Paul Weiss is set to hire Richard Hornshaw, Akin’s international head of disputes, to kickstart a litigation team in London.
Hornshaw, recognised as a Legal 500 leading partner for premium commercial litigation, represents financial institutions in cross-border disputes, with a focus on finance and securities law, as well as restructuring and insolvency.
His move reunites him with former Akin colleague Liz Osborne, who joined Paul Weiss back in July to launch its restructuring practice.
On the same day news of Hornshaw’s arrival broke, Paul Weiss also added a partner to its London tax team with its hire of Deeksha Rathi from Slaughter and May, where she spent seven years as an associate.
Since making headlines with its English law launch in November 2023 via the eye-catching hire of a Kirkland team led by debt finance star Neel Sachdev and private equity partner Roger Johnson in summer 2023, the office has expanded more than 200 lawyers – nearly doubling in size in just over a year.
The City office has made hires across M&A, debt finance, restructuring, antitrust, high-yield finance, IP, tax, and financial regulation.
Recent deals from the London team include advising PE giant Bain Capital on its acquisition of software company Namirial from Italian private equity firm Ambienta. The deal, announced last week, is reportedly valued at €1.1bn and is led by Sachdev and Johnson, alongside debt finance partner Kanesh Balasubramaniam.
The London litigation launch comes as Paul Weiss has made headlines for its chair Brad Karp’s striking a deal with the Trump administration on 21 March. The agreement included commitments such as providing the equivalent of $40m in pro bono services in exchange for relief from a stringent executive order that restricted the firm’s activities.
On Hornshaw’s departure, an Akin spokesperson said the firm ‘wishes him well in the future’.
Paul Weiss has been approached for comment.
