Freshfields’ leveraged finance global co-head Allison Liff has left the firm to join Ropes & Gray in New York.

Liff joined Freshfields in 2022 from Weil, where she spent almost a decade as a partner, returning to the firm after six years as managing director and associate general counsel at Goldman Sachs.

She was appointed co-head of the UK-based firm’s global leveraged finance group in 2023, alongside London banking partner Alexander Mitchell.

The move marks the ninth lateral hire Ropes has made in New York since the start of this year. February saw the arrival of a four-partner restructuring group from Fried Frank led by Rachel Strickland, along with finance partner Eliza Riffe Hollander, also from Fried Frank.

In January, finance partner Michael McGuigan joined from Debevoise & Plimpton, antitrust partner Marta Kelly joined from Paul Weiss, and litigation partner Noah Yavitz joined from Wachtell.

‘Allison’s proven ability to guide clients through complex acquisition financings with practical, business-oriented solutions makes her an exceptional important advisor on the most consequential deals,’ said firm chair Julie Jones.

Meanwhile, preeminent litigation partner Jay Lefkowitz is set to retire from Kirkland & Ellis this spring, after more than 30 years at the firm.

Lefkowitz is especially notable for his work in the life sciences sector, including two wins for pharmaceuticals clients in the US Supreme Court, with Mutual v. Bartlett (2013) and Pliva v. Mensing (2011) both decided 5-4 in favour of Lefkowitz’s clients.

He also served as an adviser to presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, helping craft the latter’s policy on stem cell research.

However, the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) release of files relating to the late disgraced financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has placed both Lefkowitz’s and Kirkland’s work under scrutiny in recent weeks.

In addition to Kirkland’s advice on the non-prosecution agreement Epstein made with federal prosecutors in Florida as part of his 2008 plea deal, the files also showed personal communications between Epstein and Lefkowitz.

Kirkland has also seen a pair of partner departures across the continent, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett hiring Christina Bae in Los Angeles and Jacob Ruby in Houston.

Both partners will join the new capital structures solutions practice that Simpson Thacher established last month with its hire of Dallas-based partner David Nemecek, also from Kirkland.

Bae first made partner at Kirkland in 2019, and returned to the firm in 2023 after a two-year stint as vice president of BlackRock. Ruby, meanwhile, will move from Kirkland’s Salt Lake City office, where he made partner last year.

Both partners bring experience advising on a range of capital structure matters, including liability management exercises, special situations, and private credit transactions.

Simpson Thacher has also added to its Washington DC office, bringing over Linklaters head of Latin America arbitration Christian Albanesi.

Albanesi joined Linklaters in Paris in 2014 after seven years at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, and made partner in Washington DC in 2021.

He brings more than two decades’ experience in complex and cross-border international arbitrations, with a particular focus on Latin America and the energy and infrastructure sector.

Skadden has made a pair of hires from Paul Hastings, bringing in finance partner Scott Heard in New York to lead its private credit practice, and restructuring partner Matthew Murphy in Chicago.

The latter rejoins Skadden after spending more than a decade there as associate and counsel before moving to DLA Piper as a partner in 2011. He joined Paul Hastings in 2015, and worked closely with Heard over the last decade on complex transactions including acquisition financings, restructurings, and liability management exercises.

Also in New York, Ashurst has added a four-partner finance and restructuring team as it continues its US push ahead of its proposed merger with Perkins Coie.

Jeris Brunette, Mark Dendinger, Rebecca Keep and William Ebert all join from Bracewell, and bring notable expertise in the energy, infrastructure, and commodities sectors, with experience on a range of matters including acquisitions, project financings, restructurings, and liability management transactions.

Their arrival follows other US hires for Ashurst including Rossie Turman III, who joined the global loans practice from US national firm Lowenstein Sandler last September, and fellow global loans partner Joe Giannini, who joined from Norton Rose Fulbright in July.

Earlier this week, the firm also brought over a three-partner private equity team from Goodwin in London.

Finally in New York, longtime Cravath, Swaine & Moore corporate investigations and white-collar defence partner Benjamin Gruenstein has left the firm to launch his own boutique, Gruenstein Law.

Gruenstein served 14 years as a partner at the Wall Street firm, and was a founding member of the investigations and regulatory enforcement practice, representing clients in US and cross-border government and internal investigations.

Meanwhile in the nation’s capital, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has hired antitrust partner David Pearl from boutique firm Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider.

Pearl made partner in 2024, and previously spent three years in the Department of the Treasury after leaving Jones Day as an antitrust associate in 2014. He brings experience advising on antitrust matters including litigation, investigations, and merger control.

The hire follows the firm’s addition of senior competition partner John Elias, former deputy assistant attorney general at DOJ, who also joined in Washington DC last October.

Mayer Brown has added a six-partner litigation team from McGuireWoods across Houston and Washington DC.

Yasser Madriz, the former office managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Houston office, joins the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution practice, focusing on commercial litigation, commercial energy and transactional disputes.

Miles Indest and Jason Huebinger also join the litigation and dispute resolution team in Houston, while Meghaan Madriz joins the corporate and securities practice, advising clients on trade secret issues, wage disputes, employment structures and matters arising from M&A and commercial transactions.

Also joining the firm are litigators Gregory Knock, who splits his time between Houston and Washington DC, and Wolf McGavran, based in Washington DC.

On the West Coast, Mayer Brown also hired Jared Huffman from Morgan Lewis, where he was a partner in the private investment funds formation practice.

Goodwin is opening a Newport Beach office in Orange County, bringing in three partners from Jones Day to launch the office: litigators Richard Grabowski and Ryan Ball, and cybersecurity partner John Vogt.

The trio brings experience defending companies in class actions, investigations, and disputes involving issues relating to cybersecurity, privacy, technology, trade secrets and consumer financial services, with notable work including the successful defence of Experian Data Corp in a 2023 government enforcement action brought over a nationwide data breach.

The office will be Goodwin’s ninth in the US and its 18th overall, and expands the Boston-headquartered firm’s West Coast presence, which includes bases in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Silicon Valley.

The firm also added to its bench in New York, hiring funds partner Olya Kurilovich from Clifford Chance, where she was a counsel.

In San Diego, Sidley Austin has hired corporate and securities partner Steve Przesmicki from Cooley, where he spent 25 years.

He has particular experience in the technology and life sciences industries, and advises on matters including Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and corporate governance matters, private and public financings, M&A, IPOs, and venture capital financings.

Arnold & Porter has added real estate partner Rhys Hefta to its Seattle office. Hefta joins from K&L Gates, where he spent 15 years advising commercial real estate lenders on purchases, sales, joint ventures, workouts and restructurings.

He will reunite with former colleagues who joined Arnold & Porter when the firm launched its Seattle office in July 2025.

Also on the West Coast, Orrick has hired Gina Marek as a partner into its Silicon Valley technology and transactions team. She joins from Gunderson Dettmer, where she spent 16 years, latterly as strategic licensing and transactions group co-chair.

In Los Angeles, McGuireWoods has hired SEC Los Angeles regional director Gary Leung and audit defence lawyer Jodi Lopez. They both join the firm’s securities enforcement and regulatory counselling practice group.

Leung most recently led the SEC’s LA regional office and division of enforcement, overseeing lawyers investigating and litigating federal securities violations in the region. He rejoins McGuireWoods after leaving for the SEC in 2012.

Lopez was a lifer at Sidley Austin, joining the firm in 2004 and making partner in 2012. There she represented accounting firms, public companies, private equity firms and their directors and professionals in regulatory and litigation matters involving accounting, disclosure and tax issues.

McGuireWoods also hired in Chicago this week, bringing over healthcare and life sciences partner Gregory Fosheim from McDermott Will & Schulte.

Finally, Clyde & Co has opened an office in Highland, Indiana, hiring Renee Mortimer as office head. She joins from Lewis Brisbois, where she spent seven years defending insurers and corporates in injury and liability claims.

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