Saminaz Akhter

Saminaz works closely with tax lawyers and accountants to ensure that deals are structured properly and meet both the immediate and long-term needs of clients. She encourages these professionals to adopt her mindset that the practical aspects of transactions are paramount, as an overly complicated tax or equity structure may net minimal benefits when balanced against ongoing compliance requirements or overwhelming the management team. She has also worked on leveraged acquisitions with financing teams. To prevent delays in financing a deal, Saminaz trains her deal team to flag diligence issues for the financing team so that they can be handled quickly, efficiently, and well ahead of the closing deadline.

Saminaz also has experience collaborating with companies to develop stockholder agreements, employment agreements, and noncompetition and confidentiality agreements that balance the client's business needs with regulatory requirements. She has also collaborated with clients to establish bonus plans like stock options that recognize the management team's efforts while incentivizing them to achieve key thresholds. Saminaz has also worked with clients in private fund formation and has advised clients on statutory requirements for complying as a registered investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Saminaz is also actively involved in promoting diversity and inclusion efforts in the legal industry. In recognition of her efforts, her firm selected her as a 2015 Fellow for Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD). She continues to be an active member of LCLD, both in her capacity as a LCLD City Lead for the mid-Atlantic area and in her participation in various LCLD mentoring and leadership opportunities. In 2017, she started an annual program that brings clients and lawyers together to research a particular aspect of Washington, DC's African American history, culminating in an informative presentation during Black History Month. The program raises awareness of DC's Black history and provides opportunities for lawyers across the firm to develop stronger connections with clients.