Blank Rome LLP announced that Jose A. Manalo Jr. has joined the Firm’s Los Angeles office as an associate in the Corporate, M&A, and Securities group, which recently welcomed leading corporate and finance partner Craig R. Culbertson in the Chicago office.

Jose joins Blank Rome from Akerman LLP. He concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, securities transactions, and commercial lending and handles a broad range of general corporate matters, including the formation of corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and general partnerships, as well as corporate governance. Jose also has significant experience representing public and private companies in stock and asset acquisition transactions, secured and asset-based borrowing transactions, and debt and equity securities offerings.

Prior to law, Jose worked as an internal auditor in the banking industry and an enterprise risk services consultant with a Big Four accounting firm, where he advised various public companies on matters related to financial and operational risks and business process improvements.

Admitted to practice in California and New York, Jose earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School, his M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, and his B.S. in Accountancy, summa cum laude, from Adventist University of the Philippines.