Legal Business Blogs

Revolving Doors: Linklaters recruits New York team while Clifford Chance and Akin make key hires

Leading the high-profile moves this week, Linklaters has continued its US expansion with the hire of a four-partner litigation team from New York litigation boutique Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. 

Adeel Mangi, Muhammad Faridi, Diana Conner and George LoBiondo are set to join the firm as it continues to pursue its strategy of growing in the US by recruiting key laterals. 

Mangi is an experienced trial lawyer with highlights including securing the largest settlement with New York state in history in cases involving the death of a state prison inmate and the largest jury verdict ($2bn) in the history of the Virginia court system. 

The firm laid down a statement of intent in the US January last year when it added an M&A team led by Legal 500 Hall of Fame for $1bn+ M&A deals George Casey.  In October, it hired  a four-partner finance team from A&O Shearman including former global co-head of A&O Shearman’s financial markets practice David Lucking to join its New York office. 

Aedamar Comiskey, Linklaters’ senior partner and chair said in a statement: ‘Growing in the US is a key strategic priority. We’re focusing on top-of-the market lawyers and Adeel, Muhammad, Diana and George are certainly that. Their exceptional trial and commercial litigation expertise will be a terrific addition to our leading global litigation team.’ 

Back in London, Akin has hired Natasha Kaye from Cooley as a tax partner in London. Kaye has spent nine years at Cooley and brings experience advising on a variety of transactions including cross-border and domestic M&A, equity capital markets, reorganisations and restructuring. 

She will be reunited with her former Cooley colleagues who made the move to Akin last July.  London managing partner Justin Stock moved to the firm alongside Stephen Rosen, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer for mid-market private equity transactions who headed Cooley’s London corporate practice, and technology transactions partner David Bresnick. 

Also in the City, Morgan Lewis has hired antitrust partner Paul Johnson and structured finance partner Dasha Sobornova to join its London office from Baker McKenzie and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, respectively. 

Johnson has joined after 10 years at Bakers’ Brussels office. He spent seven months at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and 10 years at legacy Berwin Leighton Paisner. He has experience in a range of EU and UK competition matters. 

Sobornova advises on an array of UK-and EU-related securitization and structured finance work, with a focus on collateralized loan obligation (CLO) transactions. She joined after just under three years at Akin Gump and has previously had spells at Mayer Brown, Paul Hastings and Ashurst. 

The pair arrive after a flurry of recent additions with the firm welcoming IP partners Tim Powell and Hiroshi Sheraton, life sciences M&A partner Ted Craig to its London office in recent months. The firm also added a 54-lawyer Kramer Levin team to its Paris office in December. 

Elsewhere in London, Clifford Chance has bolstered its global private capital team with the addition of Emma Ghaffari who joins as a partner in a vertical move from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom where she held the title of European counsel. 

Ghaffari will reunite with her former colleague, M&A expert Bruce Embley, who moved to CC from Skadden earlier this month. She joins after a year and a half at Skadden, having previously spent time at legacy Allen & Overy and Eversheds Sutherland in Dubai, Freshfields in London and White & Case in Stockholm. 

Clifford Chance’s global private capital team also recently welcomed London fund finance partners Aimee Sharman, and Matt Lilley from Mayer Brown in January, and private equity partner David Schultz and restructuring partner Matthew Hinker from O’Melveny & Myers in New York in October.  

Squire Patton Boggs has welcomed trade finance partners Philip Prowse and Jameel Tarmohamed to its financial services practice in London. The pair have joined from Stephenson Harwood, where they worked for three years, having previously worked together at HFW. 

Jim Barresi, global head of the firm’s financial services group said in a statement: ‘Philip and Jameel add considerable expertise to our international team. Their transactional work for financial institutions, development banks and traders is substantial.’ 

McDermott Will & Emery has hired international arbitration partner Milo Molfa to join its London office from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle. Molfa advises on international commercial arbitrations and investor-state disputes under public international law. He represents corporations and sovereigns in international arbitration proceedings across industries including aviation, automotive and energy. 

This announcement comes in the same week as the departure of the firm’s former London head Hamid Yunis, who is set to join Pillsbury after more than eight and a half years at the Chicago-headquartered firm.  

McDermott also experienced departures in Germany, after Greenberg Traurig raided the firm for a four-lawyer team led by corporate partner Björn Biehl, along with a local partner, and two associates, to open its Munich office next month.

Greenberg’s Munich launch also includes a four-lawyer team from boutique firm Ehlers led by partner Christian Rybak, who will serve as the firm’s chair of healthcare and life sciences in Germany. Stephen Rau, who left McDermott in November, will serve as the office managing partner and chair of Greenberg’s European health care practice. 

Back in London, White & Case has hired tax partner Catherine Hill from Latham & Watkins in a vertical move. Hill has joined after two years as a tax associate at Latham. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Macfarlanes.  

Philadelphia-bred Faegre Drinker has hired financial services regulatory partner Steven Francis from Addleshaw Goddard. 

Francis has become the firm’s 13th London partner, according to its website. He has joined after six years at Addleshaw Goddard and was previously associate partner at EY and a partner at Baker McKenzie and RPC.  He regularly represents clients before the FCA and the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority. 

DAC Beachcroft has tapped Clyde & Co for London aviation partner Maria Cetta. She has made the move after 25 years at Clyde & Co during which time she gained experience in handling major aviation losses, most recently advising on the Ukrainian International Airlines loss in January 2020. 

In Paris, BCLP has hired a three-lawyer financial regulation and asset management team from Lacourte Raquin Tatar led by partner Damien Luqué.  Luqué has experience in advising clients on investment vehicle structures. 

Over in Ireland, Bird & Bird has hired employment partner Susan Battye as head of its Ireland employment practice. Before joining Bird & Bird, Battye founded and led the employment team at Walkers in Ireland, working there for just under six years. 

Finally, in Washington DC, Kemal Hawa has joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in the corporate practice group with a focus on digital infrastructure. He has joined after spending 12 years as a partner at Greenberg Traurig and was also a partner at Mintz Levin. 

tom.cox@legalease.co.uk