Morgan Lewis has boosted its London white collar crime capability with the hire of Irwin Mitchell’s head of regulatory and criminal investigations practice Kevin Robinson, in a move said to be part of the ‘ongoing transformation’ of its London office.
Robinson, who has over 40 years of experience in advising clients on investigations by regulators into commercial activity and defending prosecutions which arise from those investigations, joins the global top 20 US firm’s London litigation department.
He will play an integral role in advising and representing clients on FCA and UK Bribery Act compliance, particularly in light of the increasing regulatory enforcement structures in the UK.
His hire follows the arrival of Taylor Wessing’s private equity and funds partner Tom Cartwright and, according to one partner at the firm, the London office has doubled in number since 2012 to 51 fee earners. In 2012 the 1,319-lawyer firm hired a number of former Dewey partners including Peter Sharp, who joined as co-managing partner alongside finance partner Christopher Harrison and who said of Robinson’s hire: ‘His addition is part of the ongoing transformation of our London office to ensure that we are well positioned to serve the needs of our UK and international clients in a fast moving regulatory environment.’
Firm chair Francis Milone added: ‘Kevin is an invaluable addition to our litigation practice and further broadens our white collar defense capabilities to UK-based clients and those conducting business in the UK.’
Last year the firm saw its revenue increase by 6% to $1.23bn while its profit per equity partner went up by 35% to $1.55m.
david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk
