Keystone Law has bucked the trend of a summer slowdown of the lateral market, adding three ‘principals’ across its litigation and real estate teams.
The AIM-listed firm recruited litigators Tracy Sell-Peters and Gregor Kleinknecht from DWF and Hunters Law respectively, while transactional real estate partner Samantha Leigh joined from Freeths. This continues the firm’s acquisitive streak, which has seen it hire 41 principals in the financial year 2021/22, adding to its 51 partner-equivalent hires the previous year.
Meanwhile, Arnold & Porter has launched its Amsterdam base with the additions of life sciences regulatory experts Carla Schoonderbeek and Bart Jong from IP boutique Hoyng Rokh Monegier. Schoonderbeek, described in The Legal 500 as ‘stand out’, will lead the office and advise on regulatory matters in the pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices space, while Jong, a former judge in the District Court of Amsterdam, brings particular expertise in advising on medical product development.
Schoonderbeek said: ‘There are few firms that have the same real focus on the biotech and pharmaceutical sector as Arnold & Porter not only in Europe but on the US and Asia side too. I’ve worked with the firm on joint projects and clients but until now there wasn’t the opportunity to join. Since the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has moved from the UK to Amsterdam, we are seeing more interest in Amsterdam from pharmaceutical companies that are increasing their presence here so the time was right.’
In Germany, Goodwin has bolstered its private equity group with the addition of finance partner Winfried Carli. The Munich-based leveraged finance expert marks the firm’s eighth partner hire in Germany over the last year, which includes that of fellow private equity partner Florian Hirschmann who joined in from Reed Smith in January.
Elsewhere, Dechert has added partners both side of the Atlantic. It recruited restructuring partners Doug Mannal and Stephen Zide in New York from Kramer Levin. The duo add a breadth of experience acting for creditors in Chapter 11 bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings. Meanwhile in Dublin, funds lawyer Emmet Quish has joined from Dillon Eustace, where he spent 17 years as solicitor advising on structuring, establishing and compliance for all types of investment funds.
Finally, staying in Dublin, Dentons has appointed litigator Karyn Harty from McCann FitzGerald. Harty, who specialises in asset recovery and white-collar crime defence, is the latest partner to join the Dentons’ Irish outpost, which launched in September 2020. Ireland managing partner Eavan Saunders said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled to have Karyn join us. We are building an A-list team in Dublin and we think it’s a great endorsement of the firm’s strategy that someone of Karyn’s calibre wants to be part of our project to reimagine what it means to be a premium law firm in Ireland.’
