Hogan Lovells has confirmed the departure of leading corporate energy partner David Levin to energy merchant business Nekton Group, months after losing a three strong energy team, including global co-head of energy and natural resources Matthew Williams to US firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Levin joins the resources company as general counsel after three years at Hogan Lovells, where he joined in 2012 following a four-year stint as Eversheds’ Russia chief. He led US firm Chadbourne & Parke’s London corporate practice until 2006, and before that was the sole English corporate law partner at legacy Mayer Brown & Platt (now Mayer Brown) until 2003.
Cited by The Legal 500 as ‘the engine of [Hogan Lovells’] natural resource practice’ Levin is recommended for ‘joint ventures, farm-ins and farm-outs’. Having advised clients including Centrica, Citigroup, Cargill, and Statoil, Levin served as lead counsel to a consortium on a $40bn infrastructure deal involving the expansion of a major gas pipeline originating in Azerbaijan.
He joins Nekton Global, chaired by Gerard Lopez, the financier behind Skype, as the company undergoes expansion, having recently acquired a 50% stake in private equity house Rise Capital AB, which focuses on pursing infrastructure investments in Russia and is seeking to increase its investment capacity in the next five years to $12bn.
His exit follows that of Hogan Lovells energy duo, global co-head of energy and natural resources Matthew Williams and renewables co-head John Deacon to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe this summer. They were joined by counsel Edward Humphries who was made partner.
A Hogan Lovells spokesperson said: ‘David had a fantastic relationship with Nekton and this was a natural move for him. We wish him well.’
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
