Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added Bonita K. Black as a partner in its corporate practice. Black joins K&L Gates’ Charlotte office from Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, and also will continue to serve her clients throughout Kentucky.
With more than three decades of experience in private practice, Black focuses her work on corporate, public finance, and non-profit law, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other corporate law matters such as structured and municipal finance law, corporate governance and compliance, tax-exempt financing, debt and equity financing, and government bond issuances and offerings. Additionally, she assists local and regional non-profit organizations with their legal matters, including formation, board governance, and policy and procedural development.
Seattle partner Annette Becker, a co-leader of K&L Gates’ global corporate practice area, stated: “We’re excited to welcome Bonita to the firm and the practice. Her deep experience in debt and equity financing and non-profit organizations will enhance our offerings across the practice.”
In addition to memberships in the National Association of Bond Lawyers and various state-level bar associations, Black is an advisory board member for the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession and the Community Foundation of Oldham County (Ky.), and has served on the University of Louisville Board of Trustees in various capacities.
Pallavi Mehta Wahi, K&L Gates’ co-managing partner, United States, and chair of the firm’s global Diversity Committee, commented: “We’re committed to bringing in diverse lawyers with varied skills and perspectives, which will help to make our firm that much stronger. Bonita’s extensive corporate experience will be a benefit to clients across our global platform.”
Black’s arrival follows the additions of other corporate partners in the firm’s Paris, Melbourne, and New York offices as well as tax partner Randy Clark in the Charlotte office earlier this year. K&L Gates has welcomed nearly 30 new partners and of counsel in 2020, including in the firm’s corporate; health care; tax; commercial litigation; environment, land and natural resources; asset management and investment funds; IP procurement and portfolio management; IP litigation; real estate; government contracts; and investigations, enforcement and white collar practices.
Jared D. Mobley, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Charlotte office, added: “Bonita is an incredible lawyer and she will be a tremendous asset to the Charlotte office and the entire firm.”
K&L Gates’ corporate practice is one of the most substantial in the legal industry, with more than 500 lawyers in offices on five continents assisting clients in the structuring, financing, and completion of domestic, international, and cross-border transactions. The group serves as counsel to a broad array of Global 500, Fortune 100, FTSE 100 corporations, privately held and venture-backed companies, partnerships, private equity firms and other investment funds, management groups, and entrepreneurs. Recently, the practice helped to earn K&L Gates the distinction of corporate “Law Firm of the Year” in U.S. News-Best Lawyers’ annual “Best Law Firms” report and recognition from Forbes as one of America’s top corporate law firms.
