Davis Polk has made a major corporate hire in the US, taking the global head of M&A at Hogan Lovells just days before that firm’s merger with Cadwalader goes live.
Bill Curtin, who is based in Washington DC, has been at Hogan Lovells for almost thirty years. He started his career at legacy Hogan & Hartson, and made partner in 2003, prior to that firm’s transatlantic merger with Lovells in 2010.
During his time at the firm, Curtin has advised on over $100bn in deals, according to Davis Polk’s announcement of his hire. His clients include some of the largest multinational corporations, including IBM, Dell, Airbus and Ford Motor Company.
Davis Polk chair and managing partner Neil Barr described Curtin as ‘a highly respected senior M&A practitioner with a strong track record of working on the most sophisticated and consequential transactions in the market.’
‘He is an exceptional addition to our first-rate M&A team, and we are pleased to welcome him to Davis Polk as we continue to grow our platform in Washington to provide a full-service corporate offering in the region,’ Barr added.
Davis Polk is ranked in the top tier for premium M&A in the US Legal 500 rankings, while Hogan Lovells sits in tier two.
The news comes just days before the Hogan Lovells merger with Cadwalader goes live on 1 July. The firm has already appointed a successor to Curtin, with US M&A co-head Liz Donley stepping into the global M&A leadership role.
In a statement, Hogan Lovells said: ‘We thank Bill for his contributions to the firm and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career. We are confident in the strength, depth, and global reach of our M&A team. We have more than 400 lawyers in our M&A practice globally who continue to provide clients with world-class counsel on the most groundbreaking, complex, and high-value transactions in the market.’
Curtin’s exit follows other recent departures from Hogan Lovells in the US, including Michael Kuh, who was hired by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett this April, to co-lead its sports finance practice in New York, and former global energy head Amy Roma, who moved to Orrick’s Washington DC office in February.
The firm has also seen partner departures from its European and APAC practices, including antitrust partner May Lyn Yuen, who moved to Vinson & Elkins to launch its Brussels office earlier this year, and former head of corporate in Hong Kong, Sammy Li, who moved to Stephenson Harwood.
Cadwalader has also seen several partner departures since last year, with Orrick picking up multiple partners across its US and UK offices, including a 40-lawyer team last October.
The Hogan Lovells Cadwalader tie-up is set to be the largest law firm merger on record, with a combined revenue of $3.9bn.
Upon completion of the merger, Washington DC will be the firm’s second-largest office, reflecting its historic roots in the city through Hogan & Hartson, which was founded there in 1904.
