Three Ropes & Gray Partners Named 2026 “Dealmakers of the Year” by The American Lawyer

Ropes & Gray has been selected as The American Lawyer's 2026 “Dealmakers of the Year” for Nippon Steel on its $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. This is the fifth time in six years that Ropes & Gray lawyers have been named Dealmakers of the Year by the publication for their groundbreaking work on behalf of clients. 

After facing an unprecedented executive order blocking the transaction, the Ropes & Gray team, led by corporate partners Ariel Deckelbaum and Suni Sreepada, devised a novel M&A and litigation strategy, coordinating a legal, political, and public advocacy campaign that ultimately secured the first-ever reversal of the prior administration’s presidential block, an unprecedented de novo CFIUS review, and a unique "golden share" agreement with the U.S. government, leading to the successful completion of the transaction.

Dealmakers of the Year recognizes some of the attorneys behind 15 of the most significant deals over the past year and "illustrate why clients consistently go to them for the most critical solutions to their highest-leverage needs."

This landmark transaction was supported by:

Ariel J. Deckelbaum, Suni Sreepada, Ama A. Adams, David B. Hennes, Lisa Kaltenbrunner, Samer M. Musallam, Ruchit Patel, Jacqueline Grise, Richard Kidd, Renata J. Ferrari, Sharon Remmer, Brendan C. Hanifin, Emerson Siegle, Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, Alexander B. Simkin, Andrew Todres, Andrew O'Connor, Daniel V. Ward, Byung W. Choi, David H. Saltzman, Peter A. Alpert, Jordan Altman, Faiza N. Rahman

For more information read The American Lawyer's Dealmakers of the Year report.