Nicole Islinger, an accomplished dealmaker with wide-ranging transactional experience that spans M&A, private equity, emerging company and government contracts work, has joined Pillsbury’s corporate practice in Washington, DC as a partner. She was previously a shareholder at Vedder Price in the Corporate and the Finance & Transactions groups.
Islinger returns to Pillsbury, where she spent nearly a decade before taking senior in-house roles at BASF Corporation and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Her diverse transactional practice ranges from traditional corporate mergers and private equity buyouts to government contract deals and complex technology transactional matters. She also frequently acts as general counsel to clients with either limited or no internal legal resources, providing advice for all aspects of the business from start-up through transition services to steady-state contracting.
“With her extensive contacts in business and government, Nicole is a proven connector and business developer,” said Jeffrey Delaney, the leader of Pillsbury’s global corporate practice. “Her mix of government contracting transactions, general corporate, M&A and private equity experience will be a tremendous asset for our clients, and we look forward to her bringing her energy and charisma back to Pillsbury.”
Pillsbury’s corporate practice has experienced a rapid ascent over recent months, consistently earning recognition as one of the most active law firms for M&A, capital markets and private equity work. Notable recent transactions handled by the firm include representing global zero emissions transportation leader Nikola Corporation in its $3.3 billion merger and NASDAQ listing with VectoIQ, advising Sinclair Broadcast Group in more than $10 billion in debt financings and the completion of its acquisition of Disney’s regional sports network business, representing Genomic Health in its $2.8 billion combination with Exact Sciences, and advising leading Canadian airline WestJet as U.S. counsel in its $3.7 billion acquisition by funds affiliated with Onex Corporation.
“I enjoyed developing my career at Pillsbury and look forward to coming back to the team,” Islinger said. “I’m also looking forward to growing my transactional practice here at Pillsbury, which I believe has the right platform to meet my clients’ needs, especially in related areas such as government contracts, private equity and technology transactions.”
Pillsbury corporate lawyers are regarded as among the best worldwide, and our practices regularly achieve top-tier rankings from Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers/U.S. News & World Report, and Corporate Counsel. From formation through financing, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, Pillsbury’s lawyers advise companies on a global scale and at every life cycle stage. Our more than 200 business-savvy corporate lawyers combine industry and regulatory knowledge with extensive deal experience and legal skills to provide comprehensive service to clients across industries.
