Freshfields has sealed the hire of A&O Shearman’s co-head of US securities and shareholder litigation Agnès Dunogué, in the latest in a raft of exits from the firm since its transatlantic merger in May last year.
A Legal 500 leading partner for securities litigation: defense, Dunogué joined legacy Shearman & Sterling in 2014. She was appointed to her role as practice co-head on the the completion of Shearman’s merger with Allen & Overy last May.
She will retain her seniority at Freshfields, joining as co-head alongside Meredith Kotler, who has been at the firm since 2019 after joining from Cleary.
Freshfields US managing partner Sarah Solum said in a statement: ‘Agnès is a top-tier securities litigator who will further enhance our offering for public company clients and financial institutions and further cement the reputation of our leading securities and shareholder litigation team.’
Firmwide securities and shareholder litigation co-head Mary Eaton added: ‘I’ve had the privilege of litigating in the same securities space as Agnès for a number of years. She is a well-known, well-respected securities litigator and brings a wealth of experience and expertise. She will be a key driver in the next phase of the team’s growth in the US.’
A&O Shearman also saw a further two partner departures in New York last week, with prominent litigators David Esseks and Gene Ingoglia leaving to establish disputes boutique Esseks Ingoglia, which is set to focus on trials, high-stakes litigation and investigations and white-collar defence.
Esseks served as an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), including as chief of the securities and commodities fraud task force. He joined A&O in 2007, and most recently served as global co-head of investigations and white-collar in the merged firm.
Ingoglia, meanwhile, was also an assistant US attorney at SDNY from 2005 to 2014, when he joined New York litigation boutique Morvillo. He moved to A&O in 2017.
Elsewhere, Willkie has made a trio of hires into the Dallas office it opened last May, welcoming Jesse Betts and Jessica Hammons from Akin and Nathan Meredith from A&O Shearman. All three partners have experience in private equity transactions, in particular in the energy sector.
Both Betts and Hammons joined Akin from Thompson & Knight in 2021, while Meredith joined then-Shearman in 2020, also from Thompson & Knight. The hires bring Willkie’s Dallas partner headcount to 15.
Orrick has launched a Miami office with the hire of a three-partner M&A team from national US firm Akerman. The firm has welcomed Ken Wiggins, who was co-head of M&A and private equity at Akerman, as well as partners Santiago Assalini and Sam Ramos.
Orrick chair Mitch Zuklie said in a statement: ‘South Florida is a magnet for top innovators, companies and funds in the four sectors we are focused on: tech, energy and infrastructure, finance and life sciences.
‘We’re incredibly excited to enter the Miami market following the model that has driven our success in Santa Monica, Boston, Texas and elsewhere: hiring top local talent that connects with Orrick’s strengths and sector focus globally.’
A further six Orrick lawyers will also make the move to help launch the new office, including venture capital partner Andrew Erskine, who currently splits his time between Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
