binghamton University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
“I’m thrilled to join Benesch’s growing New York office and expand its robust insolvency and creditor’s rights practice in the NY market,” said Abbey. “I look forward to contributing to the firm’s entrepreneurial spirit and the teamwork approach to delivering top-quality results for clients.”
Benesch’s growth in New York reflects the firm’s national expansion in key markets. The firm focuses on attracting and retaining proven attorneys with its collaborative, full-service platform and offers substantive opportunities to mentor the next generation of lawyers. Over the past three years, Benesch is proud to have maintained a lateral partner retention rate of 93.2%.