Legal Business

Greenberg Traurig lands Olswang’s Berlin office to open in Germany

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Greenberg Traurig has launched its first office in Germany with the mass hire of Olswang’s 50-strong lawyer team in Berlin.

Some 50 lawyers including 14 partners, with current senior associate Henrik Armah being made up in the move, and all current staff from Olswang’s office joining the US firm in the German capital as its launches its 38th international outpost.

The new German base will open its doors on 1 October 2015, as the firm’s fourth European office after London, Amsterdam and Warsaw. The Berlin-based team focuses on corporate, M&A, finance, and restructuring, and has experience of advising on real estate, technology, telecommunications, media, and infrastructure matters. 

The office hire and launch comes as Greenberg aims to combine the German real estate group with its existing real estate practices in the US and Europe. In Warsaw, Greenberg improved its real estate offering in May this year by bringing in partners from Allen & Overy and Norton Rose Fulbright as part of a 12-lawyer hire.

Christian Schede, who will serve as the German managing shareholder for Greenberg, said: ‘Greenberg Traurig’s award-winning corporate, M&A, real estate, technology, media, and telecoms practices are a perfect fit with our top-ranking German offering. Greenberg Traurig’s entrepreneurial focus, its growth strategy, and its international network enable us and our emerging talent to shape our future.’

Greenberg’s chief executive Richard Rosenbaum added: ‘We waited patiently for years to find the right time, the right place, and especially the right people, and we could not be more pleased with this opportunity. With empowered leadership on the ground, we are confident this will be an important enhancement to the firm’s global platform.’

The news comes after the TMT firm announced in June that 13 equity partners were set to exit the Berlin outpost in a ‘decoupling’ alongside the entire 50-strong lawyer office. At the time, Morrison & Foerster and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, among other firms, were understood to be frontrunners in the race to land the team.

Olswang first opened its Berlin office in 2007 and built its team with hires from Linklaters and Freshfields, a move which included the hire of Schede. The Berlin split relates to ongoing unrest in the firm’s City headquarters which first surfaced after the firm’s former chief executive David Stewart stood down last October. He recently reappeared six months later as a partner at offshore Turks and Caicos firm Griffiths & Partners.

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Clifford Chance’s New York office loses corporate duo to Greenberg Traurig

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Clifford Chance’s (CC) ambition to build its New York office have suffered a setback with the loss of M&A duo Ivan Presant and Joseph Cosentino to US firm Greenberg Traurig.

Greenberg, has had a particularly busy first half-year for hires and new office launches, and this latest addition will see its New York partner headcount increase to 30 corporate partners.

Both Presant and Cosentino joined the Magic Circle firm in January 2012 from Dewey & LeBoeuf. The move will see Presant return to the firm he left in 2008 for Dewey, having been a partner there since 2004. He originally joined having been an associate at both Sullivan & Cromwell and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. Cosentino became a partner at the now defunct Dewey in 2009 having been there as an associate from 2000.

Presant said: ‘Having now practiced elsewhere, and gained considerable experience in my practice, with clients and in other legal environments, I now see that today’s Greenberg Traurig is the place that will best support the kind of growth I envision personally and professionally in these times.’

Both Cosentino and Presant have worked on a range of corporate work with Cosentino having particular experience in TMT, pharmaceutical, insurance, and energy and utilities sectors.

The hires in New York follow the addition of real estate teams from both Allen & Overy and Norton Rose Fulbright in Warsaw last month with 12 new lawyers joining in a serious bid to grow and integrate its real estate network outside the US.

This came after the firm also launched a new office in Tokyo with a three-partner team from DLA Piper and White & Case at the beginning of the year.

CC voted through changes to its remuneration system last month, to use a more flexible lockstep by stretching the top of its ladder in a bid to retain star partners. The changes will mean leading partners can be moved from 100 points up to either 115 or 130 points while other partners may be brought down from the 100-point plateau to 70 points.

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Greenberg Traurig builds European real estate team with 12-lawyer hire from A&O and Norton Rose

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In a bid to enhance its real estate offering in Central Europe, Greenberg Traurig last month recruited 12 lawyers to its Warsaw office from Allen & Overy (A&O) and Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF).

Joining Greenberg is A&O’s Warsaw real estate head Radomił Charzyński and NRF’s Warsaw real estate head Agnieszka Stankiewicz. Charzyński brings with him three others, including senior associate Karol Brzoskowski, who becomes a partner at Greenberg, and two senior associates, while Stankiewicz, named a leading individual in The Legal 500 for Polish real estate, brings with her local partner Magdalena Życzkowska-Jóźwiak, one senior associate and five associates.

Legal Business

Targeting Warsaw: Greenberg takes A&O and NRF former Polish real estate heads in 12-lawyer hire

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Greenberg Traurig has hired real estate teams from both Allen & Overy (A&O) and Norton Rose Fulbright as it bolsters its practice in Warsaw with 12 new lawyers.

In a serious bid to grow and integrate its real estate network outside of the US, Greenberg Traurig has added 12 lawyers to its Warsaw office to create ‘one of the largest and most diversified real estate practices in the region’, according to the firm.

The firm has recruited Norton Rose Fulbright partner and former property team head in Warsaw Agnieszka Stankiewicz. She was named a leading individual in The Legal 500 for Polish real estate and recently advised ING on several major deals in the country. Stankiewicz brings with her local partner Magdalena Życzkowska-Jóźwiak, one senior associate, and five associates.

The firm has also hired A&O’s Radomił Charzyński, counsel and former head of real estate in Warsaw. He brings with him three others including local partner Karol Brzoskowski and two senior associates.

Both Charzyński and Stankiewicz join Greenberg as partners, and will work alongside Warsaw partner and head of the real estate group Marek Grodek. The new additions take Greenberg’s real estate team in Central Europe to a total of 30 lawyers while, with the arrival of the four-partner property team, the Warsaw practice will house 12 partners in total, headed by Jarosław Grzesiak and Lejb Fogelman. The office includes a seven-partner corporate team that covers M&A, private equity and capital markets, and one tax partner.

Grzesiak told Legal Business: ‘When I joined from Dewey & LeBoeuf in 2012, Greenberg had ten lawyers; we now have 80. We are top-tier in M&A but the modern day real estate practice is becoming multi-faceted and now includes capital market and finance aspects. Greenberg is building an international real estate practice and no other firm in Warsaw is stronger in real estate, given our offering in related practices.’

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Revolving doors: Specialists and US firms build up in the City

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Last week saw specialist and US firms strengthen their presence in the City and Europe as Kingsley Napley strengthened its disputes offering, Lee & Thompson hired a head of sports, Greenberg Traurig Maher brought in a corporate partner to its London office and McDermott Will & Emery hired a team of private equity lawyers in Paris.

Litigation specialist Kingsley Napley hired Will Christopher as a partner in its Dispute Resolution practice from Pinsent Masons. He specialises in civil fraud, asset recovery and investigations having led the business crime and commercial fraud group at McGrigors before its merger with Pinsents. Prior to that, he worked at Reid Minty and PCB Litigation focusing on fraud related litigation.

Meanwhile, Greenberg Traurig Maher expanded its City corporate team with the hire of corporate partner Joel Wheeler.

Wheeler joins Greenberg as an equity partner from Crowell & Moring where he has been a partner since 2009, with a focus on corporate and commercial matters, including M&A, private equity, debt and equity capital market offerings and corporate restructurings. He has experience on cross-border deals including in the US, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Kurdistan, China and Cambodia. Prior to Crowell, Wheeler worked at US firm Debevoise & Plimpton.

Greenberg chief executive officer Richard Rosenbaum said: ‘As the London office continues to target high profile, complex, cross-border deals, Joel’s extensive cross-border expertise across the US and Europe in particular, allows him to bring tremendous global experience and insight to this role. While Greenberg Traurig enjoys an outstanding transactional track record, we are increasingly looking to enhance and broaden the offering that our corporate and finance groups provide.’

The addition take Greenberg’s partner headcount in the City to 20 and almost 50 fee-earners but Wheeler’s exit will serve a blow to Crowell’s already small team in London, leaving just one full-time partner and London head Adrian Jones to hold the fort alongside three associates, and two other partners who both split their time between the London and Washington DC offices.

Another US firm also expanded its European offering as McDermott boosted its Paris office with a team of private equity specialists. The new arrivals consist of three partners, Henri Pieyre de Mandiargues, Carole Degonse and Grégoire Andrieux, who all join from Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle.

David Goldman, partner and head of McDermott’s corporate advisory practice said: ‘Our aim is to be recognized as one of the leading firms in the Paris legal market, and the arrival of this group adds tremendous expertise to the Firm’s transactional practice’

Back in the City, Oli Shipton joined Lee & Thompson as partner, having previously been Group General Counsel at Round World Entertainment (RWE). Shipton joins the corporate & commercial group and will also become a head of the firm’s sport group.

At RWE his role involved advising across the group’s varied business interests including 1966 Entertainment, which managed the commercial rights of the England Men’s National Football Team; 10Ten Talent which represent Pelé, Jack Wilshere, and Glenn Hoddle; and Iconic Images. Alongside his new role Oli will continue as principal counsel for the RWE businesses. His experience focuses on commercial contracts within the sporting and creative fields.

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

michael.west@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Asia: Reed Smith establishes South East Asia corporate practice as Greenberg launches in Tokyo

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Reed Smith has hired Stephenson Harwood’s South East Asia head of corporate Matt Gorman to launch a corporate practice in the region from its Singapore office.

Gorman leaves Stephenson Harwood after 14 years, before which he was seconded to Royal Bank of Scotland for eight months in London. He joins as a partner with experience of advising on energy and natural resources, TMT, real estate and financial services deals.

Reed Smith first set up its Singapore office in 2012 offering client services in international arbitration; energy, commodities and natural resources; shipping and insurance recovery work; and finance including structured finance and derivatives.

Reed Smith Singapore office managing partner Gautam Bhattacharyya said: ‘We have built a strong platform in Singapore since we established our office and Matt’s arrival now ensures we are able to fully support the transactional needs of our clients.’

Gorman added: ‘The chance to continue to develop my own practice alongside the terrific platform that Gautam and the team have established in Singapore was a huge draw.’

Meanwhile, Greenberg Traurig has launched a new office in Tokyo with a three-partner team from DLA Piper and White & Case.

The new office will operate under the name Greenberg Traurig Horitsu Jimusho, with DLA Piper’s Koji Ishikawa heading the new office, while new co-chairs Yuji Ogiwara and Koichiro Ohashi are joining from White & Case. Tokyo, launched in response to growing client needs and increased investment into Japan, is Greenberg’s third in the region and will work closely with existing teams in Shanghai and Seoul.

The firm’s new partners said in a statement: ‘Contrary to its appearance, Japanese clients are not well served by international law firms in Tokyo. We often hear from Japanese clients that so-called “elite law firms” are too expensive and their practice areas are too narrow to meet their needs. Also, Japanese clients appear to have some frustration that other established US and foreign firms are too independent from their firms and do not provide good synergy with or access to their global operations. We will not suffer from these issues and will deliver not only an elite level of excellence but the true value that Japanese clients seek today.’

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

‘We would expect to bring in a few more lateral hires’ -Slaughter and May loses London tax partner to Greenberg Traurig Maher

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Having broken with tradition in making its first-ever lateral hire this year, Slaughter and May has seen a rare departure at partner level, with long-serving tax partner Graham Iversen leaving the firm to become head of Greenberg Traurig Maher‘s (GTM) London tax practice.

Iverson, who joined the Magic Circle firm in 1990 and made partner in 2000, becomes GTM’s second tax partner in London and seventeenth partner in total. He replaces Justin Hamer, who was recruited by GTM from Paul Hastings in 2009, who is retiring from the firm.

According GTM chair Paul Maher, Iversen’s name came up after the London practice canvassed colleagues for a suitable replacement for Hamer, in light of the fact that tax is a critical component of Greenberg Traurig’s practice internationally.

‘We would expect to bring in a few more lateral hires over the next three to six months,’ said Maher. ‘Graham’s a direct replacement for Justin but also part of strategy to grow our core components. Graham has a very broad skill set and there are very few things he hasn’t done. He will have a key role in building our European tax practice.’

Iversen’s exit, planned for November, takes Slaughter and May’s tax practice down to eight partners, with the firm promoting Dominic Robertson to partner last year. Senior partner Chris Saul confirmed Iversen’s departure and told Legal Business: ‘Graham has been an excellent member of the team here at the firm and we wish him every success.’

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Greenberg Traurig hires Dentons London-based co-head of global real estate

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Greenberg Traurig has hired Dentons London-based co-head of global real estate Eric Rosedale as its co-chair of international real estate.

The newly-created role will see Rosedale (pictured) given a mandate to co-ordinate the Miami-founded firm’s real estate practice outside of the US, spreading his time across London, Amsterdam and Warsaw, working alongside co-chair Tim Webb, who focuses on the burgeoning real estate market in the United Kingdom.

Rosedale focuses on real estate M&A and private equity for international real estate funds and private equity players, as well as developments and financings. Some of his key clients include Blackstone, GE Real Estate, CV Starr, Meyer Bergman, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, AIG Global Real Estate and Heitman International.

Before Dentons, Rosedale was co-chairman of Salans’ global real estate group, which was part of a tripartite merger bewteen SNR Denton and Canadian firm Fraser Milner Casgrain in 2013. Other former senior roles include co-chairman of European property and finance at Weil Gotshal & Manges and a member of the international real estate team at Jones Day.

Greenberg Traurig chief executive officer Richard Rosenbaum said: ‘Eric will be another catalyst for integrating and growing our dynamic real estate practice globally, adding a high level of quality and value to the worldwide real estate client base.’

Rosedale added: ‘Throughout my career, I have been driven by the opportunity to build top-tier, cross border real estate teams, and the prospect of working with my old friends Rob Ivanhoe, Corey Light and many others at Greenberg Traurig in leveraging its exceptional US real estate practice globally is an extremely compelling and unique opportunity.’

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk