Leading this week’s high-profile moves, Paul Hastings strengthened its corporate M&A practice with the hire of Eric Schiele from Kirkland & Ellis in New York. Schiele, who joins as global co-chair of M&A, brings extensive expertise in big-ticket M&A and public company board and special committee advisory work.
‘Eric is one of the most respected and accomplished M&A attorneys in the US and globally. His addition marks a major leap forward in strengthening our public company M&A platform,’ said firm chair Frank Lopez in a statement.
Also in the Big Apple, Clifford Chance expanded its global financial markets team with the addition of Joanna Nicholas as a partner, enhancing the firm’s collateralized loan obligations (CLO) capabilities in the US. Nicholas arrives from Mayer Brown, bringing over two decades of experience advising collateral managers, arrangers, and investors on new issue CLOs, resets, refinancings, and complex financings.
The firm also added Bryan Luchs as a partner to its corporate M&A practice in New York. Previously at White & Case for 12 years, Luchs has nearly 30 years’ experience advising acquirers, targets, boards of directors, and investment banks on complex domestic and cross-border deals.
This news comes after partner Gianluca Bacchiocchi rejoined Clifford Chance earlier this month, returning to the firm’s global financial markets team following a four-year stint at Latham.
In London, Proskauer hired restructuring and special situations partner Clare Cottle from Akin. Cottle’s practice covers cross-border and domestic financial restructurings, special situations funding, and complex direct loans.
‘Clare’s expertise aligns perfectly with our strategic vision to own the life cycle of private credit. Her proven track record will be invaluable in driving opportunities in restructuring and special situations financing work,’ said firm chair Tim Mungovan in a statement.
Cottle’s arrival follows a series of finance hires at Proskauer, including Philip Bowden and Megan Lawrence in July, and Jake Keaveny and Courtland Tisdale in September last year.
Fried Frank hired Sidley Austin UK tax practice head Oliver Currall as a partner in its London office. With experience advising across UK and international tax structuring, Currall, who also served as co-head of Sidley’s European tax group, makes the move after nine years at Sidley, which he joined in 2016 after making partner at Kirkland in 2014.
Meanwhile, Gibson Dunn bolstered its real estate practice group with the addition of Mark Manson-Bahr. Previously global head of real estate finance at A&O Shearman, Manson-Bahr advises senior bank and mezzanine investment bank clients on investment and development real estate finance transactions across all asset classes in Europe.
This follows other recent laterals for Gibson Dunn’s City office, including Sullivan & Cromwell finance and restructuring duo Presley Warner and Chris Howard last month.
Elsewhere in real estate, Cripps expanded its commercial real estate team with the hire of Adam Carney from Pinsent Masons in London. Carnet, who led Pinsents’ repurposing and retrofitting group, has extensive experience in high-value and complex development, investment, and asset management transactions, aligning with Cripps’ focus on sustainable projects and future-proofing real estate portfolios.
Clyde & Co added to its white-collar crime and sanctions team with the hire of Sam Tate as global head of regulatory and investigations. Tate joins from RPC, where he was global head of white-collar crime and compliance and co-head of the firm’s Middle East operations. His expertise spans financial crime investigations, regulatory matters, and crisis management, particularly in the infrastructure, energy, and technology sectors.
He joins alongside Toby Lamarque, Robert Semp, and Osama Al Jayousi, who move from RPC as senior associate, associate, and consultant, respectively.
Further afield, Norton Rose Fulbright expanded its banking and finance team in Hong Kong with the hire of debt capital markets partner Jessica Li from Ashurst. Li brings experience advising Chinese and international financial institutions, as well as corporate entities, on debt capital markets transactions in the Greater China region.
Jones Day was also active in Hong Kong, hiring corporate partner Frank Voon from K&L Gates.
In Paris, Ropes & Gray launched a new office with the hire of a three-partner team from Clifford Chance: private equity partner Fabrice Cohen will join as office managing partner alongside acquisition finance expert Thierry Arachtingi and private capital transactions specialist Emmanuel Mimin. They are joined by a team of counsel and associates, bringing experience in private equity, infrastructure, banking, and finance transactions.
‘Ropes & Gray is a global leader in private capital and strategic M&A,’ said Cohen in a statement. ‘We look forward to building upon the firm’s first-class reputation across some of the currently most active sectors in private capital and strategic M&A, such as healthcare and life sciences, technology, infrastructure, and more.’
