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‘It was never a marriage made in heaven’- what Norton Rose Fulbright’s exit means for South Africa

Johannesburg at sunset

Earlier this month, Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) became the third major firm to withdraw from South Africa in just over a year. Its more than 200 lawyers, who operate across three offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, are set to spin off and practice independently from 31 March 2026.

The move comes some 14 years after then Anglo-Autralian firm Norton Rose entered South Africa via a combination with Deneys Reitz in 2011, with the local firm joining the Swiss Verein structure and becoming Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa.

‘This change represents a natural evolution for both firms, as the dynamics of international markets and client needs progress worldwide,’ an NRF spokesperson said, adding that the global structure of the rest of Norton Rose Fulbright’s other member firms remained unchanged.

While NRF is keen to  stress that it will continue to service clients in South Africa, working with both former partners and other firms where relevant, the exit, which follows similar moves by Hogan Lovells and A&O Shearman, adds weight to questions about the viability of South Africa for international firms.

So, is NRF’s exit a sign of weakness in South Africa or an internal dilemma?

NRF in South Africa

According to some partners in South Africa, the legacy Deneys Reitz practice hadn’t been boosted by the combination with NRF as much as local partners may have hoped, or been as accretive to NRF as the international firm may have wished.

‘Deneys Reitz was a strong firm,’ says one senior lawyer practising in South Africa. ‘But they started struggling with profitability issues some years back and their bench strength suffered. Maybe the tie-up was a defensive move for them but it didn’t really help.’

On this view, the split from NRF is unlikely to be damaging. ‘[Partners] lose a brand that isn’t really important to them,’ says the lawyer.

Another partner also believes the split is more about internal politics than economic problems in South Africa. ‘It had never been a marriage made in heaven,’ they say. ‘Market perception is that they struggled in the past with commercial decisions and hiring. Whether or not they’re part of Norton Rose Fulbright, they need time to rebuild and reposition. You need to establish your brand to be competitive here. You need domestic relevance and can never compete effectively without top talent.’

Certainly NRF is keen to stress its continued commitment both to South Africa and its South African partners, saying in a statement: ‘Norton Rose Fulbright and Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa will continue to collaborate on cross-border matters where client needs align, while each will also work with other international partners as appropriate.’

A growing trend?

But if it’s all about internal issues, why then have there been three exits from the market in little more than a year? NRF’s move follows A&O Shearman and Hogan Lovells each pulling out last year. A&O Shearman announced plans to close in South Africa last September, following its merger with legacy Shearman, with its partners relocating to local firm Bowmans.

Hogan Lovells pulled out at roughly the same time, and also announced plans to close in Sydney and Warsaw, citing its aim to focus on more ‘strategic markets’.

Peter Leon, a London-based partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and former chair of legacy HSF’s Africa practice, argues that South Africa can be a difficult market for international firms to establish themselves in. ‘Domestic firms are well established,’ he says, ‘so international firms need to bring a distinctive as much as different offering for clients.’

HSFK has had an office in Johannesburg since 2015 and Leon says the firm remains committed to the region calling it ‘strategically important to the firm and for the overall Africa practice.’ He suggests that part of the issue for NRF may have been the verein structure: ‘I don’t think the Verein model really works in this context,’  Leon continues.  ‘For the office to be successful it should be integrated into a firm’s global partnership.’

Others agree. ‘Different profit pools can cause difficulties and competition,’ one South Africa partner tells LB. ‘The same brand can compete with itself on the continent.’

Leon also points to the importance of an integrated offering across sub-Saharan Africa, saying that the ‘relative weakness of the currency requires any local office to develop a pan-African practice.’

NRF announced it was integrating its Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia offices in June this year, creating a US$1 billion business with more than 1800 lawyers. Notably this integration did not include South Africa, Morocco or  ‘alliance’ offices in Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

A changing economy

Partners on the ground say there are promising signs for South Africa’s economy.  Earlier this month S&P Global increased the country’s local long-term credit rating to BB+ from BB, putting it two levels below investment grade.

The nation’s foreign currency credit rating also increased to BB from BB-, and S&P Global estimated that its GDP growth will hit 1.1% in 2025, up from 0.5% in 2024.

This marks the first credit rating upgrade for the country in nearly 20 years, indicating economic growth and stability after years of uncertainty.

Signals like these are promising for both domestic firms and international firms remaining in South Africa, says Peter Bradshaw, head of DLA Piper’s corporate practice in Johannesburg: ‘There is good news for South Africa economically at the moment and we’re seeing general improvements in sentiments towards South Africa – and not just in mining.’

He continues: ‘South Africa works for DLA’s business strategy, for some other big law firms it may not make sense to be here.’

Another senior South Africa partner is similarly positive: ‘Things are looking a lot more rosy.’

‘Its been pretty lacklustre for about a decade or so. Firms which invested over a decade ago have been disappointed in terms of South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Its been slower and harder than everyone thought,’ the partner says.

‘If we continue to see growth in the next 12 months, it could cause global businesses to be interested again.’

Looking forward, Bradshaw says: ‘M&A activity may strengthen further. M&A has been strong despite some negativity over the last few years.’

He argues that South Africa offers an exciting opportunity to connect with the continent at large, which local firms and international operations are looking to be a part of.

‘As Africa continues to move forward, South Africa remains a prominent part of its story,’ Bradshaw says. ‘I’m not concerned about DLA’s future in South Africa. We are a part of not just the South Africa story, but the Africa story,’ he concludes.

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Legal 500 acquires Mondaq

Legal 500 is expanding its offering with the acquisition of professional services content marketing, data and analytics company Mondaq.

The deal, announced today (26 November), will bring Legal 500’s data-driven legal benchmarking capabilities together with Mondaq’s legal, tax and regulatory knowledge-sharing platform.

The deal will give law firms, in-house legal teams and corporate decision-makers access to market-leading analysis, insight and data in one place.

Bristol-based Mondaq has 20 million readers worldwide, publishing content from more than 1,500 firms, operating primarily in the legal sector. It is distributed across sites including Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters and Dow Jones.

Legal 500, which was founded in 1987, benchmarks law firms in over 100 countries worldwide, and is the parent company of Legal Business.

Its research arm includes more than 150 researchers, technologists and data analysts and analyses more than 60,000 law firm submissions a year, in addition to confidential client feedback from more than 300,000 corporate clients.

By integrating Mondaq’s thought leadership, expert analysis and unique readership data, Legal 500 will be able to offer more robust, real-time intelligence into trends and developments across multiple jurisdictions, as well as providing actionable insights for supporting revenue growth.

Hunters Law acted for Mondaq on the transaction, with the London firm’s team led by corporate and commercial partner Rory Wilson. Osborne Clarke advised Legal 500, with advertising, marketing and strategic comms services head Chris King leading.

Tony Harriss, executive chair of Legal 500, commented: ‘The acquisition of Mondaq marks an exciting evolution for Legal 500. We are combining our world-class benchmarking and research capabilities with Mondaq’s outstanding information, network and data to create a truly integrated intelligence platform. This strengthens our ability to help clients navigate complex legal purchasing decisions, and law firms to make more informed strategic choices.’

Tim Harty, CEO of Mondaq, added: ‘Joining forces with Legal 500 is a natural alignment and a great strategic fit. Our contributors produce timely, practical insight that is relied on by in-house counsel and executives globally, while law firms depend on our analytics platform to help drive client retention and acquisition. With Legal 500’s trusted platform, we can amplify the impact of that intelligence, as well as enhance our compelling data proposition.’

Legal 500, which opened an office in Leeds in September, already operates in more than 100 countries. By bringing in Mondaq’s large, global network of contributors and buy-side readership data and analytics, the combined platform will expand its presence in key markets, such as the US, Canada and the UK.

The deal comes amid consolidation in the legal publishing market, with The Lawyer acquired by Legal Benchmarking Group in September, while Law Business Research (LBR) and law.com parent ALM announced their merger in March this year.

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Slaughters, Gibson Dunn lead on Daily Mail’s £500m Telegraph Media Group acquisition

Slaughter and May is advising Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) on its proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), with Gibson Dunn advising TMG on the transaction.

The deal, valued at £500m, sees DMGT purchase TMG from RedBird IMI, a joint venture between US private equity firm Red Bird Capital Partners and Abu-Dhabi-based privately-owned investment company International Media Investments (IMI).

The announcement marks the potential end of a drawn-out process that has seen TMG navigate multiple ownership bids since it was first put up for auction in October 2023, with RedBird IMI acquiring its interest that December, when it helped former TMG directors the Barclays pay off their debts to Lloyds Banking Group.

Slaughter and May said in a statement: ‘Terms have been agreed been DMGT and RedBird IMI and the parties have entered exclusivity to finalise the transaction. The parties will seek relevant regulatory approvals to enable the transaction to take place at the earliest opportunity.’

The magic circle firm fielded a team including M&A partner and sustainability practice head David Watkins, corporate and PE partner Simon Tysoe, competition and regulatory partners William Turtle and Alex Bulfin, banking head Ed Fife and finance partner Charlie McGarel-Groves, and tax partner Charles Osborne.

Slaughter and May has an established relationship with DMGT, previously advising the media group in 2021 on a £3.1bn reorganisation, including the acquisition by Lord Rothermere of all non-voting shares. Watkins also led on that deal, with Fife and Osborne also involved.

Gibson Dunn has advised RedBird IMI in the past, including on its acquisition of All3Media, the UK’s largest independent production company, for £1.15bn in 2024, as well as its 2022 acquisition of AC Milan Football club.

New York-based Richard Birns, chair of the firm’s sports law practice group, advised on each of these transactions.

The firm also advised RedBird IMI on its 2023 TMG deal, with a team spread across its New York, London, and Abu Dhabi offices.

Earlier this month, RedBird IMI dropped its £500m bid to buy TMG amid regulatory pressure and criticism from both the Telegraph’s editorial leadership and UK human rights organisation Article 19 over the company’s ties to China.

With terms agreed, the deal is expected to close imminently.

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In-house moves: legal leadership changes at Tesco, Bank of England, Williams Racing and more

Sonya Branch (pictured) has left her position as general counsel at the Bank of England, after ten years in the top legal position.

Branch joined the central bank in 2015, having previously worked at the Competition and Markets Authority as director general, enforcement for two years.

She trained in private practice at Linklaters before moving to Clifford Chance in 2000, where she was at the time the youngest-ever partner appointed at the firm.

The Bank of England is now in the process of recruiting a successor to lead the 200-strong legal team, with the role set to be based in the bank’s Leeds office.

Tesco has hired Jeff Langlands as general counsel of its UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI) business.

Langlands joins the retail giant from BT, where he spent 19 years, progressing through a number of senior legal positions, becoming GC, corporate, digital and networks in 2022.

At Tesco, Langlands will work with group GC Kay Majid, who has been with the company for over 17 years, and recently managed essential UK and ROI duties in addition to her group GC role. 

Dubai-based telecoms and digital services company VEON has appointed Sebastian Rice from Akin as general counsel.

Rice, who has led Akin’s London office for almost 12 years, will succeed acting general counsel Vitaly Shmakov in January 2026, with Shmakov moving into the position of chief investment officer.

Speaking of his move, Rice commented: ‘I am excited to take on the role of General Counsel at VEON Group, an organization I hold in the highest regard, having worked closely with the team for many years. I look forward to joining VEON’s growing headquarters in Dubai, and to contributing to the Group’s growth agenda as VEON advances its digital operator transformation.’

Back in the UK, Anglian Water Services has hired Celia Gough as its general counsel and company secretary, following the retirement of long-term GC Claire Russell, who spent more than 17 years with the company.

Gough joins the water provider from waste, water, and energy services company Veolia UK, where she spent more than 12 years as chief legal officer (CLO), Northern Europe.

Following Gough’s departure, Veolia UK has appointed Katie Swainsbury as CLO of its Northern Europe Zone.

Swainsbury has been with the waste, water and energy management services since 2015, and has held a number of senior legal positions since then, most recently as group counsel – head of legal for industrial, water and energy, commercial and Finland.

Before joining Veolia UK, Swainsbury worked in-house at energy companies BP and Eni UK Limited, before which she was an associate at Linklaters.

Speaking of her move, Swainsbury commented: ‘I’m immensely proud to be stepping into the role of Chief Legal Officer at Veolia for the Northern European Zone. This is a pivotal moment for the waste, water and energy industries. I’m looking forward to bringing my expertise and passion towards helping Veolia achieve our goal of Ecological Transformation.’

Elsewhere in the UK, leading Formula 1 team Atlassian Williams Racing has appointed Alison Wood as general counsel.

Wood joins the group from data analytics company Ascential, which was acquired by Informa at the end of last year for £1.2bn.

She spent nearly four years at Ascential, before which she was deputy director of legal affairs and head of legal, corporate and commercial at O2.

‘I am delighted to be joining Atlassian Williams Racing at a truly exciting time as we build momentum towards our goal of winning World Championships again,’ said Wood.

She continued: ‘The focus of the legal team is to work closely and collaboratively with stakeholders to support the commercial strategy and long term on-track success at this critical phase of growth and transformation. It has been a pleasure getting to know the team and feeling the energy, drive and determination of everyone at Grove in my first weeks in the role.’

Also in the UK, experienced insurance GC Chris Pinney has joined AmTrust International as general counsel for insurance and financial services.

Pinney joins the global insurance company from Sedgwick, a tech-enabled business solutions platform, where he served as GC international, insurance and financial services for almost seven years.

Before that, Pinney worked as a senior associate at Jones Day between 2001 and 2010, before moving in-house to claims management company Crawford & Company.

Sara Mackie, the former GC of personal care brand Elida Beauty and French Connection, has taken up a new GC role at consulting and data analytics company JMAN Group.

Elida Beauty was recently sold to Boston-based PE firm Yellow Wood Partners by Unilever. Before joining the beauty brand in 2022, Mackie was group GC of fashion brand French Connection for seven and a half years.

In the US, Starbucks has appointed Pilar Ramos as chief legal officer, replacing former CLO Brad Lerman, who Starbucks announced was leaving the company earlier this year, after nearly three years in the position.

Ramos has extensive experience in-house, having spent over 18 years at Mastercard between 2003 and 2021. She left Mastercard to become general counsel and corporate secretary at Spanish-language media company UniVision Communications, which became part of TelevisaUnivision after a 2021 merger.

Elsewhere in the States, government-sponsored mortgage finance company Fannie Mae has promoted Tom Klein to acting GC, with company veteran Danielle McCoy leaving her role after nearly 20 years with the company and almost two as GC.

Klein has similarly had a long stint with the group, having held a number of senior legal roles over his 20-year tenure.

In the pharmaceuticals space, Fortrea has hired Agnieszka Gallagher as general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary, replacing Stillman Hanson, who was with the company for over two and a half years.

Gallagher joins the biotechnology research company from life sciences tools company Standard BioTools, where she served as CLO for the last two years. She is highly experienced in the pharma space, having held senior legal positions at companies such as GSK and Pfizer.

Finally, in Los Angeles, American technology company Snap Inc, developer of the popular messaging service Snapchat, has appointed Zachary Briers as its new GC.

Briers joins the company from private practice, having spent the last 13 years as a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson. Briers replaces Mike O’Sullivan, who joined the company in 2017, also from Munger, Tolles & Olson, and has served as GC for the last eight years.

Speaking of his new role, Briers commented: ‘It’s a privilege to join Snap and its exceptional leadership team at such an exciting time in the company’s journey. I’ve long admired how Snap continues to redefine how people communicate and express themselves. I am eager to help advance that mission and support Snap’s continued growth with a focus on integrity, innovation, and thoughtful legal stewardship.’

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City of London Law Society and partners launch North East SQE scholarship in honour of Stephen Denyer

A new scholarship for aspiring social welfare solicitors in the North East of England has been launched to honour Stephen Denyer (pictured), former director of strategic relationships at the Law Society.

The Stephen Denyer Scholarship plans to support four individuals through their SQE1 and SQE2 qualifications, with one scholarship available per year.

Established by the City of London Law Society (CLLS), the City of London Solicitors Company (CLSC), the Social Welfare Solicitors Qualification Fund (SWSQF), and the North East Law Centre (NELC), as well as the Denyer Family, the scheme will be funded by a £50,000 family donation.

The SWSQF has also announced plans to match this pledge and fund an extra candidate per year for the next four years.

The scholarship is available to NELC employees.

Stephen Denyer was a partner in legacy Allen & Overy’s global markets team for 36 years, before retiring in 2014. He then worked with the Law Society, as well as the International Bar Association, where he served as co-chair of the Rule of Law Forum. Denyer passed away at the beginning of 2024, aged 68.

Patrick McCann, chief executive of the City of London Law Society and co-founder of SWSQF, said ‘Stephen was a gentle giant – intelligent, wise, and kind in equal measure. He had a gift for making others feel seen and valued, and for quietly moving mountains on behalf of people and causes he believed in.’

He continued: ‘This Scholarship ensures that his commitment to access to justice, to the North East, and to helping others into the profession will continue to make a difference for years to come.’

Helen Denyer, representative of the Denyer family, added: ‘Stephen cared deeply about increasing access to justice and helping lawyers enter the profession.’

‘Having had his own talent unlocked in the North East at Durham, he would be so pleased that his legacy now helps emerging talent qualify as social welfare solicitors here, using the law in the service of their communities.’

Centre director at the North East Law Centre Michael Fawole said the scholarship ‘will allow us to support and train talented future lawyers who might otherwise never have the opportunity to qualify as social welfare solicitors.

‘It strengthens our mission to widen access to justice across the North East, and we hope that others will be inspired by the Denyer Family’s generosity to help support aspiring social welfare lawyers across the UK.’

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The rise of CLOs: how the structured finance niche became one of the hottest lateral markets

Collateralised loan obligations (CLOs) have been an important, if somewhat obscure, part of the finance ecosystem for many years. However, partners in this relatively niche area of structured finance have recently become some of the most in-demand in the lateral market – so what is driving all this activity?

This September, structured finance specialist David Quirolo took a 37-lawyer, 10-partner team, from Cadwalader to Orrick, combining a highly regarded CLO practice with the firm’s already comprehensive debt finance platform.

Orrick has been involved in a shifting market in Europe which is starting to see private credit CLOs – a market which grew 19% in the US last year – emerge on the continent.

While Quirolo describes the private CLO market in Europe as still relatively nascent, he expects it to start developing ‘along the same lines’ as the US.

‘There have [only] been three in Europe so far,’ Quirolo says, ‘but we’re thrilled that we had a role in all three.’ Last month, investment manager Barings launched Europe’s first multi-currency private CLO, with Quirolo’s team acting for BNP Paribas as arranger and Dechert advising Barings. 

The CLO-down

CLOs, which first emerged in the 1980s, involve the pooling of loans, which are then split into tranches and sold to investors. While historically most CLOs have been backed by broadly syndicated loans, recent years have seen private credit become increasingly influential, aligning with the priorities of the law firms operating at the top of the global financial market.

As well as the former Cadwalader group now at Orrick, there are a handful of other teams that dominate much of this market, and the last two years have seen many of them moving between firms.

Earlier this year, Latham & Watkins hired an 11-strong A&O Shearman structured finance team led by partner duo Franz Ranero (pictured) and James Smallwood, while in 2024, a six-strong CLO specialist team led by partner Alex Martin moved from Latham for Milbank.

Another name on the move has been structured finance partner John Goldfinch, who left Milbank in late 2023 to join A&O before landing at Proskauer last December.

A lot of this activity has come as clients become increasingly alive to the value of CLOs, which can be used across a wide variety of products, from private credit to infrastructure debt, bundling loans together to provide broader and cost-efficient access to capital. ‘It’s about looking for platforms that can give you access to clients that didn’t traditionally look at structured finance as a way to finance themselves,’ Quirolo explains.

Latham’s Ranero elaborates: ‘CLOs are a core leverage tool for private capital strategies – the market is really heating up.’

For Tom Balmer, the founder of legal recruitment firm Montresor, while the CLO market has been an active area of laterals of late, the moves reflect firms’ broader interest in structured finance techniques. This follows private credit funds – the clients which dominate revenues for the emerging global elite – shifting from direct lending to using ‘a whole range of different securitisation techniques,’ he says. Balmer says firms such as Proskauer, given its deep private credit relationships, are well placed to take advantage here.

How CLO can you go?

One highly regarded team that has stayed put throughout all the recent movement is the London structured credit practice led by Cameron Saylor at Paul Hastings, which has played a key role on almost half of the CLOs in Europe during 2024.

This market standing owes much to its work for both arrangers and managers, and while Saylor’s focus remains on traditional CLOs, where deal volumes remain robust, the firm has been expanding its wider asset-backed securitisation capabilities, recently bringing on leading securitisation partner Thomas Picton from Ashurst.

‘Beyond CLOs, we’ve always had a great practice, with securitisation partners Paul Severs and Victoria Morton, and Brian Maher [who joined from Weil last summer] who provides securitisation for various asset classes for clients like Apollo,’ Saylor explains.

Embedding a successful CLO practice into an integrated platform was a key driver behind Ranero’s move to Latham. ‘We chose to join Latham because it has a strategic offering which aligns with our core clients and which we, and our clients, see as the clear direction of travel,’ Ranero says. ‘We were drawn to the firm because of its integrated approach, where the team will play an important role within a larger, dynamic machine – offering an end-to-end product offering across the whole private capital fund lifecycle.’ 

Yen Sum (pictured), the global chair of Latham’s private capital practice, says the expansion of its CLO capabilities is the latest step in a long-term, global strategy for its private capital business built around attracting ‘the best talent operating in key financial and capital markets, products, and asset classes.’ And this plan is already being recognised – the latest Legal 500 rankings have Latham as the only firm ranked in tier one in both the US and London for securitisation.

At Weil, Hall of Fame securitisation partner Jacky Kelly heads a structured finance and derivatives practice which is less focused on traditional volume-dependent CLOs and more on building bespoke managed accounts with more complicated ‘legal engineering’. As more credit houses and firms look to use traditional structured finance techniques in innovative ways, such as dealing with financial distress or securitising fund interests, such expertise is crucial, Kelly says.

‘There are firms that have been in the market for some time who understand the legal plumbing, how [these products] evolved and why things work the way they work,’ she says, adding that such knowledge is now held by a select few.

And such expertise will continue to be in high demand. As Balmer says: ‘Each time a CLO partner moves, we always think that must be it for a while, but I’m sure there will be another one in the not-too-distant future.’ 

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Cohen & Gresser follows McDermott in eyeing up external investment

Cohen & Gresser is positioning itself to become one of the first US law firms to tap external capital, confirming that it is exploring ‘innovative’ structures with investment firms.

The firm is working with investment bank KBW Stifel to sound out potential investors about a deal to take a stake in the business.  

According to the FT, which first reported the news, the talks are sufficiently advanced that a deal could materialise in the first quarter of next year.  

Managing partner Lawrence Gresser said: ‘We have been preparing our firm for the entry of modern finance into the legal sector for over a decade. We are exploring innovative structures with a number of prominent investment firms that can support our strategic objectives.’  

The news comes after McDermott Will & Schulte made headlines last week when it also expressed a willingness to explore private investment, while stressing that any such moves were at preliminary stage.

Cohen & Gresser, which was founded in New York in 2002, now also has offices in Paris, Washington DC, Dubai, and London.

The City base, which focuses on white-collar criminal defence, commercial disputes and corporate transactions, opened in 2018, and is now home to six lawyers, according to the firm’s website.

The firm is highly regarded for its work in the white collar space, and is ranked in tier 2 in Legal 500’s US rankings for corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defence, alongside rankings for commercial litigation in both the US and London.

McDermott and Cohen & Gresser are the latest in a growing number of law firms to be linked to external investment, which has to date been limited by restrictions on non-lawyer ownership.

For its part, McDermott has considered options including a restructure that would allow it to avoid US restrictions on non-lawyer ownership of law firms.

While firm chair Ira Coleman has been open about the benefits of private investment in law firms, McDermott is still in the exploratory phase. ‘While this is all very preliminary and we are fielding inbound interest,’ said Coleman at the time, ‘we are constantly approached and we always listen to new ideas.’

For more, see ‘I’m sure I made a ton of mistakes’ – McDermott’s Coleman on fresh thinking, leadership lessons and why scale matters

Additional reporting by Alex Ryan.

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Paul Hastings makes fourth London lateral in November with funds finance partner

Paul Hastings has hired its fourth lateral partner in London this month, bringing over funds finance partner Jennifer Passagne from Haynes Boone.

Passagne specialises in a variety of structured finance techniques for private equity and venture capital funds and clients – structures which are gaining prominence in the European finance market.

‘I met with Cameron [Saylor] who heads the CLO practice and Eric [Schwitzer] who chairs the global funds finance practice,’ Passagne told Legal Business. ‘Fund finance is a growing product and having all the supporting finance roles in a platform is hugely important […] and having those deep relationships with various players in the market was hugely attractive to me.’

Passagne began practicing in leveraged finance before switching to funds around seven years ago, the same time she moved from Simpson Thacher to Willkie as a senior associate. She then joined Haynes Boone as a partner in 2021.

Her practice focuses on net asset value and back leverage deals for private credit lenders and banks.

‘Having a strong leveraged finance background made it easier to do some of the more specialised and structured finance deals,’ said Passagne. ‘I think this experience gives me an edge because knowing this market helps me provide my clients with a more commercial approach.’

The firm is targeting fund finance as an area of growth. ‘The global fund finance market is expected to grow from approximately $1.2 trillion to more than $2.5 trillion by 2030,’ Frank Lopez, the firm’s chair said. ‘We have made it a strategic priority to be a leader in the space with premier talent like Jennifer.’

Earlier this month, tax partners Jenny Doak and Catherine Richardson joined from Weil and Cadwalader respectively, and structured finance partner Thomas Picton moved across from Ashurst, making Passagne the fourth hire in November.

The hires of Passagne and Picton underline the firm’s ambitions to provide varied liquidity options across the duration of a fund’s life in a variety of market conditions.

‘It’s an exciting time to join so many talented partners across Paul Hastings’ global platform,’ Passagne said. ‘It’s been impressive to watch the firm gain market share in high-end transactions.’ According to predictions from the firm, London revenue is projected to grow by more than 20% year-on-year.

The hires follow a series of departures across the last six months, which saw two London co-heads, Mei Lian and Arun Birla, leave for Linklaters and White & Case respectively. Five real estate partners have also left the firm since September.

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Revolving Doors: Latham hires real estate partner as HSF Kramer loses partners in London and Middle East

Leading the high profile hires this week, Latham & Watkins has continued its financial sector push with a notable partner hire from Gibson Dunn.

The firm has added UK-based real estate private equity specialist Jeremy Kenley from Gibson Dunn, where he served as a partner since 2018 across the corporate transactional and real estate groups. Kenley previously spent six years as a partner in Mayer Brown’s real estate private equity practice and earlier held GC roles at Citi and Apollo Management.

He joins Latham’s private equity real estate team with a practice spanning cross-border asset and debt acquisitions, real estate M&A, joint ventures and co-investment structures.

Ed Barnett, the managing partner at Latham & Watkins London office hailed him as ‘a star name in the market and one of the most accomplished real estate private equity lawyers in the City.’

Global practice chair Douglas Heitner framed the hire as part of Latham’s strategic push to expand its real estate capabilities in London, amid ‘shifting economic fundamentals, evolving customer trends, and recalibrated asset values’.

The move follows a run of London hires for Latham – including Ross Allardice from White & Case into its London M&A and private equity practice in July and Hugh O’Sullivan from Goodwin into its debt finance team in London in January – as the firm seeks to fortify its financial sector bench after a string of exits to rival US firm Sidley Austin last year.

Gibson Dunn has seen further movement as Ali Nikpay, co-chair of its global competition group and co-partner in charge of the London office, joined consultancy firm The Greenlight Group (Advisory) Ltd.

Incorporated in 2024 by Adam Atashzai, a former special advisor to then Prime Minister David Cameron, Greenlight offers ‘strategic advice on deal clearance, investment and major regulatory matters,’ according to its website.

Nikpay retains his position at Gibson Dunn and  will continue to work separately from his new role at Greenlight. Companies House filings in September 2025 show that Nikpay holds a 39% minority stake in Greenlight.

Elsewhere, DLA Piper has added Paul Landless as a partner in its fintech group in London.

Landless joins from Clifford Chance, where he spent over two decades in leadership roles across London, Singapore and Hong Kong. Most recently, as co-head of the fintech practice and partner in derivatives and structured products.

Matt Christmas, UK group head of DLA Piper’s finance practice commented: ‘With a strategic focus on supporting some of the world’s leading banks, financial market infrastructure providers and digital asset traders on complex cross-border transactions and regulatory changes, Paul will significantly strengthen our bench and elevate our offering.’

The acquisition follows a string of partner hires in the firm’s London finance practice, including Richard Hughes from Goodwin in November, Sudhir Nair from White & Case in August, and former Dechert partner, Adam Plainer, to its restructuring team in January this year.

Disputes boutique Pogust Goodhead has hired veteran disputes partner Jonathan Edward Wheeler from Morrison Foerster in London.

Wheeler previously served seven years as the firm’s co-managing partner, and 15 years as head of litigation.

A specialist in cross-border commercial litigation, civil fraud and international trusts, Wheeler becomes head of Mariana litigation, taking command of the firm’s landmark group action against mining megalith BHP over the 2015 Mariana dam collapse in Brazil.

He will lead the next phase of the litigation, following  the firm’s recent liability victory in the English courts which he described as ‘a watershed for access to justice and corporate accountability’.

The case, involving over 600,000 claimants, now moves into the damages stage.

Chairman Howard Morris added: ‘[Jonathan’s] track record in running some of the most complex cross-border disputes in the English courts, together with his leadership experience, make him exactly the kind of senior figure we need after our historic liability victory.’

His arrival comes during a turbulent period for the firm, which recently removed co-founder barrister Tom Goodhead as director, following his replacement as CEO by former Slater & Gordon COO Alicia Alina.  Further, financial strain has been widely reported, linked to the high costs incurred in global class actions. Coupled with a recent severing from its Sydney office, set up by ousted director Tom Goodhead, the hire signals a consolidation of the firm’s UK leadership over large scale group litigation in the UK courts.

In the Middle East, Baker Botts’ has made its third Riyadh hire in a month with the appointment of Faris Al Amoudi as partner and global head of Islamic finance.

Al Amoudi previously served as founding partner at STAT Law Firm, an independent Saudi Arabian firm specialising in Islamic finance, and is widely recognised for his Sharia-compliant banking, debt and treasury work. Before that, he spent six years as a banking and capital markets associate at White & Case’s UAE offices following just under five years as a finance and banking associate at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Danny David, managing partner at Baker Botts, said Al Amoudi’s appointment ‘is exactly the kind of strategic talent that fuels our international growth.’ He added that ‘his mastery of Islamic finance and his transactional insight will help clients navigate complex, cross-border markets with confidence.’

Newly appointed Riyadh partner in charge, Joza Al Rasheed, said: ‘Baker Botts has made history with this strategic addition. The appointment of a Saudi to lead on a global scale is truly unprecedented and underscores the firm’s strong and enduring commitment to the Kingdom and to the advancement of Saudi talent.’

Al Amoudi joins just weeks after the additions of Joza Al Rasheed – formerly Riyadh head of HSF Kramer’s M&A and capital markets team – and Alexander Currie, as an energy and infrastructure partner. Currie previously served 18 years as a partner in energy and infrastructure at HSF Kramer’s London office, before transferring to Riyadh between 2023 and October 2025.

The moves are the latest in a series of departures from HSF Kramer across private equity and energy, with the firm seeing several exits in recent months across key geographies.

Back in London, the most recent departure is HSF Kramer’s head of international private equity in London, Eleanor Shanks, to Morrison Foerster. The firm is expected to issue a formal announcement on Monday.

Her arrival follows the moves of PE partners Ambarish Dash and David D’Souza, who also left HSF Kramer for Morrison Foerster earlier this year – reuniting the trio within Morriston Foerster London private equity group.

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‘There’s never been a merger of equals of firms this size’ – what the market thinks about Ashurst Perkins Coie

‘Bringing together two firms with more than a billion dollars in revenue each has never been done before. There’s never been a merger of equals of firms this size,’ says Perkins Coie managing partner Bill Malley of the firm’s recently announced plans to merge with Ashurst.

The proposed tie-up – which is set to go live in mid-2026, subject to a successful partner vote in spring – marks the end of a decades-long quest for a US merger by Ashurst.

Against this backdrop, it is unsurprising that Ashurst CEO Paul Jenkins, who is set to become global co-CEO of Ashurst Perkins Coie with Malley, is relishing the slickly announced success of the pair’s merger plans.

‘Discussions started in February, and we’ve had a rapport from day one,’ he tells Legal Business. ‘We’re excited to be creating a top 20 global firm with nearly 1,000 partners. Cultural affinity and shared values are really the linchpins of any strong combination, and we believe we have that here.’

The pair are betting on a three-pronged sector focus centred around financial services, energy & infrastructure, and technology – aiming to leverage not only the client base and practice strength of both firms, but also their willingness to embrace AI and new technologies.

‘We see ourselves at the forefront of the legal industry in terms of innovation,’ says Jenkins, referencing Ashurst Advance and the firm’s AI adoption as evidence, before pointing to synergies with Perkins.

‘We’ve always been future-focused, embracing innovation and the practice of law,’ adds Malley. ‘We think it’s especially important at the moment, as AI transforms the way legal services are delivered.’

Should the union proceed, the combined firm will have revenues of nearly $2.7bn and 52 offices worldwide, including bases in 17 cities across the US.

However, before the deal can go live, the pair will need to completely convince their own firms that they have each found the right partner, a task they will begin swiftly through a series of roadshows to partners around the world.

They will also have to convince clients and the market, warding off any potential questions over it not being a Wall Street-centric deal, given Perkins has its roots in Seattle.

In the eyes of at least one former Ashurst partner, it should be an easy sell. ‘Everyone wants a US merger, so congratulations to them,’ he says. ‘It wasn’t going to be achievable to get a Wall Street firm with a big capital markets or M&A practice.’

Ashurst has infamously tried to secure such a merger before, with Jenkins’ management predecessors having talked to everyone from Latham & Watkins and Fried Frank to Sidley and Shearman & Sterling over the years.

Perkins may not be of the same scale or market position, but it does have 120 lawyers, including almost 50 partners, in New York – and reaction to the combination so far has been broadly positive.

Many point to Jenkins’ role in turning around Ashurst’s fortunes following a run of partner departures and falling revenues in the wake of its merger with Blake Dawson in the early 2010s.

In the nine years since Jenkins took up his leadership role, the Anglo-Australian firm has more than doubled its revenue, breaking the £1bn mark for the first time in 2024-25. Meanwhile, PEP has climbed to $1.77m, not far off Perkins’ figure of just under $1.9m, supporting the firms’ claim that the deal is a merger of equals.

‘Paul has done an amazing job given where they were 10 years ago,’ says Freddie Lawson, who heads the partner practice at Montresor Legal Recruitment. ‘Ashurst was being chipped away, but he has done a good job in keeping an energy and infrastructure focus to the firm. His bravery can only be applauded.’

A partner from a rival London firm adds: ‘On paper they have similar scale, profitability and turnover, so I think it will be an interesting and beneficial transaction.’

‘It’s a merger of equals, but some people are more equal than others’

Over in Los Angeles, Howard Cohl, a partner at Major Lindsey & Africa, is also positive. ‘The legal landscape is becoming very competitive, with the influx of AI and a war for talent. There aren’t many ways to really move the needle, but a large combination is certainly one.’ In the context of UK firms increasingly looking toward the lucrative US market, ‘this makes eminently good sense,’ he continues.

But it isn’t just about economic alignment. Also in California, Kent Zimmerman at the Zeughauser Group, who has been advising Ashurst throughout the merger discussions, says: ‘When Paul asked us to evaluate and advise on this opportunity, what quickly stood out was the level of strategic and cultural alignment. That alignment created a solid foundation for what is coming to fruition. This is a transformational achievement for both firms at a moment of change for the industry.’

What each firm gains from the deal is clear. In addition to its long-sought US presence, Ashurst gains exposure to Perkins’ tech practice and client base, which includes the likes of Apple alongside more emerging names. Perkins, meanwhile, benefits from Ashurst’s energy and infrastructure practice as well as gaining a global platform. When the deal goes live, building up in energy and financial services in the US and technology outside the US will be priorities.

Crucially, the consolidation will also give the combined firm greater weight to invest in both talent and technology.

As one London partner says of Perkins: ‘They have been around a long time and have worked with a strong corporate client base like Boeing and Apple.’

But, as Saul Gamoran of Seattle-based Gamoran Legal Consulting says: ‘they were struggling to compete with the biggest of the biggest. This will make them a 3,000-lawyer firm, with worldwide breadth, and the capacity and ability to take on the largest cases and the largest matters.’

Despite the largely positive market reaction, integrating practices, geographic identities and routine operations – including shifting to a calendar financial year, cash accounting system and coming up with a combined compensation system – will be no easy feat.

Another former Ashurst partner warns that management will need to avoid getting too distracted in order to be successful.

‘Any firm which goes through phases of inorganic growth will be tied up with this for a number of years and leadership will, unquestionably, have reduced bandwidth to meet other challenges that are not necessarily solved through scale like technology.’

Others question the extent to which the merger will really prove to be a merger of equals, warning that cuts could lie ahead. ‘The term gives an implicit assurance to partners that there will be parity of treatment, but this could make them hostage to fortune,’ warns one former Ashurst partner.

Another concludes: ‘It’s a merger of equals, but some people are more equal than others, as the old saying goes.’

Additional reporting by Georgina Stanley, Will Lewallen, Alex Ryan and Kate Peacock.

Ashurst Perkins Coie: what the data tells us about the deal

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Clifford Chance to cut 10% of London business support staff

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance (CC) is set to cut around 10% of its business services staff in London, as part of a strategic review of its back office support functions.

Roughly 550 roles across areas including finance, HR and IT are under review, with an estimated 50 redundancies expected, as well as role changes for up to 35 others.

In a statement, the firm said: ‘In line with our strategy to strengthen our operations, we can confirm we are proposing changes to some of our London-based business professional functions. The proposed changes could see the creation of new roles, changes to the scope of roles, revised team structures and in some cases a reduction in roles.’

The cuts are understood to be driven in part by a reduction in demand for business services support in London, as well as rising adoption of AI technologies.

The firm has expanded its support functions outside of London in recent years, following the 2018 acquisition of Carillion’s Newcastle-based operation, which is now home to around 90 paralegals.

The firm also now has around 60 staff based across Delhi and Hyderabad, and last year opened a fourth legal hub in Warsaw.  In 2023 the firm created its own private AI platform, Clifford Chance Assist, and has continued to invest in AI technologies.

CC is the third-largest UK firm by revenue, with turnover up 9% in 2024-25 to a new high of £2.4bn, and profit per equity partner rising 3% to £2.11m.

It is not the only major firm making changes to its support functions. This autumn, Freshfields announced that up to 19 paralegal roles were to be made redundant in its Manchester office.

Other firms cutting jobs include BCLP, which earlier this year announced it was undergoing a ‘business modernisation programme’ that would impact approximately 8% of its workforce, while in January CMS placed up to 15 junior roles in its London real estate team under review. More recently, Irwin Mitchell last week confirmed that it is set to scrap the litigation assistant role, in a move affecting 58 staff across the UK.

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Trading places: Skadden creates new C-suite role as Davis Polk makes trophy sports signing

Skadden has appointed its first chief digital and information officer, hiring PwC partner Vince DiMascio (pictured) into the newly created role.

DiMascio will report directly to Jeremy London, the firm’s executive partner, with responsibility to oversee its global digital and technology agenda, including leadership of its technology, information, and knowledge management groups.

He joins from PwC, where he has been a partner since March 2022. Before that, he spent more than six years as chief information officer and chief technology officer at US immigration boutique Berry Appleman & Leiden.

‘As AI, data, and analytics become increasingly central to our clients’ needs, it is essential that we remain at the forefront of these rapidly evolving fields,’ said London.

‘Vince’s leadership and expertise will be pivotal in advancing our digital capabilities, enhancing the experience of our people, and enabling us to deliver innovative, efficient and enduring solutions to our clients, while also reinforcing the long-term success of our firm.’

DiMascio is set to start at the firm’s New York headquarters in January 2026.

Also in New York, Davis Polk has make a major hire for its sports group, hiring a prominent partner from Proskauer as practice head.

The firm has hired Jon Oram, who leaves Proskauer after 25 years. He advises clients from teams, ownership groups, and media companies to private equity sponsors and credit funds, with expertise across a range of matters spanning transactions and finance.

At Proskauer, his clients included the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer.

He is recognized as a Legal 500 leading partner for industry focus: sport, where Proskauer is currently ranked in tier 1, and Davis Polk does not have a ranking.

‘Jon is one of the nation’s leading sports lawyers, and I am thrilled to welcome him to Davis Polk,’ said Davis Polk chair and managing partner Neil Barr. ‘The sports industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, and momentum is only expected to accelerate. Jon is an important addition as we continue to grow our sports practice and further our position as a go-to firm for investors and other participants throughout the sports ecosystem.’

Oram added: ‘The business of sports has become one of the world’s most dynamic and attractive investment sectors. Davis Polk is uniquely positioned to lead the market with the multidisciplinary depth and sophistication that owners and investors demand. I’m thrilled to join this elite team and help drive the next phase of growth for the firm’s sports practice.’

Oram’s is the latest in a growing series of sports experts to move to top firms, with Steve Argeris leaving Hogan Lovells for Weil in February, and Frank Saviano leaving Latham & Watkins for Kirkland & Ellis in September.

In Washington DC, Clyde & Co has bolstered its North America trial and defence practice with its hire of former US Department of Justice (DOJ) torts head Kirsten Wilkerson as a partner.

Wilkerson brings litigation experience across a range of tort claims spanning personal injury, mass torts, toxic exposure, and premises liability. She joins the firm after twelve and a half years at DOJ, where she served in the Civil Division, most recently as director of the Torts Branch, from January to September 2025.

Eileen King Bower, chair of Clydes’ North American board, said: ‘Kirsten brings a proven ability to craft and execute litigation strategies in some of the most complex and high-stakes cases. Her appointment reflects our ongoing commitment to expanding our insurance capabilities across the US and will further enhance our ability to deliver outstanding service and results for our clients.’

The hires see Clydes continue to build its North American disputes offering – a key area of focus as the firm targets US expansion. Earlier this month it made a pair of hires in Chicago, bringing over North American insurance disputes head Ronald Ohren and partner Jonathan Ebner.

Also hiring from the DOJ is Akin, which has brought Sara McLean into its Washington DC office as a regulatory and healthcare and life sciences partner.

McLean spent more than 25 years at the DOJ, including as an assistant director in the Commercial Litigation Branch, from 2010 to 2025. She has particular expertise in the False Claims Act (FCA) investigation space, where she has litigated and supervised matters in areas including healthcare, cyber, education, government contracts, trade, energy, and financial fraud.

‘We have long been known as having one of country’s top FCA practices and during this period of heightened FCA enforcement, clients across our regulatory practices will benefit from Sara’s counsel, with experience as a trial attorney and more than 15 years leading the DOJ’s FCA enforcement efforts,’ said Akin co-chair Abid Qureshi. ‘We are thrilled to welcome Sara to the firm.’

Finally, BCLP has brought Dechert partner Laura Brank into its corporate transactions practice, also in Washington DC.

Brank spent 16 years at Dechert, including 13 years as managing partner of the firm’s Moscow office and head of its Russia practice. She has experience across a range of M&A transactions, with a particular focus on emerging markets.

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‘This was not a good idea and we’re entitled to say so’ – LLP tax proposals get short shrift

After alarm bells were raised last month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is now reportedly U-turning on plans to apply employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) to limited liability partnerships (LLPs) at the next budget.

Though the proposals were never officially confirmed, the Financial Times reported last Friday (14 November) that NICs are now off the table, along with a proposed increase in income tax.

According to the FT, while the measures could have raised £1.9bn in tax revenue, concerns were voiced that the policy could have cost more than it raised due to tax avoidance.

The news has come as a relief for many LLPs across the country, and follows concerted lobbying efforts by representative bodies such as the City of London Law Society (CLLS), which wrote to both Reeves and Lord Chancellor David Lammy calling for a reversal of the plans, and the Law Society, which described the proposals as ‘a meaningful threat to our members.’

CLLS chair and former Simmons & Simmons senior partner Colin Passmore (pictured) had been hopeful that the government would listen to the concerns raised by the industry, and said that he was ‘very, very pleased’ by the news.

The CLLS’s lobbying efforts centred around concerns over the ongoing health of the British legal industry, which Passmore described as ‘an enormous success story.’

‘It’s not often fully appreciated how many jobs we provide across the country,’ Passmore said.

He added that many partners had expressed that they may have decided to practice elsewhere if the NICs were introduced.

Despite raising the issue with the government directly, the CLLS has had no direct response from the Government as of yet. ‘I hope one day we get a conversation,’ Passmore said, ‘but at the end of the day, with respect to the government, this was not a good idea and we are absolutely entitled to say so.’

A ‘brave’ move

For Liesl Fichardt, head of Quinn Emmanuel’s London international tax and regulatory disputes practice, the U-turn ‘signals that Reeves is sensitive and aware’ of the concerns of the legal industry.

Fichardt said she understands the need to derive more tax revenues from somewhere, but felt that targeting LLPs was ‘unfair.’

‘One has to be realistic with the world economy and the government’s shortfall – they have to get the money from somewhere,’ she said. ‘But the problem is when the tax system seems unfair – taxpayers will pay if it is fair, and you have to maintain trust with the taxpayer.’

Fichardt described the decision to backtrack on the proposals as brave, and one that should be respected.

‘She’s brave to do it. A U-turn is a big thing to do,’ Fichardt said. ‘She has listened to the reaction this has caused, and we should give her credit.’

A better alternative?

But not everyone has the same view. King & Spalding tax partner Russell Warren, who recently joined the firm from Travers Smith, said the NICs would have been better for the economy than what may replace them in next week’s budget.

‘The government will now need to make more changes than otherwise needed,’ Warren told LB.

He said ‘the more measures there are, the more uncertainty it creates.’

‘Businesses will look at all of this and ask themselves, how can we have any certainty about planning, making investments?’

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the government’s overspend is around £20bn, lower than previous £30bn. Now measures such as levying NICs on partners are off the table, there is speculation on where the treasury will generate its needed tax revenue.

‘I think what we will see is lots and lots of different measures where we’re trying to raise a little bit here, a little bit there, and it’s not going to be welcomed,’ Warren said of the impending budget.

‘I was willing to accept a higher tax bill as an answer to the problem that clearly is in terms of the finances of the country. That felt like a much better outcome,’ he said.

One thing is for sure – tax partners will be watching this space when the fully confirmed details of the budget are revealed on 26 November.

The Treasury declined to comment.

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Ashurst Perkins Coie: what the data tells us about the deal

Ashurst’s quest for a US merger has been one of the longest-running stories in the legal world, with the firm linked to a host of potential partners over the past 25 years, including Latham & Watkins, Fried Frank and Sidley.

While those firms are well known on both sides of Atlantic, the London market is less familiar with Perkins Coie, which was this week confirmed as Ashurst’s US merger partner, given that the US firm only launched in the City last year with the hire of private equity veteran Ian Bagshaw.

A 50-50 merger – but Ashurst has twice as many lawyers

Ashurst and Perkins are touting the merger as a combination of equals, and this holds water for most of the top line metrics, with revenue, profit per equity partner and partner count all broadly in line. However, the starkest data differential is total lawyers, with Ashurst twice the size of Perkins. This translates to a significant difference in revenue per lawyer (RPL) for Perkins, although Ashurst does have the higher net income and profit margin.

 

Revenue PEP Partners Lawyers RPL Net income Profit margin
Ashurst $1.319bn $1.774m 516 2,137 $617,000 $468m 35%
Perkins Coie $1.259bn $1.895m 467 1,064 $1.184m $311m 25%

Doubling up – the locations where both firms have a presence

Ashurst’s extensive international footprint, which includes 27 offices across Europe, APAC and the Middle East, provides a genuine global platform for Perkins’ largely national offering, which includes 17 offices across the US as well as outposts in London and Taipei.

The pair’s geographic spread means there’s relatively little office duplication. The exceptions are London, where Perkins currently has around 20 lawyers, as well as the three US locations where Ashurst has offices – New York, Los Angeles and Austin – all of which will face scrutiny as the firms combine their operations in the States. The Asia question was simplified last year by Perkins pulling out of Beijing and Shanghai.

Ashurst is the revenue comeback kid

After its Australian merger with Blake Dawson, Ashurst went through a rocky period, with revenues dipping almost 15% from £586m to £505m in 2015-16. However, since current CEO Paul Jenkins (pictured above with Perkins managing partner Bill Maley) took the reins in 2016, the firm has been on an upwards trajectory, more than doubling revenue in nine years to pass through the £1bn mark for the first time in 2024-25.

Its growth has been faster than Perkins in recent years, with revenue at the UK firm up 60% since 2020, compared to 35% for its US partner.

The missing piece: rankings data highlights Ashurst’s US need

Legal 500 data illustrates Ashurst’s market penetration across EMEA, APAC and the UK, where it has a total of 120 rankings and more than 300 ranked lawyers. Perkins has a limited presence in the Legal 500 but its rankings include a top-tier ranking for fintech.

What the clients think – the areas where Ashurst is rated

In addition to rankings, Legal 500 data also offers insight into how Ashurst’s clients regard the service they get from the firm.

The firm has top scores for 10 metrics, including efficiency for mid-market private equity; communication for debt capital markets, and resourcing for corporate governance.

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Revolving Doors: Proskauer boosts London finance team as Paul Weiss picks up another Kirkland partner

Proskauer has further expanded its London finance practice with its hire of Andrew Payne. Previously at Linklaters in Singapore, Payne brings expertise in restructuring, as well as experience advising on private equity deals.

Philip Bowden, co-head of Proskauer’s global finance group said: ‘Andrew’s arrival marks a key moment in the growth of our European and global bench. His restructuring expertise strengthens our ability to support clients from origination to resolution.’

Earlier this month, the firm hired finance partner Sean Darling from Ropes & Gray, building on hires earlier in the year including leveraged finance partner Peter Mason, who joined from White & Case in August, and restructuring partner Clare Cottle, who joined from Akin in March.

Of his move, Payne said: ‘I’m excited to contribute to the firm’s strategic vision and help build a world-class restructuring offering in London.’

Paul Weiss has hired another London partner from Kirkland & Ellis, hiring private equity and M&A partner Francesca Storey-Harris into its City office.

A Legal 500 next-generation partner for upper mid-market M&A, Storey-Harris joined Kirkland as a partner in 2021 from Slaughter and May, where she was an associate. She brings expertise across a range of PE transactions, including advising Thoma Bravo on its $5bn acquisition of AI cybersecurity platform Darktrace in 2024, and EQT on its £4.5bn acquisition of Dechra Pharmaceuticals in 2023.

The hire brings Paul Weiss’s London partner headcount to 45, according to the firm’s website (and including partners who split their time between London and other offices). The firm has built aggressively since launching in the City in 2023 with a clutch of high-profile hires from Kirkland, and earlier this year brought fund finance partner Cameron Roper over from Proskauer.

Commenting on Storey-Harris’s hire, firm chair Brad Karp said: ‘Her significant experience representing leading private equity firms and private and public companies will further strengthen our ability to advise our clients on their most consequential matters in the UK, Europe and beyond.’

Reed Smith has also been active, hiring former Leicester City Football Club GC Matthew Phillips into its entertainment and media industry team.

Phillips spent six years at Leicester City, and prior to that served as legal director of BT’s media and IP operations, focusing on BT Sport. Brigid North, Reed Smith’s London office managing partner said Phillips’ move ‘further enhances our capabilities in the fast-evolving media and sports sectors.’

The firm is also growing in the Middle East, with its hire of Anders Nilsson into its global corporate group. Nilsson will be based in the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, and will also work across its Dubai and Riyadh offices.

Nilsson previously served as Bird & Bird’s head of Middle East operations, working in its Riyadh office.

Also in the UAE, Squire Patton Boggs has brought in international finance lawyer Joywin Matthew from DLA Piper.

Matthew adds structured finance and debt capital markets expertise to the firm’s Dubai office. He also serves on the UN’s Global Compact’s Ocean Investment Protocol Advisory Board, advising on climate finance.

Finally in the Middle East, Eversheds Sutherland has made a pair of hires from King & Spalding, bringing restructuring parner Mike Rainey and finance partner Asal Saghari into its Dubai office.

Back in London, Charles Russell Speechlys has made changes to its office with the addition of real estates and funds partner Ed Morgan. Morgan spent 12 years at Fladgate, and has advised on high-profile London real estate including the Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe), and 100 Bishopsgate.

Taylor Rose welcomes a new head of banking in Russell Jarvis, who leaves Shakespeare Martineau after three years. Jarvis has worked with large clients such as HSBC and Lloyds, focusing on mid-market corporate lending.

Boutique London law firm Hamlins has grown its corporate practice after acquiring Maddox Legal’s team. Led by Joss Alcraft, co-founder of Maddox, the group brings with them expertise in SMEs and start-ups across the services sector.

In Paris, K&L Gates’ international arbitration practice has grown with the addition of Maria Kostytska. After spending 18 years as the head of Winston & Strawn’s arbitration practice in the French capital, Kostyska is also admitted to practice in New York and Washington DC, as well as England and Wales.

Her experience extends across the oil and gas, infrastructure and banking sectors, and she also spent time as a court member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris.

Kostytska is the sixth partner to join K&L Gates’ arbitration team across the globe this year, as the firm has made additions to its Perth team and several offices across the US.

In Singapore, Joshua Cole has moved to Baker Botts’ digital infrastructure practice. Formerly at Ashurst, Cole has advised the likes of Meta and Telstra on global transactions across Asia and the pacific.

Baker Botts firmwide corporate chair Samantha Crispin called Cole’s move ‘a gamechanger’ for the team.

Finally, HFW has opened in Brisbane, marking its fourth office in Australia. The firm announced that former CDI Lawyers principal Christopher Rowden will be heading the team as it seeks to expand its international construction practice.

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Ashurst and Perkins set for $2.7bn transatlantic merger

Perkins Coie and Ashurst are set to combine in a transatlantic merger that will create a top 20 global law firm, with revenue of $2.7bn and around 3,000 lawyers worldwide.

The deal, announced today (17 November), will see the two firms unite as Ashurst Perkins Coie, a firm that will have a focus on tech, energy & infrastructure and financial services. 

The deal is expected to go to a partner vote next spring and, if successful, the merger will go live in the middle of next year.

Ashurst Perkins Coie will be jointly led by Perkins managing partner Bill Malley and Ashurst CEO Paul Jenkins (pictured) as global co-CEOs. Ashurst’s global chair Karen Davies of Ashurst and Perkins corporate co-chair Brian Eiting will be co-chairs of the combined firm.

Malley and Jenkins told Legal Business that the two firms had been speaking since February, with dozens of partners already involved in discussions. Assuming the deal is voted through by partners, the merged firm will be financially integrated and will operate with a single compensation system.

The merged firm’s geographic footprint will span 52 offices in 23 countries, with flagship hubs in Seattle, London, Sydney, and New York, and expertise in major financial centres including Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul, Shenzhen, Singapore and Tokyo. The only locations where both firms already have offices are LA, Austin and New York in the US, London, where Perkins has a small office, and Beijing. 

Malley said in a statement: ‘Ashurst complements our geographic reach and capabilities and shares our ambition to build a firm defined by ingenuity and collaboration. Together, we will combine resources and expertise to accelerate growth and set new standards for world-class legal service.’

Jenkins added: ‘Our ambition for many years has been to grow in the US with the right partner: a firm with deep, trusted expertise that complements our own. We have now found that partner – Perkins Coie is an ambitious, forward-thinking law firm meeting its clients at the forefront of technological change. At a time of rapid transformation and strategic complexity, we are excited by this unique opportunity to launch a truly differentiated global law firm for our clients and our people.’

Ashurst has long sought a US merger and has previously been linked with a host of US names since its talks with Latham & Watkins infamously ended in 2000. Legal Business reported in 2022 that the firm was once again on the hunt for a partner across the Atlantic, and other names that it has been linked with in the past include Sidley, Mayer Brown and White & Case, with more recent names touted including Sheppard Mullin and Nixon Peabody.

With Perkins, Ashurst has found a merger of equals. Ashurst reported revenue of $1.319bn for 2024-25, compared with Perkins’ $1.259bn, with profits per equity partner also relatively evenly matched at $1.8m for Ashurst and $1.9m at Perkins.

West Coast firm Perkins only opened in London in summer 2024 when it added former White & Case private equity partner Ian Bagshaw. According to its website it now has seven partners and around 10 other lawyers.

Looking at global headcount, Ashurst is roughly twice the size by lawyer count at 2,137 worldwide compared with Perkins’ 1,063. The firms share similar sized partnerships at around 500 per firm.

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‘You’ve got to be able to generate work’ – how white collar partners are diversifying in a shifting market

‘Ultimately, bribery is bad for business,’ says Sidley London white collar partner Sara George (pictured) about why US President Donald Trump’s move earlier this year to halt prosecutions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could hinder rather than help companies.

But while it is too soon to predict the true impact of Trump’s executive order on business, it is not too soon to predict the impact of less enforcement work on US white collar lawyers – less work.

 ‘Unless you’re a drug dealer or a terrorist, you can basically do what you like with impunity in the US now,’ says one London white collar partner. 

But US lawyers’ potential loss could be London’s gain. ‘This is an opportunity for the Serious Fraud Office to fill that gap,’ says Ashurst white collar partner Judith Seddon.

A welcome opportunity

It’s an opportunity that London partners have been waiting for for some time. Two years into Nick Ephgrave’s term as director of the SFO, the organisation is yet to return to the major investigations and lucrative mandates of the David Green era between 2012 and 2018.

While activity has picked up on where it was under Ephgrave’s predecessor, Lisa Osofsky, it still requires some nous for teams to create new revenue streams.

As Seddon explains: ‘We’ve all become used to the SFO not being terribly active. We get our mainstay of work from other sources.’

During Osofsky’s first year at the SFO, the organisation dropped 14 cases – twice as many as over the previous three years combined. Her reduced appetite for major investigations led lawyers to diversify their practices to a diet of sanctions, compliance and internal investigations work – a trend that persists today, even though cases have picked up somewhat.

A raft of legislative changes from the Economic Crime and Transparent Act 2023 has created new sources of work. ‘We’ve seen a real uptick in compliance work coming out of the “failure to prevent fraud” offence (FTPF),’ says Joanna Dimmock (pictured), who joined Dentons from Paul Hastings in February, before pointing out that ‘it will be interesting to see how quickly that first prosecution comes to court.’ 

Given that it took around eight years for the first prosecution under the Criminal Finances Act, partners predict that there will likely be a long lead time before any prosecutions are made under FTPF, which came into effect in September.

‘How many prosecutions FTPF leads to remains to be seen – it depends on a number of factors,’ says Seddon’s Ashurst colleague Neil Donovan.

Activity levels may not yet be surging, but it is clear that partners are generally more positive about former Met Police assistant commisioner Ephgrave than Osofsky, even without any additional work thrown over to London by the shifting politics in the US.

 ‘His focus is to make the SFO a more aggressive organisation,’ Dimmock says. ‘The corporate guidance is much more targeted than we’ve seen before in terms of encouraging prompt self-reporting […] I wouldn’t say it’s on par with the DOJ, but it’s much closer than we’ve ever seen before.’

With proposed reform including plans to financially incentivise whistleblowers, Dimmock is hopeful. ‘I think he’s trying to find his feet… to try and get back to where they were before in terms of bigger, collaborative prosecutions with international agencies.’

‘If you drive at 90mph up the A40, do you wake up the next day and report yourself for speeding?’

Others though as less convinced that companies will heed the call to self-report to the SFO. HFW white collar partner Barry Vitou does not think the new guidance does enough to incentivise corporates to self report. ‘People need to feel that there’s a real risk that they’re going to get found out and that it’s going to be bad, and therefore there needs to be a significant distinction between what people get if they get found out versus if they self report. The reality is I just don’t think it’s there.’

‘I’m fortunate to be involved with a couple of [SFO] matters, but there’s not as much going on. The shoes have dropped,’ Vitou (pictured) says of the market for larger mandates. ‘And they will continue to drop because that’s the nature of the beast. Is it my daily staple? No.’

 When Vitou arrived at HFW four years ago, he set out to target non-UK work due to question marks over activity levels in London. ‘I think the reality is that for most people in this space, you’ve got to be able to generate work.’

‘If you’ve got a compliance practice, you can make it go a bit, but you’ve got to have clients that are prepared to pay for compliance, and the way things have changed in the US, the ability to get a budget for compliance is reduced.’

Regulatory investigations and corporate crime: top firms for client service

Every year, Legal 500 gathers hundreds of thousands of scores from clients on a range of criteria, providing detailed insight into the service they get from their law firms. The top-scoring firms for some of the headline metrics are highlighted below.

Both ends of the spectrum

Utilising firmwide platforms has become increasingly important for maintaining activity, as Latham & Watkins partner Pamela Reddy (pictured) explains. ‘We have really deep relationships with corporate counsel – if they have an issue, they’ll pick up the phone to their trusted adviser.’ In her view, these ties generate enforcement work with agencies such as the SFO or the CPS, but also filler work, such as due diligence for major deals.

At the other end of the spectrum to Latham are the niche criminal firms that ‘are always going to be getting really good work,’ defending individuals according to Reddy. ‘You’ve got to be at either end of the spectrum – there’s a chunk in the middle where I’d be nervous if I worked at those firms.’

Going down the more niche route is Polly Sprenger, a private prosecution expert who left Addleshaw Goddard this summer to set up a London practice for US firm Michelman Robinson alongside Ruth Paley from Eversheds Sutherland and John Gibson from Cohen & Gresser. All three previously worked at the SFO together. 

‘Any day a client has to call us, it’s the worst day of their life,’ Sprenger (pictured) says, ‘That means there is not a lot of due diligence done on the fees that are charged. ’

‘It’s a real carpet salesman approach to legal services’

The firm is operating on a different model to both the large firms and the boutiques, bringing together lawyers with outside experts to help defend clients.

‘The SFO has lawyers, accountants and investigators working [together] for the prosecutors – you should have the same for the defence,’ Sprenger (pictured) says. 

‘It’s a real carpet salesman approach to legal services, where you’re looking at the demand and then creating the supply; the opposite to having a team of 30 and then going looking for big enforcement cases.’

The idea is that reduced outsourcing and a more bespoke approach can deliver better value for clients.

Over at Sidley, George believes it’s a model that could work. ‘The firms doing well are the firms where it’s very easy to pivot, where you can do FRC, FCA, NCA, SFO, whatever. If you are just pure crime, I think it’s really hard to make a living at the moment.’

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‘I’m sure I made a ton of mistakes’ – McDermott’s Coleman on fresh thinking, leadership lessons and why scale matters

Everyone told me how miserable law school was, so I decided that if I was going to be miserable, I at least wanted to be in a warm climate. That’s how I ended up in Florida, where I earned my LLM in taxation. This was around the time the US was changing its entire tax code and it was becoming an increasingly important area of law. I realised that if I knew more about it than other lawyers, I would be more valuable. I was always focused on scaling opportunity.

I got a job at a Miami firm called Fine Jacobson, which was the proverbial cat’s meow at the time. After I joined they merged with another firm, and that was the beginning of the end. I was only a baby attorney at the time, but it was clear that the integration was not going well, particularly on the cultural side. There was a sense of “them” versus “us” – and you never want that. It should always be a unified “us,” with “them” being external competitors. For any integration to work, there needs to be one profit pool, one management team, one chair, etc. It just doesn’t work if a firm is split into different factions. That was a key lesson I learned early on.

I then moved to Broad and Cassel, which has since merged into Nelson Mullins. I worked for the managing partner, Mike Segal, who still practices today. He was so kind and such a great mentor. He was transparent in showing me not only how to be a great lawyer but also how to be a great manager. I was dealt into a lot more meetings and projects than I should have been given my level of experience, but I leaned into it. They used to call me “the managing associate” because I was always volunteering for things, taking on managing roles and leading initiatives. People were like, “Who is this guy? Why does he care about this?”

‘I took the role of office head way too seriously! It was teeny – but I treated it as the most important office in the McDermott system’

I’d been there about five years when I got a call from someone I’d worked opposite on a deal who’d just moved to McDermott. He said, “I know you’re a healthcare lawyer, and this is the place. You’ve got to come here.” I loved Broad and Cassel, but I was impressed by McDermott’s reputation. I went to McDermott’s head office and met a bunch of lawyers who were all experts. It was crazy! I was like a kid in a candy store. I came in with various questions, and they’d say, “Oh, you should talk to Jim. He wrote these regulations when we worked at the government.” The depth of expertise was incredible, so that’s why I ultimately chose McDermott. But, as I always say, it’s like when you’re a kid and you leave your parents to go to university. It’s not that your parents did anything wrong, it’s just that this is the next phase of your life.

I was made an equity partner quite early, and pretty soon after that I got to head up the Miami office. I had a lot of support. I was very close with Mike Anthony, a pioneer in health law, and with a wonderful man named Larry Gerber, who is a mentor to me to this day. I took the role of office head way too seriously, and read every book that I could find on leadership. And this was a little office! We had about 17 people at the time. It was teeny! But I treated it as the most important office in the McDermott system. We were the little engine that could. Looking back, those were some of the most exciting days of my career.

I’m sure I made a ton of mistakes. We held mandatory partner meetings on Saturdays. Everybody joined, but I don’t think anybody liked it very much. We held them at people’s homes and rotated around, but they became an imposition. We also hosted a lot of happy hours and other evening events, which were also challenging for people who wanted to get home to their families.

‘It’s not that people around you are sycophants, but they believe in you – and that can create blind spots’

My biggest mistake was not seeing the world through other people’s eyes. You can’t assume everyone likes what you like. I’m a mountain biker and I always loved to take people mountain biking. But, as it turns out, it’s not everyone’s jam! I was shocked when I realised that not everyone wanted to jump at the chance to go mountain biking with me. Eventually I learned to take a broader perspective and I started suggesting additional activities – such as going to a basketball game – or starting after-work events at four o’clock instead of seven o’clock, so that people could still make it home for dinner and bedtime with their kids. Those little shifts made a big impact on building important relationships and a great cultural vibe.

I’m better at listening than most chairs that I know – but I’m still terrible at it. This is also true of most CEOs, but the result can be finding yourself in an echo chamber. It’s not that people around you are sycophants, but they believe in you and they’re aligned with you – and that can create some blind spots. You never want to stifle enthusiasm, but creating the space for people to feel comfortable bringing different perspectives and saying. “Hey, that’s not the best idea” is important.

What we’re seeing in the legal industry is: quality at scale matters. If you’re going to make a significant investment, whether it’s in AI, a new office, talent, or anything else that drives business – you need the scale to support it. Five years ago, if you’d asked whether you need to be a billion-dollar firm, a lot of people would have said no. But now, that’s not big enough. Clients today expect a level of sophistication that requires a higher level of scale.

‘We’ve been approached about private investment’

It’s time to seriously look at how law firms are structured. I always talk to my partners about having a bulletproof balance sheet, or what Jamie Dimon calls a “fortress balance sheet.” The traditional law firm model is, by design, quite fragile, given that profits are distributed at the end of each year. So, if a problem arises without a reserve, it can easily become an existential crisis. But when you’ve got two years of profits sitting in the bank, everything changes. You have security, flexibility, and the freedom to handle whatever comes your way – whether it’s a challenge or a new opportunity.

Having well-funded capital partners can be a very good place to start when it comes to building resilience. We’re already making big investments in AI and talent, and those costs are only going to go up. We’ve been approached about private investment, and discussions we’ve had have been very interesting.

The future of the legal industry is bright. McDermott’s best days are ahead of it. The next 100 years will be better than the last 100 years. Law is still an honourable profession and craft, and we should continue to nurture and respect that.

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Irwin Mitchell latest to restructure support function as it scraps litigation assistant role

Irwin Mitchell Sheffield office

Irwin Mitchell is set to scrap its litigation assistant role following a review of its legal support team,  in a move affecting 58 staff across the UK.

The decision, first reported by RollonFriday and confirmed by Irwin Mitchell today (14 November), will see the work redeployed across team PAs and an expanded team of paralegals.

In a statement Irwin Mitchell said: ‘We’re proposing to evolve our Litigation Assistant role into a Team PA role, moving some of the billable tasks to paralegals and planning to increase our paralegal headcount. This will improve the experience for our clients, provide clarity and consistency across roles, and provide the best legal support structure in future.

‘We’re committed to supporting our colleagues through any change and will continue to listen and respond to feedback through the ongoing consultations with those affected.’

Those affected are able to apply for team PA or paralegal roles and the firm said there may be other redeployment opportunities available. According to RollonFriday, those affected have entered a seven week consultation period, having been told about the decision last month.

The news makes Irwin Mitchell the latest in a string of firms looking to restructure their legal or professional support functions as they adapt to a shifting technological landscape.

Last week Fieldfisher confirmed that it was in a consultation with staff as it begins to ‘transform the Belfast office into a Business Services Centre.’ The move could see a number of professional services staff given the option of relocating to Belfast .

A Fieldfisher spokesperson said: ‘Like any business, we regularly review how we work so we can remain competitive and sustainable for the future […] We are open to an office move or expansion to accommodate our Belfast office growth in the future. If and when that happens, we will let you know.’

In September, Freshfields announced that up to 19 paralegal roles were set to be made redundant in its Manchester office, citing the need for the ‘business to keep pace with a fast-changing legal market.’

The firm’s statement at the time added: ‘We have communicated with our colleagues affected by these proposals and are focused on supporting our teams throughout.’

Other firms to have announced job cuts this year include BCLP, which this May said it was undertaking a ‘business modernisation programme’ that would impact approximately 8% of its global business services population, while in April, DWF conducted a consultation with 108 employees in in its commercial services and central services divisions.

In January, CMS placed up to 15 junior roles in its London real estate team under review, while DLA Piper restructured its UK IT team at the start of the year after switching to a fully cloud-based operating model.

Advances in technology – in particular the rise of AI – have meant that routine work, including some of the work carried out by paralegals or business services stuff, has come under scrutiny.

Efficiency and a focus on giving lawyers more time to work on complex matters are generally touted as the main benefits of AI for law firms, with high-volume, document-heavy workflows such as contract review, due diligence and regulatory checks now a less time-consuming proposition.

The latest LB100 shows firms, with an insurance focus, such as Irwin Mitchell, underperformed compared to the rest of the table – a marked change from the previous year.

Irwin Mitchell’s most recent financial results saw revenue increase by 8.2%, to £329.3m, with profit before tax growing by more than 13%.

This growth outpaced many insurance-heavy peers in the LB100, with the average growth across these firms standing at 3.6%, significantly down on the average of 9.6% across the LB100 as a whole.

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Norton Rose Fulbright becomes latest firm to pull out of South Africa

Norton Rose Fulbright is splitting from its South African business, with the firm’s offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to become independent from April next year.

The move, which the firm described as a ‘carefully structured transition,’ comes 15 years after Norton Rose entered the South African market via a merger with national firm Deneys Reitz.

Announcing the move, global co-managing partner Peter Scott said that NRF would support the South African team throughout the transition and that they would ‘continue to collaborate where clients’ interests align’.

‘This change represents a natural evolution for both firms as the dynamics of international markets and client needs progress worldwide,’ he said. ‘We thank our South African colleagues for their contributions to our shared success.’

Deneys Reitz joined the Norton Rose Group verein in June 2011, rebranding as Norton Rose South Africa. The deal came amid a sustained period of international expansion for NRF, including similar tie-ups with Canada’s Ogilvy Renault and Australia’s Deacons.

The Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban offices are now home to more than 120 lawyers, according to the firm’s website. The firm has nine Legal 500 rankings in South Africa, including tier 2 spots in banking and finance, dispute resolution, employment, projects and infrastructure, and shipping and transport.

Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa chief executive officer Brent Botha – a Deneys Reitz lifer who has been CEO for the past two years –  added: ‘We look forward to building on our 100-year legacy in South Africa and across Africa, and to investing, innovating, and evolving in line with the needs of our clients and people. We are proud of our heritage within Norton Rose Fulbright and look forward to working with the firm and other global partners, wherever our clients operate.’

The moves reflect a broader strategic shift in the upper echelons of the global legal market, with some firms that went through major geographical expansion in the 2000s and 2010s pulling back from less profitable markets in the face of pressure on costs.

NRF’s move comes after A&O Shearman announced plans to close in Johannesburg in September 2024, with all of the lawyers from the office subsequently moving to leading African firm Bowmans.

Hogan Lovells also closed its South Africa office the same month, alongside exits from Warsaw and Sydney.

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