The most significant of the post-Christmas hires was the announced departure of Travers Smith veteran and private equity star Paul Dolman for Latham & Watkins. Meanwhile, Milbank hired Andrej Wolf from Kirkland & Ellis to add to its London corporate bench, and Simpson Thacher hired Antonio Bavasso, Allen & Overy’s co-head of global antitrust and co-head of telecoms, media and technology, to its London antitrust and trade regulation practice.
Morrison & Foerster continued the growth of its real estate practice in London with the hire of partner Ed Borrini from Jones Day, while Gibson Dunn similarly bolstered its real estate finance team with the appointment of partner Robert Carr from Herbert Smith Freehills. Fried Frank sought to boost its London bench with the hire of experienced restructuring and insolvency partner Mandip Englund from Reed Smith.
Elsewhere, Squire Patton Boggs added to its life sciences expertise in Frankfurt with the appointment of McDermott Will & Emery’s Rüdiger Herrmann as a partner. Hogan Lovells made an ambitious set of acquisitions in Paris, bringing in a two-partner corporate team from Baker McKenzie. Focused on M&A and private equity, partners Matthieu Grollemund and Hélène Parent were joined by five associates.
Shearman & Sterling bolstered its re-opened Munich office with the arrival of two partners from Linklaters – Florian Harder and Jann Jetter. Also strengthening its German presence was Goodwin, through the hire of fund formation and regulatory partner Joachim Kayser from Dechert.
Greenberg Traurig continued the expansion of its Asia real estate practice with the addition of Morrison & Foerster partner Mori Inada to its Tokyo office. Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis strengthened its Hong Kong capital markets practice with the hire of partner Mengyu Lu from Sidley Austin.
Reed Smith bolstered its Athens office with the hire of corporate partner Dimitris Assimakis, who was head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s Greek energy practice. Reed Smith also made a significant set of additions to its Singapore roster, hiring two partners from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner alongside four other lawyers. Manoj Purushothaman became a partner in its global corporate team, while Simon Spells strengthened the transportation industry group.
Clifford Chance sought to strengthen its US regulatory bench with the hire of Renée Latour as a partner from Greenberg Traurig. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan recruited veteran litigator Anthony Bongiorno from McDermott Will & Emery as a partner.
February
Pinsent Masons unveiled plans to launch its first office in the Netherlands, hiring partner Wouter Seinen from Baker McKenzie to lead its new Amsterdam base. Meanwhile, Simmons & Simmons deepened its German real estate expertise after hiring Boris Strauch from BCLP to its Frankfurt office. Willkie Farr & Gallagher expanded in Germany after appointing antitrust and competition expert Jens-Olrik Murach as a partner from Gibson Dunn.
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan reinforced its considerable disputes strength with the hire of Paul Baker, Simmons & Simmons’ head of dispute resolution in the UK. Meanwhile, Hogan Lovells made a string of marquee hires, including the appointment of White & Case’s M&A star Patrick Sarch and a four-strong litigation team from Debevoise & Plimpton, including two partners, Kevin Lloyd and Richard Lawton.
Dechert pulled a off a significant coup, landing a senior London restructuring partner in the form of Adam Plainer, who joined from Weil. Meanwhile, in a scarcely-seen move, Slaughter and May corporate partner Murray Cox left to join Weil’s London office. Paul Hastings pulled off a senior disputes hire for its City office with the appointment of Alex Leitch as a partner from Covington.
Also strengthening its London disputes bench was Jones Day, appointing Michelle Bradfield, who co-headed the international arbitration group in Dechert’s London office. Goodwin added an experienced private equity partner in the form of Geoff O’Dea, who joined the firm’s London office from Baker McKenzie. In another loss for Dechert, Mayer Brown recruited its European structured finance head Charles Malpass in London. Reed Smith also boosted its London bench via the appointment of structured finance partner Jason Richardson, who joined from Sidley Austin.
Squire Patton Boggs added a corporate partner to its London bench, in the form of McDermott Will & Emery’s Fergus Gallagher. Cooley also made a key hire in the City, bringing in Guadalupe Sampedro as a data protection partner from Bird & Bird.
Jake Mincemoyer was appointed head of Allen & Overy’s US leveraged finance practice in New York, having previously led White & Case’s Americas banking department.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner bolstered its Hong Kong presence via the appointment of real estate partner Wayne Ma, who arrived from DLA Piper. Davis Polk made a significant capital markets hire in Beijing, appointing Jason Xu as a partner. Xu was previously a partner and deputy head of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s equity capital markets practice in China.
Jones Day strengthened its London disputes bench by appointing Michelle Bradfield (pictured) from Dechert
March
Allen & Overy launched a West Coast US practice, acquiring Akin Gump’s project finance and renewables team in the US. As a result, the team co-led by partners Dan Sinaiko and John Marciano established a new presence in Los Angeles for A&O. Meanwhile, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer bolstered its fledgling Silicon Valley office with the hire of M&A partner Joseph Halloum from Kirkland & Ellis.
Elsewhere, DLA Piper identified a respected successor to Martin Bartlam for its London-based head of international finance, projects and restructuring role, hiring seasoned Freshfields partner David Trott. Simpson Thacher maintained its uncharacteristically lively start to 2021 with the hire of Geoffrey Bailhache, former managing director and general counsel of private equity firm Blackstone’s EMEA business, as well as adding former Kirkland & Ellis private funds partner James Board to its London office. Latham made a significant restructuring hire in London through the appointment of Bruce Bell, previously a partner for over 20 years at Linklaters.
Cleary Gottlieb reinforced its impressive European antitrust credentials by hiring Slaughter and May special adviser Jackie Holland as a partner in London. Meanwhile, Goodwin also expanded its London bench with the hire of tax partner Dulcie Daly and debt finance partner Hugh O’Sullivan from Kirkland & Ellis. Ashurst secured the services of a financial regulatory partner in London, hiring Etay Katz from A&O. Also in London, White & Case boosted its M&A practice with the addition of partner Ferdinand Mason from Jones Day. McDermott Will & Emery appointed veteran energy projects specialist Ignatius Hwang as a partner in its London office, having previously served as Singapore managing partner for both BCLP and Squire Patton Boggs. Meanwhile K&L Gates boosted its energy, infrastructure and resources practice by hiring former Squire Patton Boggs partner Ben Holland in its London office.
Dentons reinforced its banking and finance team in Warsaw by hiring Mark Segall as a partner from CMS, where he was head of the central and eastern Europe banking practice. Bird & Bird made a major insurance play in Spain by hiring two partners from Hogan Lovells – Luis Alfonso Fernández Manzano and Virginia Martínez Fernández.
Clyde & Co made a significant insurance hire in Australia with the appointment of NRF’s Jacques Jacobs as a partner in its Sydney office.
April
Simmons & Simmons significantly strengthened its presence in the Netherlands through a pair of lateral partner appointments, one of which, David Shearer, was formerly a partner at Dentons. Goodwin also strengthened its life sciences practice with the hire of partner Anne-Charlotte Rivière from Dechert in Paris. Linklaters turned to a Magic Circle rival in France, bringing in Freshfields’ private equity partner Florent Mazeron. And in Germany, Willkie Farr & Gallagher added to its Frankfurt restructuring capabilities with the hire of former Kirkland partner Wolfram Prusko.
In London, Baker McKenzie made a key appointment to its leveraged finance team, bringing in experienced partner Ben Wilkinson from White & Case. Shearman & Sterling also made a splash, hiring two restructuring and insolvency partners in London: Sam Brodie from Akin Gump and Helena Potts from Latham. Shearman also hired former A&O leveraged finance partner Sanjeev Dhuna to lead the firm’s European team alongside current EMEA finance head Ward McKimm.
K&L Gates also further expanded its London energy, infrastructure and resources practice by hiring partner James Douglass from Baker Botts, while Squire Patton Boggs bolstered its Paris contentious bench with the appointment of John Adam from Latham. White & Case’s highly-rated commercial litigation partner Hannah Field-Lowes joined Goodwin in London after a three-year stint. Then White & Case took steps to offset the departure with the addition of infrastructure partners Katie Hicks and Tim Sheddick from Shearman & Sterling in the same week. Simmons & Simmons also bolstered its infrastructure roster with the key hire of Marc Fèvre from Baker McKenzie, previously global co-head of Baker McKenzie’s renewable energy practice.
McDermott Will & Emery expanded its London white-collar crime capabilities through the hire of partner Simon Airey from Paul Hastings. Meanwhile, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan strengthened its practice in Shanghai through the hire of ex-Paul Hastings partner Haiyan Tang. Bird & Bird made a major arbitration play in the City, hiring Nick Peacock as a partner from Herbert Smith Freehills, while Akin Gump strengthened its London finance bench via the hire of former Weil partner Clare Cottle. Baker Botts hired a partner from McDermott Will & Emery in the form of power and renewables partner Shashank Krishna, while veteran tax partner David Irvine announced he was leaving Kirkland to join the London office of Goodwin. Reed Smith added former A&O commodities finance partner Daniel Birch to its London energy group.
Meanwhile, Cooley appointed an experienced securities litigation partner in New York, bringing in Aric Wu, who joined after more than 20 years at Gibson Dunn.
Gibson Dunn significantly strengthened its Hong Kong bench after hiring a four-lawyer regulatory team from Herbert Smith Freehills, led by partner William Hallatt.
Bird & Bird made a major arbitration play in the City, hiring Nick Peacock (pictured) as a partner from HSF
May
K&L Gates made a concerted international recruitment drive, hiring tax partner Roberta Chang from Hogan Lovells to its Shanghai office and, in Paris, welcoming Pinsent Masons real estate partner Denis Charles. Pinsent Masons went some way towards making up for losing a partner in Paris by hiring a corporate partner in Amsterdam – Alexander Spoor from Baker McKenzie.
Meanwhile, the private equity practices of Clifford Chance and Kirkland swapped senior lawyers. In Munich, CC hired partners Volkmar Bruckner and Mark Aschenbrenner from Kirkland in a three-man team, while CC lost a private equity specialist to Kirkland in London, with Gregory Scott making the switch.
Dechert boosted its German private equity practice with the recruitment of ex-A&O partner Dominik Stühler in Munich. Ashurst also pulled off a heavyweight hire in Frankfurt, bringing in former Deutsche Bank general counsel Florian Drinhausen as a corporate partner. Prior to his in-house stint, the vastly experienced Drinhausen was head of corporate at Linklaters. Goodwin also made a concerted recruitment effort in Germany, hiring two partners in the space of a week: Jan Schinköth from Sidley Austin and Sebastian Bruchwitz from Dechert.
In London, McDermott Will & Emery responded to ‘a surge in demand for sophisticated, international dispute resolution advice’ by appointing partner Michael Darowski from Gowling WLG. Crowell & Moring expanded its competition practice with the hire of partner Peter Broadhurst from Simmons & Simmons in London.
In Asia, White & Case hired CC partner Rahul Guptan in Singapore to bolster its global capital markets practice and India group. Shearman & Sterling bolstered its Singapore project development and finance practice with the appointment of veteran ex-Herbert Smith Freehills partner David Clinch.
Clyde & Co announced new bases across the south west of the US in Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas via the appointment of insurance partner Amy Samberg and her team from Foran Glennon Palandech Ponzi & Rudloff. And Quinn Emanuel unveiled a launch in Miami, with the hire of ten lawyers including the city’s mayor, Francis Suarez, as of counsel. The two partners leading the move were John O’Sullivan and Olga Vieira who joined from Hogan Lovells and Greenspoon Marder respectively.
Cooley launched a new Chicago office off the back of an emphatic nine-partner team hire. Joining from Winston & Strawn were venture capital partner Rick Ginsberg, capital markets partners Christina Roupas and Courtney Tygesson, fund formation partner Zach Robert, and compensation and benefits partner Nyron Persaud. Venture capital partner Laurie Bauer was the only arrival from Latham, while fellow venture capital partner Greg Grossman, M&A partner Erin Kirchner and employment partner Ryan Vann all arrived from DLA Piper.
In New York, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer gave its life sciences practice a major boost by hiring partner Adam Golden from Hogan Lovells. And Quinn Emanuel made a double hire in Washington DC as bankruptcy and restructuring litigation partners Erika Morabito and Brittany Nelson joined from Foley & Lardner.
Allen & Overy strengthened its US leveraged finance practice by adding two new partners in New York. Gordon Mak and Stanimir Kostov joined from White & Case, where they worked in its debt finance and private credit and direct lending practices, respectively.
Latham, meanwhile, made a significant hire in the Middle East, recruiting Vinson & Elkins’ former Dubai managing partner Ahmed el-Gaili, while Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla, the firm’s UAE arm, hired partner Osama Audi from King & Spalding.
Cooley made an important addition to its Brussels office, adding Elisabethann Wright from Hogan Lovells, where she co-led its European Union life sciences regulatory practice. Also in Brussels, Alston & Bird bolstered its white-collar credentials with the hire of partner Isabelle De Smedt from Nixon Peabody. Goodwin made a key hire into its Frankfurt real estate team, hiring partner Markus Käpplinger from A&O.
In London, Dechert continued to expand its global financial restructuring group with the addition of Jones Day partner Kay Morley and pulled off a private equity coup, hiring partner Sam Whittaker from Kirkland as well as Mark Thompson, also from Kirkland. Also in the City, Squire Patton Boggs hired partner Jonathan Lent, previously co-head of Gowling’s real estate finance practice. Proskauer appointed M&A partner Rebecca Villarreal, also from Kirkland, to its London office to boost the firm’s corporate credentials. DLA Piper, meanwhile, made a key addition to its London competition team with the arrival of partner Matt Evans from Jones Day. Pillsbury made an ambitious hire, bringing in ex-Clifford Chance asset finance partner Antony Single.
In more London moves, Latham took a London-based partner from the Magic Circle again, and this time Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s experienced tax specialist Helen Lethaby made the switch.
Hogan Lovells made a string of marquee hires, including the appointment of White & Case’s M&A star Patrick Sarch (pictured)
July
Veteran litigation partner Lawson Caisley joined White & Case after nearly nine years at A&O, while White & Case also boosted its M&A practice with the hire of former Paul Hastings real estate finance partner Justin Jowitt. King & Spalding hired Benoit Lavigne as a partner to its London corporate, finance and investments practice from Morrison & Foerster and in Scotland, Eversheds Sutherland strengthened its Edinburgh employment team by hiring partner Euan Smith from Pinsent Masons.
Also in London, McDermott Will & Emery strengthened its energy group with the hire of partner Merrick White from King & Spalding. Herbert Smith Freehills hired Will Glassey from Mayer Brown, where he was head of insurance disputes in London and global
co-head of insurance.
Goodwin made a senior addition to its German tax practice, bringing in Oded Schein from Kirkland. Meanwhile, seasoned private equity specialist François Hellot joined Ashurst’s Paris office after a 12-year partnership stint at Dechert. K&L Gates combined with Luxembourg firm Volckrick & Associates, handing the firm its eighth European branch and bringing the network worldwide up to 46 offices.
In Australia, Pinsent Masons recruited Norton Rose Fulbright property and infrastructure partner Deanne Ogilvie to its Sydney office.
Gowling WLG signed a new co-operation agreement with Saudi Arabian firm Al-Ghazzawi Professional Association to give its clients access to local legal support in the region.
August
Squire Patton Boggs pulled off a major expansion of its financial services team in London, hiring a team of lawyers from Clyde & Co, led by partner and former head of trade and commodity finance Robert Parson. Meanwhile, Kirkland made another interesting hire to reinforce its ESG advisory credentials, appointing former Linklaters lawyer Ruth Knox as a partner. Bird & Bird expanded in London with the addition of experienced corporate finance partner Nick O’Donnell, who joined from Baker McKenzie.
In Düsseldorf, Jones Day pulled off a coup with the hire of Thomas Weimann as a partner, previously co-head of Herbert Smith Freehills’ German disputes practice. King & Spalding made a significant hire in Brussels, hiring competition partner Salomé Cisnal De Ugarte, previously Hogan Lovells’ managing partner in Brussels.
Latham strengthened its Seoul office by hiring experienced capital markets partner Richard Lee from Clifford Chance.
In New York, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner hired cross-border real estate partner Kwon Lee from Mayer Brown. Meanwhile, in a major expansion of its US operations, Allen & Overy made an eye-catching move for seven White & Case technology partners to establish a new Silicon Valley presence and Linklaters appointed litigation heavyweight Richard Smith as a partner in Washington DC, in a rare exit from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart. Also in New York, Squire Patton Boggs has hired tax partner Jeffrey Koppele from Ashurst.
Dechert significantly expanded its San Francisco operations by making two lateral partner hires and relocating two further partners from its US offices. One of the hires was securities litigation partner Rick Hovarth, who joined from Paul Hastings.
Herbert Smith Freehills hired Will Glassey (pictured) from Mayer Brown, where he was head of insurance disputes in London and global co-head of insurance
September
Sidley made a trio of eye-catching partner hires in London: private equity partners Dan Graham and Paul Dunbar and finance partner Emilie Stewart all joined from Vinson & Elkins. Greenberg Traurig also opted for a senior appointment in London, hiring Latham’s former European head of restructuring and special situations, John Houghton. Meanwhile, Simmons & Simmons appointed a heavyweight disputes partner from Herbert Smith Freehills, with competition and antitrust expert Mark Jephcott making the switch.
DLA Piper made a significant addition to its London real estate team, hiring former Linklaters partner James Knox from BCLP. Ashurst also made a senior hire in London, bringing in Jacques McChesney as a partner from Shearman to boost its high-yield practice.
Akin Gump hired an international trade partner from US rival WilmerHale, with Naboth van den Broek making the switch. In another loss for WilmerHale, Willkie Farr & Gallagher launched an international arbitration practice in London through the appointment of barrister Duncan Speller as a partner.
Outside of the UK, CMS took a team from Baker McKenzie in Poland, led by partner Rafal Zakrzewski. The firm also picked up a transactional team in Dubai, led by M&A specialist Patrik Daintry from Baker Botts alongside a senior associate. In Paris, Goodwin boosted its intellectual property capabilities through the hire of former Dechert partner Marie Fillon, while McDermott Will & Emery hired antitrust partner Frédéric Pradelles from Latham in Paris.
Herbert Smith Freehills hired Jan Eltzschig and Heike Schmitz as corporate partners based in the firm’s Düsseldorf office in Germany. They joined from DLA Piper in Cologne, where they were a partner and a counsel in the firm’s corporate group.
October
In London, a three-partner antitrust litigation team from Quinn Emanuel’s market-leading practice decamped to Willkie Farr & Gallagher, spearheaded by Boris Bronfentrinker. Meanwhile, with echoes of David Higgins’ landmark $10m switch in 2017, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer lost two up-and-coming private equity rising stars to Kirkland – Vincent Bergin and Keir MacLennan. White & Case revealed a similarly ambitious set of private equity hires, claiming to bring in two of its former partners back from Dechert in London, Ross Allardice and Mark Evans. However Evans ultimately never made the switch after the hire was announced. And Gibson Dunn appointed a trio of buyout partners from Vinson & Elkins in London, Federico Fruhbeck, Robert Dixon and Alice Brogi.
Ashurst added a senior contentious financial services partner in the form of Nathan Willmott, who joined from BCLP. Elsewhere, Eversheds Sutherland announced the addition of corporate partner Eda Demirel from DLA Piper while Mayer Brown boosted its global finance capabilities with the arrival of Andy Kolacki from DLA. White & Case continued its recruitment drive, adding funds and investment management partner Robert Nield in London from Sidley.
Meanwhile, Goodwin picked up capital markets partner and ESG specialist Ariel White-Tsimikalis from BCLP in London, and Ashurst boosted its London derivatives practice with the hire of former Norton Rose Fulbright partner Daniel Franks. As one derivatives partner left NRF, another one arrived – Yusuf Battiwala, who joined from Dentons. King & Spalding recruited executive compensation and employee benefits partner Robert Marshall from Jones Day.
On the international front, Weil hired restructuring partner Kathleen Aka from Ropes & Gray in Hong Kong, while White & Case hired debt finance partner Lindani Mthembu from A&O in Johannesburg. CMS expanded yet again in Poland with the hire of real estate partner Michał Mieciński from Linklaters. Dechert launched a financial restructuring practice in Asia with the hire of former Kirkland partner Daniel Margulies in Hong Kong, and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner pulled off a contentious recruitment coup in Paris, hiring two partners from White & Case, Philippe Métais and Elodie Valette. Despite shedding those partners in the French capital, White & Case made amends by appointing M&A partner Xavier Petet following his exit from Clifford Chance.
Debevoise & Plimpton made a major City disputes play, bringing in former Freshfields litigator Patrick Swain (pictured) as a partner
November
In a bold Bay Area play, Cleary Gottlieb announced that it is opening in California with the arrival of renowned antitrust trial lawyer Heather Nyong’o from WilmerHale and the relocation of a team of partners and associates from its New York and Washington DC offices to Palo Alto and San Francisco.
Also in the US, Clifford Chance appointed US and international tax specialist Paul Seraganian as a partner based in New York. Seraganian joins from Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, where he was managing partner of its New York office.
Herbert Smith Freehills picked up two former Hogan Lovells financial litigation partners, Marc Gottridge and Lisa Fried, in New York to boost its US operations. Orrick appointed a new partner in both London and New York, hiring tax partner David Klass from Hunton Andrews Kurth and IP partner Rob Parr from Wilson Sonsini.
In the City, Debevoise & Plimpton made a major disputes play, bringing in former Freshfields litigator Patrick Swain as a partner. Also in London, Baker McKenzie has hired Andrew Hedges as a partner from Norton Rose Fulbright to bolster its corporate EMI (energy, mining and infrastructure) practice, while Norton Rose Fulbright strengthened its London project finance bench with the hire of partner Alistair Black from Dentons. Also in the City, Reed Smith reinforced its corporate trust capabilities with the hire of partner Paulette Mastin from Linklaters, while Holland & Knight hired asset finance specialist Richard Sharman as a partner from Bird & Bird.
Meanwhile, Clifford Chance recaptured private equity partner Neil Evans, 11 years after he departed the firm as an associate to join Simpson Thacher. Kirkland recruited Ashurst private equity tax partner Alexander Cox.
In France, Shearman & Sterling landed a four-partner transactional team from DLA Piper, comprising Xavier Norlain, Jeremy Scemama, Maud Manon and Matthieu Lampel. Following its Paris hires in October, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner added M&A partner Frédéric Jungels from A&O. In Madrid, Squire Patton Boggs made a significant set of transactional hires, appointing M&A and private equity expert Teresa Zueco as managing partner of its Spanish operations. She arrived from DLA Piper alongside two legal directors and six associates.
CMS hired a leading financial restructuring partner in Hong Kong, with Kingsley Ong joining from Eversheds Sutherland. The firm also added in Poland again, this time a trio of real estate partners from Greenberg Traurig – Agata Jurek-Zbrojska, Małgorzata Madej-Balcerowska, and Dominik Rafałko. Hunton Andrews Kurth has expanded its global energy and infrastructure team with the hire of Hogan Lovells project finance partner Sean Conaty in Tokyo. King & Spalding boosted its Singapore corporate team with the arrival of Parveet Singh Gandoak from Skadden, where he was counsel.
Meanwhile, Hogan Lovells announced the hire of Pinsent Masons partner Chris Green as it expands its corporate and finance capabilities in Johannesburg.
December
White & Case made an eye-catching move for Clifford Chance’s former co-head of mining and metals, David Lewis.