John Ablan is a partner at Willkie, where he is a member of the Corporate & Financial Services Department and Capital Markets practice. John is based in the Firm’s Chicago office and maintains an office in New York. John has extensive experience advising both issuers and financial institutions in a broad range of domestic and cross-border capital markets transactions, including: investment grade and high yield debt offerings; initial public offerings and follow-on equity offerings; de-SPAC transactions; preferred equity offerings; and liability management transactions. John also advises companies and other market participants on the securities law aspects to mergers and acquisitions and restructuring matters. In addition, John regularly provides counsel to public companies on their securities law compliance obligations, stock exchange listing requirements, corporate governance and other matters.
The Legal 500 United States 2024 calls John an “emerging talent” and recommends him for Capital Markets: Debt Offerings and Capital Markets: Equity Offerings. John has also been recommended for Capital Markets: Global Offerings and Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt Offerings by The Legal 500 United States. IFLR1000 guide ranks John as a “Rising Star Partner” for Capital Markets: Debt and Capital Markets: Equity in the United States. John was ranked as a “Rising Star” for the same categories by IFLR1000 2021 and 2022. John was also named a “Rising Star” in the Americas for Capital Markets in Euromoney Expert Guides in 2021 and 2022.
John has been published by the American Bar Association, International Financial Law Review and LexisNexis on capital markets and securities law topics.
The Legal 500 United States 2024 calls John an “emerging talent” and recommends him for Capital Markets: Debt Offerings and Capital Markets: Equity Offerings. John has also been recommended for Capital Markets: Global Offerings and Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt Offerings by The Legal 500 United States. IFLR1000 guide ranks John as a “Rising Star Partner” for Capital Markets: Debt and Capital Markets: Equity in the United States. John was ranked as a “Rising Star” for the same categories by IFLR1000 2021 and 2022. John was also named a “Rising Star” in the Americas for Capital Markets in Euromoney Expert Guides in 2021 and 2022.
John has been published by the American Bar Association, International Financial Law Review and LexisNexis on capital markets and securities law topics.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie, John served as a capital markets partner at an international law firm, and as in-house counsel at a major investment bank in New York.
- The Legal 500 United States – Recommended for Capital Markets: Debt Offerings and Capital Markets: Equity Offerings (2024)
- The Legal 500 United States– Recommended for Capital Markets: Global Offerings and Capital Markets: High-Yield Debt Offerings (2024)
- IFLR1000 – Named a “Rising Star Partner” for Capital Markets: Debt and Capital Markets: Equity in the United States (2024)
- IFLR1000 – Named “Rising Star” for Capital Markets: Debt and Capital Markets: Equity in the United States. (2021, 2022)
- Euromoney Expert Guides – Named a “Rising Star” in the Americas for Capital Markets (2021, 2022)
Books:
- Co-author, “A Deep Dive Into Capital Raising Alternatives,” International Financial Law Review, 2020
Articles:
- Co-author, “SEC Adopts New Share Repurchase Disclosure Rules,” IsraelDesks, June 1, 2023
- Co-author, “Complying with the SEC’s insider trading reforms,” Corporate Secretary, January 23, 2023
- Author, “Amendments to Rule 10b5-1’s Defense to Insider Trading Liability & Related Disclosures,” Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 22, 2023
- Co-author, “Chancery Court Allows De-SPAC Litigation to Proceed,” Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 30, 2022
- Co-author, “The SEC Pursues Action Against SPAC and Insiders for Misleading Investors,” ABA Business Section, September 13, 2021
- Co-author, “Annual Review of Federal Securities Regulation,” The Business Lawyer, Summer 2020
- Co-author, “Testing the Waters for All – New Rule 163B Expands TTW to All Issuers: First Analysis,” Lexis Practice Advisor Practice Note, November 7, 2019
Speaking Engagements:
- Speaker, “SPAC Developments: SEC Amendments to SPAC IPO AND De-SPAC Related Rules,” PLI, February 14, 2024
- Speaker, “SEC Amendments to Rule 10b5-1 and Related Disclosure Requirements,” PLI, January 11, 2023
- Speaker, “Preparing to be a Public Company: Reporting Requirements,” Intelligize, May 25, 2022
- Speaker, “Liability Management Transactions,” PLI, May 11, 2022
- Speaker, “A Sea Change Set of New Rules: The SEC’s Proposed Rules Applicable to SPACs,” PLI, April 27, 2022
- Speaker, “Becoming a US Public Company: The New Three-Track Process,” International Financial Law Review webinar, December 1, 2020
Credentials
Education
Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 2012 London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc, 2009 Washington University in St. Louis, A.B., 2008