Two senior litigation partners have left Cadwalader for rivals in the US, as the firm prepares for its merger with Hogan Lovells.
Danielle Tully, who has been a partner at Cadwalader for 17 years and served as co-chair of its global litigation and IP practice, will move to Orrick, while the former chair of Cadwalader’s corporate and financial services litigation team Jonathan Watkins is set to join Proskauer.
Tully’s move out of Cadwalader’s New York office marks the latest defection from the firm to Orrick, after last autumn the firm swiped a debt finance team comprising 37 lawyers, including ten partners, to its offices in London, Washington DC, and Charlotte, the latter of which launched with the hiring announcement.
Meanwhile, Watkins will join the Charlotte office that Proskauer launched with its hire of a four-partner finance team from Cadwalader, also last autumn. Watkins will be the first litigation partner in the new office, which is led by former Cadwalader partner Ron Lovelace.
Now recognised as the second largest banking centre in the US, behind New York City, Charlotte is an increasingly attractive location for firms looking to build out their finance practices.
Proskauer and Orrick’s new offices in the city will continue to compete with Cadwalader, which retains five partners in its Charlotte team.
The news comes as Cadwalader continues its talks to combine with Hogan Lovells, set to be the biggest ever law firm merger, creating a firm with 3,100 lawyers and $3.6bn in revenue.
While Cadwalader is well known for its finance and securitisation practices, Hogan Lovells already has a strong litigation practice in the US. The firm is ranked in tier 1 by Legal 500 for aviation and air travel – litigation and regulation, and tier 2 for both environment litigation and rail and road – litigation and regulation.
Commenting on Watkins’ move, Proskauer’s Lovelace said: ‘We’re building a strong foundation in Charlotte that reflects both local market dynamics and the Firm’s broader client priorities,’
He added: ‘Jonathan’s experience complements our finance and corporate capabilities and strengthens the ways we can partner with clients.’
