Page 87 - NYLJ Professional Excellence 2021

RISING STARS

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NICOLE WASHINGTON PARTNER, KIRKLAND & ELLIS

PRACTICE PROFILE: Nicole Wash- mittees; co-chair and member, Transactional Associate Review
ington represents domestic and inter- Committee; member, Women’s Leadership Initiative; member,
national sponsors on forming, market- Diversity Committee; member, Billing & Collection Committee
ing and operating private investment Founding board member, Women in Alternatives
funds, including buyout funds, sec- Board member, Just the Beginning
ondary funds, direct lending funds, Advisory board member, Asian University of Women
special situations funds, growth
funds, mezzanine funds, opportunistic PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Partner, Kirkland & Ellis, 2015-pres-
funds, real estate funds, infrastructure ent; Practice area associate, Sullivan & Cromwell, 2014-2015;
funds and other private investment Associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, 2008-2014
vehicles, as well as on structuring, regulatory and compliance
issues. She also works with sponsors on internal management EDUCATION: J.D., Harvard Law School, 2008; B.A., Columbia
and succession planning, strategic investments, co-investment University, 2003
arrangements, joint ventures, and other investment manage-
ment matters. She has represented some of the largest and
most diversified asset managers, as well as numerous small WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG LAWYERS?
and middle-market managers. Never be the first one to tell yourself “no”. Telling yourself no pre-
vents you from getting started at all. We all would be surprised how
LEADERSHIP, PRO BONO AND CIVIC WORK: many times we would have succeeded had we not held ourselves
Board Member, Peace Players International back from pursuing opportunities out of fear of failure or rejection.
Kirkland & Ellis: Member, Global and New York Recruiting Com-

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SHENGYANG WU ATTORNEY, WENJIE SUN AND ASSOCIATES, P.C.

PRACTICE PROFILE: Shengyang Executive Order was withdrawn by the Biden Administration
Wu’s practice focuses on personal in early 2021.
injury litigation involving pedestri-
an, motor vehicle accidents, prem- PRIOR EXPERIENCE:
ises liability, construction injuries Of counsel, Caesar and Napoli, P.C., 2020-present; associate,
and actions against municipalities. 2014-2020
Shengyang also has experience rep-
resented sanitation union workers EDUCATION:
on their cases against the City of LL.M., William and Mary Law School, 2012
New York.
LEADERSHIP, PRO BONO AND CIVIC WORK: Co-Chair of
Solo and Small Practice Committee of NYCLA; active member of
AABANY online pro bono service during COVID-19 pandemic;
provides weekly pro bono service in person at Fukienese Asso-
ciation in Chinatown, New York; trustee of US WeChat Users WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG LAWYERS?
Alliance, the leading plaintiff in the First Amendment case US Provide the best legal service and heart to your community. Inherit
WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump, challenging Trump’s Executive the spirit as a citizen lawyer of William and Mary from 1779.
Order banning a social media company. The case was granted
for a nationwide preliminary injunction in Northern District of
California, and upheld by the Ninth Circuit unanimously. The

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