Erica H. Steinberger is a Steering Committee member of the Avon Global Center. Prior to her retirement on January 1, 2010, she was a partner in Latham & Watkins, LLP, specializing in the area of mergers & acquisitions, in which she represented corporations, private equity firms and investment banks in connection with hostile tender offers, tender offer defense, proxy fights and negotiated mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities and exchange offers. She also advised public and private clients and their boards of directors on corporate, securities and governance issues. While at Latham, Ms. Steinberger was active in its pro bono program and a founder of its women's initiative, Women Enriching Business (WEB). Prior to joining Latham in 1987, she was a partner in Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and, from 1983 to 1987, a consultant in the Hong Kong office of Coudert Brothers, handling securities and corporate law matters, including U.S. acquisitions and investments, for their Asia Group practice (Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo). Ms. Steinberger is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member and Former Chairman, Special Committee on Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Control Contests), the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She also serves on the Securities Law advisory panel for ALI-ABA. She is the co-author of Takeovers and Freezeouts (Law Journal Seminars-Press), in addition to numerous articles and outlines.