Ex-Goldman senior exec joins Manatt

As a partner at law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Kathleen Brown will focus her practice on business counseling, government and regulatory affairs as they relate to the healthcare, energy, and financial services industries, the Los Angeles-based firm said in a statement on Monday.

Brown, who was most recently chairman for investment banking in the Midwest region at Goldman Sachs, held senior leadership positions at the banking and securities firm for more than 12 years before retiring in June.

In addition to her experience in financial services, she also has extensive experience in the healthcare sector – she has worked with healthcare institutions in California and the Midwest in an investment banking capacity – as well as the energy sector.

Before her Midwest posting, she served as Goldman Sachs’ managing director and head of its Western Region Public Sector and Infrastructure Group. She has worked with municipal utilities in California and has participated in over $5 billion of water and power bond financings.

“Kathleen has a distinctive and unique background,” Manatt’s chief executive and managing partner William T. Quicksilver said. “Her leadership for one of the world’s largest financial services firms and the country’s largest state gives her a deep understanding of business and government and the interplay of the two with the healthcare, energy and banking sectors,” he added.

Brown also has government experience, having served as California State Treasurer from 1991 through 1995. In that capacity, she managed a $25 billion bond portfolio and oversaw a $32 billion cash management fund.