Linklaters has hired Goldman Sachs managing director Susana Cao Miranda as a partner to strengthen its London litigation offering.
The Magic Circle firm takes on Cao Miranda in a bid to boost its bench strength in litigation under global head of dispute resolution Michael Bennett.
Cao Miranda spent seven years at Goldman Sachs, joining the investment bank in 2010. Prior to this she spent seven years at Herbert Smith Freehills, where she was a senior associate.
Linklaters has been viewed as lighter in its litigation practice, having a two pillar strategy in recent years, focusing on its banking and corporate practices.
In October, Linklaters managing partner Gideon Moore told Legal Business the firm was looking to reinforce its disputes practice, with the area seen as ‘somewhere Linklaters has lagged’. The firm had in previous years reported around 12% of turnover from its contentious practice.
In February last year the firm made moves to strengthen its global litigation offering with the hire of Baker & McKenzie global litigation head Tom Cassels as well as the firm’s New York head of litigation and global head of white-collar Douglas Tween.
Linklaters also added Adam Lurie to head its Washington DC litigation and government investigations practice. Lurie joined the firm from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft where he was a partner.
Linklaters’ Bennett (pictured) said: ‘We are pleased that Susana is joining Linklaters as a partner in our dispute resolution division. She will be a valuable addition to our team.’
matthew.field@legalease.co.uk
For more on Linklaters strategy under Gideon Moore and Charlie Jacobs, see ‘Rain men’.
