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CHICAGOBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Meet the class of 2023

New Yorkers really know how to get stuff done, and the young professionals on the following pages are no exception. They each have climbed the corporate ladder, at times charting a new path where one never existed. They are solving essential city issues such as getting rid of rats, prioritizing constituent needs in local government, and helping their clients strategize and make deals in the legal and real estate spaces. They are also leaving their stamp on the arts and Broadway, assisting their fellow New Yorkers in attaining affordable housing and advising other entrepreneurs in finding success.

—Telisha Bryan, Managing Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BUCK ENNIS

Laura Turano, 38

Partner

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

In some ways for Laura Turano, law feels like wedding planning. An attorney representing public companies in mergers and acquisitions, Turano has spent 11 years helping firms navigate the stressful but pivotal event of coming together.

Turano is drawn to the “transformational” scope of transactions between public companies. She said she thrives on guiding executives through the pressure that comes with hashing out multibillion-dollar deals while helping them remain true to their vision.

“My favorite part [of each deal] is translating the complexities into something simple that a client can really grasp in their hands to make a decision,” Turano said. “M&A is a complicated puzzle that’s always changing, and I love figuring out that puzzle and giving them the advice they need to achieve their goals.”

After an eight-year career specializing in M&A for law firm Davis, Polk and Wardwell, Turano joined the M&A practice group at Paul, Weiss in 2019 as a partner.

Defying what’s been widely considered an M&A drought this year, she has advised on nine publicly announced deals so far in 2023, with an aggregate value of over $52 billion. These include representing Estée Lauder Co. in its acquisition of the Tom Ford brand and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter in connection with a long-term agreement that renews his partnership with D’usse.

"M&A is a complicated puzzle that’s always changing, and I love figuring out that puzzle.”

Turano also manages staffing for the firm’s M&A deals and is passionate about creating opportunities for women associates and associates of color to enter the space.

“Laura is one of the top M&A lawyers of her generation,” said Scott Barshay, corporate department chair at Paul, Weiss. “Her command of the legal and business aspects of deals and superb leadership qualities have made her an irreplaceable adviser to many of the world’s largest companies.”