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Revolving Doors: Paul Hastings continues infrastructure hiring spree as White & Case strengthens debt finance practice

Last week saw several hires in the finance sector and numerous lateral hires in the international market, as London calmed down following the shock Paul Weiss moves in August.

Paul Hastings has made its third infrastructure hire in just three months, appointing partner Candice Lambeth to its energy and infrastructure practice. Moving from Weil, Lambeth specialises in domestic and cross-border M&A, joint ventures, and co-investments across the energy and infrastructure sectors. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Paul Hastings continues infrastructure hiring spree as White & Case strengthens debt finance practice”

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Women deal stars prove you can have it all – but don’t worry men, you are Kenough

Denise Gibson

Chatting with a male managing partner recently about – what else – the hire of Kirkland’s debt superstar Neel Sachdev into Paul Weiss in London, talk eventually turned to the Barbie movie (obviously).

With the managing partner intending to see the film soon, I ask him to report back on whether he thinks its messaging is as anti-male as many critics have suggested. His reaction? ‘Isn’t it about time something was not all about how great men are, for a change?’ This is an interesting point, and segues us nicely into our cover feature this issue on the City’s standout women dealmakers, five years on from our influential ‘Alphas’ analysis. Continue reading “Women deal stars prove you can have it all – but don’t worry men, you are Kenough”

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Paul Weiss’ hire of Kirkland rock star is the shake-up we didn’t know we needed

Neel Sachdev

‘Paul Weiss hasn’t got enough partners in London for doubles ping pong!’ scoffed a senior source at the beginning of August when it emerged that the Wall Street powerhouse had lost its City managing partner, Alvaro Membrillera, to Kirkland & Ellis.

What a difference a few short weeks make. While the political skirmishes inside Kirkland that prompted the exit of private equity star Roger Johnson can only be guessed at – and, ringing around the market, there is no shortage of such rampant speculation – what followed has been nothing short of extraordinary. Continue reading “Paul Weiss’ hire of Kirkland rock star is the shake-up we didn’t know we needed”

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Kirkland departures rack up as Paul Weiss makes major London and New York plays

starry sky over the City

August’s reputation as a slow month for lateral hires has been turned on its head in recent weeks, particularly considering the shock departure of debt finance rainmaker Neel Sachdev from Kirkland & Ellis. In what is one of the biggest City law moves in the last five years, Sachdev moves to Paul Weiss, taking with him a team made up of debt finance partner Kanesh Balasubramaniam and capital markets partners Matthew Merkle and Deirdre Jones.

The moves establish an English law offering at Paul Weiss for the first time, in a display of serious intent from the firm. Sachdev, previously a top earner at Kirkland and one of its longest-serving partners, has a book of top-tier financial sponsor clients including Apollo, Bain Capital and Strategic Value Partners. Continue reading “Kirkland departures rack up as Paul Weiss makes major London and New York plays”

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Numbers unveiled: 2022/23 financial results show 8% average revenue growth

data variation

The annual flood of financial results has engulfed the market once again, with Legal Business 100 firms observing how the Magic Circle firms in particular have performed compared to City peers.

Financial performance reported among UK firms so far reveal an estimated average growth of 8% in revenue, only slightly down on the average revenue growth of 9% recorded in our 2022 LB100 report. However, the picture is different for profit per equity partner (PEP), where growth has been minimal or flat and falling short of average performance in 2022, where PEP also grew by 9%. Continue reading “Numbers unveiled: 2022/23 financial results show 8% average revenue growth”

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The social mobility conundrum: a quantitative or qualitative approach?

Following Slaughter and May’s July announcement that it would be setting ambitious social mobility targets for 2033, Holly McKechnie spoke to Magic Circle peers to see how they are each approaching the issue

Slaughter and May has pledged to increase its representation of individuals with a lower socioeconomic background (LSEB) by 25% across its total workforce population from a baseline of 19% by 2033. This includes a target to increase its lawyer population from a LSEB to 15% from a baseline of 10% and its business services population to 40% from a baseline of 35%. The metric used by Slaughters to determine an individual’s socioeconomic background is parental occupation at the age of 14.

Continue reading “The social mobility conundrum: a quantitative or qualitative approach?”

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‘The investment opportunity of a lifetime’: could a booming infrastructure sector offer firms a route into high-value transactional work?

According to Dealogic, 2023 saw the lowest Q1 global deal volume and value since 2012, with just 9,400 deals worth almost $591bn.

But the infrastructure, energy, and projects sector has remained resilient. Dealogic reports 1,953 utility and energy deals worth over $253m in 2022 – a drop in value of just over 16% on 2021, and still higher than all but one of the years 2013-19. Firms on both sides of the Atlantic have noted this, and have invested heavily in infrastructure in recent years, as evidenced by Clifford Chance (CC)’s recent Houston launch. UK-based firms argue that their full-service capabilities give them an edge in the sector. But opinion on this strategy remains split. Some question the importance of full-service capabilities – in the US market in particular. Continue reading “‘The investment opportunity of a lifetime’: could a booming infrastructure sector offer firms a route into high-value transactional work?”

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‘The raconteur’s raconteur par excellence’: Industry mourns loss of ESG luminary Paul Watchman

‘Have I told you my friend’s story about being a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz in Aberdeen in the 1980s? Phone me when you are bored.’ Such messages – as apparently apropos of nothing as they were impossible to ignore – were not uncommon from Professor Paul Quayle Watchman, former Freshfields partner and ESG guru who sadly passed away at the start of July.

Paul’s more irreverent missives were often intermingled with ‘serious’ work-related emails about ESG initiatives, the climate crisis and other subjects which were close to his heart. Another of the best reads: ‘I’m having a few days away at a spa hotel. I can’t loosen the knots. Help me Nathalie. Send scissors to Room 125. Better make it bolt-cutters.’ Paul always used good humour as an antidote to the more depressing side of modern life and for that, he earned a tremendous following, both professionally and personally. Continue reading “‘The raconteur’s raconteur par excellence’: Industry mourns loss of ESG luminary Paul Watchman”

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Sponsored briefing: Reviewing the M&A landscape

Milbank

Milbank’s Lisa O’Neill, Andrea Hamilton and Lara Watt on developments in the M&A market as well as the strength of their team

Reflecting on the M&A landscape over the last few years, Lisa O’Neill, partner and co-head of the corporate group in Milbank’s London office, was struck by the scale of change driven by global events. ‘The Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the inflationary environment and impact on lending, the proliferation of foreign investment controls and foreign subsidies regulations, an increasing focus on ESG – the list goes on. These macro-economic and policy developments have affected the market significantly and driven increasing client need for top-tier advice within the more complex landscape,’ she explains. ‘In addition, within the legal sector there are increased demands for broader inclusion among practitioners and greater DEI efforts overall; this change is also being reflected in the M&A community.’ Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Reviewing the M&A landscape”

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Life During Law: Georgia Dawson

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I was growing up. I went through periods of thinking maybe I’d become an architect. There’s also this amazing magazine in Australia called Gourmet Traveller. It’s about food and travel, and I thought it would be quite nice to be a journalist for them. I still enjoy looking at architecture and I love the built environment, food, and travel.

I had a conversation with the career counsellor at school. She said, if you’re not sure, then law is a great general degree that gives you options for the future. My dad happens to be a lawyer as well, so I had some familiarity with the law. When I started the degree, I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do but I really enjoyed it. I loved the problem solving. Continue reading “Life During Law: Georgia Dawson”

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The Client Profile: Sebastian Goldsmith, Medigold Health

‘I came into law by accident,’ admits Sebastian Goldsmith, general counsel (GC) of occupational health service provider Medigold Health. ‘I guess it was a second choice. I did Spanish and Portuguese at university, and I was going to work for an investment bank, as I did an internship with HSBC during my year abroad in São Paulo. The plan was to join them or another bank when I graduated. But all intakes were withdrawn, because it was August 2008,’ Goldsmith recalls.

The onset of the global financial crisis created a dilemma: ‘I sat there and thought, what am I going to do now? People always said to me, you should be a lawyer, because I have a strong sense of justice and fairness, and I liked a debate, and I’m quite verbal. So I went to BPP and did law school.’ Continue reading “The Client Profile: Sebastian Goldsmith, Medigold Health”

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Offshore report: Tempering against the tempest

When taking stock of the markets over the last 12 months, it is safe to argue that tougher times must inevitably be afoot. While upheavals wrought by the pandemic may have largely receded into the rearview mirror, the volatility that has come to characterise recent times shows no sign of abating, with the Ukraine war leading to energy insecurity and the cost of living crisis, the need to navigate ever-changing Russian sanctions, as well as the looming threat of a global recession.

However, even in this tumultuous environment, offshore law firms continue to defy the odds, with 2022 only building on the growth seen by many in previous years. ‘Despite expecting a challenging economic environment, income has been up across service lines and sectors, without exception,’ states Edward Mackereth, global managing partner at Ogier, echoing the sentiment of many offshore law firm leaders. Continue reading “Offshore report: Tempering against the tempest”

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Magic Circle in the US: Running to stand still

‘There are more than 40 US law firms that are more profitable than the Magic Circle. The Magic Circle firms are, in US profit terms, very much middle-of-the-road players.’

Maurice Allen, founder of consultancy LTN & Partners, who has been a partner at Clifford Chance (CC), White & Case, Weil, Freshfields and Ropes & Gray, is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge facing the Magic Circle firms in the US. Top US firms continue to increase their profitability, while UK firms struggle to stand alongside them. Continue reading “Magic Circle in the US: Running to stand still”

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Alphas revisited: Women deal stars five years on

‘There is still fundamentally an issue with how women are perceived in the legal market and how well they can traverse the seniority ranks. It says a lot more about our profession than it does about women.’ So argues Tamara Box, Reed Smith’s former Europe and Middle East managing partner and now head of structured finance.

The outlook now, while not exactly bleak, is not as bullish as it should be. Continue reading “Alphas revisited: Women deal stars five years on”

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Alphas revisited: Finance stars

Sinead O’Shea, Simpson Thacher

Showcasing a striking client list that includes the likes of KKR, Viridian, JPMorgan, First Reserve, Silver Lake, BlackRock and Blackstone, Simpson Thacher’s Sinead O’Shea is at the top of her game. Having qualified in Ireland, O’Shea has worked in the firm’s New York and Hong Kong offices. ‘Moving to Hong Kong was a huge challenge as I went there right after becoming a partner and having my second child,’ she admits. ‘I knew nothing whatsoever about the Asian market and the cultural setup there.’ Continue reading “Alphas revisited: Finance stars”