Clyde & Co loses 15-strong US litigation team to LeClairRyan

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Latest exits add to departures of two partners from City headquarters

The expiry of Clyde & Co’s three-year post-merger partner lock-in appeared to pass almost unnoticed last April, but the UK top-20 firm has lost two London partners in recent months as its established US practice was hit in January with a 15-strong team walk out, which included three litigation partners.

London commercial partner Alan Meneghetti, who joined the firm five years ago as a legal director and became an aviation partner in 2010, left the firm on 31 December 2013 for Locke Lord’s corporate practice in London. Meneghetti’s experience within the aviation and aerospace sector includes handling regulatory issues surrounding procurement, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, information technology and the drafting and negotiating of commercial agreements.

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Revolving doors – Weil, Latham, Freshfields and Dentons among the firms opening 2014 with senior recruits

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Increasing confidence in the transactional market has contributed to a rash of senior partner moves at the start of 2014, with the UK’s leading firms bolstering both their London and international practices.

In the City, upwardly mobile US practices continued to boost their capability with Weil, Gotshal & Manges hiring Hogan Lovells banking and finance partner Chris McLaughlin, who has extensive experience of cross-border private equity buyouts and European real estate acquisitions and restructuring. His hire came a week after Latham & Watkins hired Weil Gotshal funds partner Nick Benson, its fifth City hire within the past 12 months.

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Senior hires: KPMG appoints DLA partner as Manchester legal head as A&O and NRF lose partners to HogLove and Vedder Price

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As KPMG looks to expand its legal services practice the Big Four accountant has hired DLA Piper corporate partner Nick Roome to head its legal services arm in Manchester in what it says is the first of a series of hires planned over the course of this year.

Roome, who has broad corporate, private equity and commercial legal expertise with a focus on the north of England and international markets, qualified with Addleshaws in 2000 before moving to DLA Piper’s Manchester office in 2005. He will start his new role in the late Spring. Continue reading “Senior hires: KPMG appoints DLA partner as Manchester legal head as A&O and NRF lose partners to HogLove and Vedder Price”

Offshore: Mourant Ozannes opts for experience with hire of former Farrer private client head

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Global offshore firm Mourant Ozannes has made a significant hire to its City office, recruiting Farrer & Co’s former head of private client, Jim Edmondson. He will lead the firm’s international trusts and private client practice from 1 September when current head Douglas Close steps down.

Edmondson, who was head of Farrer’s client practice and joint senior partner until May 2013 and has been acting as a consultant since then, will officially join Mourant Ozannes in May this year.

Acknowledged as a ‘leading individual’ for personal tax, trusts and probate in The Legal 500, Edmondson acts as a solicitor to the trustees of a substantial London estate and is an experienced speaker at conferences in the Channel Islands and Caribbean on corporate and trust-related themes.

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Further finance exit for BLP as Marcus Jamson joins Wedlake Bell

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Berwin Leighton Paisner’s (BLP’s) depleted finance department has seen a further partner exit after acquisition finance partner Marcus Jamson this month joined top LB100 UK firm Wedlake Bell.

The Slaughter and May-trained lawyer specialises in domestic and international corporate lending and has over 20 years of experience acting for clearing banks, financial institutions, investment banks and private equity sponsors on financings and debt restructurings. Continue reading “Further finance exit for BLP as Marcus Jamson joins Wedlake Bell”

Taylor Wessing loses former insurance head to Edwards Wildman in second US raid

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In the second US foray into Taylor Wessing’s partner pool this month, the top 20 firm has lost its former head of international insurance & reinsurance James Crabtree, who joins Amlaw 100 firm Edwards Wildman’s London office as a partner.

The insurance disputes lawyer joins Wildman’s 15-strong insurance team in the City. Prior to joining Taylor Wessing almost eight years ago, Crabtree served as head of insurance and reinsurance disputes at Pinsent Masons, and was also previously a partner at Stephenson Harwood. Continue reading “Taylor Wessing loses former insurance head to Edwards Wildman in second US raid”

Texas launch – Arnold & Porter opens Houston presence with four-partner Hogan Lovells litigation team

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Washington-headquartered Global 100 law firm Arnold & Porter has become the latest to launch in Houston with the hire of a four-strong litigation team from Hogan Lovells.

Thad Dameris, the former managing partner of Hogan Lovells’ Houston office, has left the transatlantic firm alongside litigation partners Trevor Jefferies, Christopher Odell and David Weiner, leaving a remaining partnership of six. Continue reading “Texas launch – Arnold & Porter opens Houston presence with four-partner Hogan Lovells litigation team”

More lateral hires as Katten Muchin and K&L Gates boost international corporate practices

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US firms Katten Muchin Rosenman and K&L Gates have strengthened their international corporate practices this month through lateral hires from rival Global 100 firms.

Hogan Lovells’ private equity partner Philip Watkins has quit the firm to join US firm’s Katten Muchin’s London office.

He joined Katten Muchin Rosenman at the beginning of the year, along with two associates who will join the Chicago-headquartered firm’s London base next month. Watkins joined legacy firm Hogan & Hartson’s City corporate practice in November 2008.

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Revolving doors: Bird & Bird, Bond Dickinson and Simmons all make lateral moves

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The appetite shown by global elite firms to hire laterally at the start of the year has spread wider in the City, as Bird & Bird, Bond Dickinson, Simmons & Simmons and US firm Sedgwick have all been in action recently.

Bird & Bird secured the hire of partner Sven-Michael Werner from rival firm Taylor Wessing to its China corporate practice. Werner, who speaks Mandarin, has over 12 years’ experience practising Chinese law and will be based at the firm’s Shanghai office. He has a focus on M&A and foreign direct investment, particularly advising European clients investing into China. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Bird & Bird, Bond Dickinson and Simmons all make lateral moves”

New year hiring spree continues as Weil Gotshal and Norton Rose recruit from rivals

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Top-20 Global 100 firms Norton Rose Fulbright and Weil, Gotshal & Manges have made significant and experienced additions to their London offices today (15 January), from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells respectively.

Weil Gotshal has taken on Hogan Lovells partner Chris McLaughlin to join its banking and finance practice in London.

McLaughlin has extensive experience acting for banks and borrowers on the financing of cross-border private equity buyouts as well as European real estate acquisitions and restructurings.

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