Revolving doors news, updates and analysis | Page 1 of 19

The first week of April saw no fooling around in the lateral hires market. King & Spalding has continued its six-month long lateral hiring run, bolstering its projects and disputes practices in London with a double hire of project development and financing partner Nikhil Markanday and arbitration and public international law partner Giorgio Mandelli.

Last year the firm made three lateral partner hires in London, including corporate and M&A partner Derek Meilman from Hogan Lovells, and White & Case real estate partner David Cox. Markanday joins the firm’s corporate, finance and investments practice from Ashurst while Mandelli joins the trial and global disputes practice from boutique Volterra Fietta in London. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: King & Spalding continues lateral spree with double hire as Linklaters loses NY funds partners to Debevoise”

City recruitment was steady last week with Crowell & Moring being the main mover after luring yet more talent from Squire Patton Boggs. Meanwhile Monckton Chambers secured Steven Gee QC from Joseph Hage Aaronson and DLA Piper and Mayer Brown made moves in a busy international round.

Crowell & Moring has emboldened its London strategy lately by recruiting from Squires. Energy partner Robin Baillie joined the firm last week, with Crowell & Moring looking to export its strong US energy practice to the UK.

Baillie had been at Squires since 2014, and brings with him senior associate Stefanie Atchinson who joins as counsel as well as associate Lydia Taylor. Meanwhile, Squires banking and debt finance partner Andrew Knight is also set to join Crowell & Moring at the beginning of April. The exits come after Squires lost a three-partner team to Crowell & Moring in recent weeks, with litigation partner Laurence Winston and insolvency partners Cathryn Williams and Paul Muscutt also decamping. Squires former City litigation head Robert Weekes meanwhile joined the firm in January, while 15 other lawyers left the firm for Morgan Lewis in February.

Monckton Chambers made a law firm play, adding Joseph Hage Aaronson litigator Steven Gee QC to its ranks. Gee returns to the barristers’ chambers after five years at the litigation boutique, having formerly headed up Stone Chambers.

Joint head of Monckton Chambers, Philip Moser QC, welcomed the hire: ‘Steven’s significant experience, both at the Bar and in a law firm, will provide inspiration and impetus further to expand Monckton’s commercial litigation and arbitration work. We believe his addition is a significant milestone in the recognition of Monckton Chambers as a leading set for commercial litigation and arbitration.’

Finishing off the City hires, DAC Beachcroft acquired David Johnson from Weightmans where he led its political and markets advisory group for four years. Johnson focuses on handling large-loss catastrophic injury cases and high-value fatal accident claims.

Eversheds Sutherland, meanwhile, made a hire in the regions, with the addition of corporate partner Michael Birchall, who joins from Addleshaw Goddard.  Birchall will now spearhead the firm’s corporate practice in Manchester while also working closely with the firm’s team in Leeds. Birchall had previously been based in both Manchester and London for Addleshaw.

Further afield, DLA Piper led a busy international recruitment round, hiring in Frankfurt and Dublin. In Germany the firm enhanced its litigation and regulatory practice with the hire of Gleiss Lutz associated partner Emanuel Ballo. It marks a return for Ballo, who had worked at DLA Piper between 2011 and 2015, having advised a number of international companies on issues related to white collar crime.

Meanwhile DLA Piper hired tax partner Maura Dineen to the firm’s newly opened Dublin office. Dineen joins from Mason Hayes & Curran, and is DLA Piper’s fifth partner hire in Ireland in a month.

Fieldfisher made a double hire in Madrid, with Jesús Estévez and Elizabeth Malagelada joining the firm’s Spanish offering. Both come from Big Four outfit EY, where Estévez worked in the firm’s banking and finance practice while Malagelada worked in the tax department. Estevez had been a partner at EY For four years and prior to that was a partner at Baker McKenzie; Malagelada meanwhile had been at EY for six years.

Completing the international recruitment round, Mayer Brown expanded its corporate and securities practice in Hong Kong with the hire of former Kirkland & Ellis and Hogan Lovells partner Steven Tran. As a private equity and M&A lawyer, Tran acts for funds and major financial institutions and has been based in Asia for almost 20 years.

‘Steven’s appointment reflects the continued growth of our corporate capabilities in Hong Kong as a service hub for Asia,’ said Jason Elder, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s corporate and securities practice.

thomas.alan@legalbusiness.co.uk

City recruitment was active last week, as Crowell & Moring and Dentons made the standout hires while Baker Botts also made a City move.

US firm Crowell & Moring led the way in the City, recruiting a three-partner team from Squire Patton Boggs a month after hiring financial litigation partner and former City head Robert Weekes from the same firm. Weekes will be joined by litigation partner Laurence Winston, London insolvency head Cathryn Williams and insolvency partner Paul Muscutt. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Crowell & Moring secures three-partner team from Squire Patton Boggs while Dentons makes City hire from Fieldfisher”

There was no love lost between firms in the lateral market last week, with DAC Beachcroft, Withers and Reed Smith being the primary movers in the City while Morgan Lewis led a trio of firms looking further afield to the Middle East and Asia Pacific to expand their international benches.

In the most significant City move of the week, DAC Beachcroft secured the hire of Chris Wall to head up its banking team. A rare partner departure for Kirkland in London, Wall will now be situated in London and Bristol for DAC Beachcroft, heading its banking team as well as leading members from its real estate finance and corporate practices. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: DAC Beachcroft hires from Kirkland in the City while Morgan Lewis leads international team push”

The most significant moves are not always to rival law firms as the exit of Weil Gotshal & Manges’ City private equity partner Samantha McGonigle to co-found a growth fund goes to show.

Perpetuating the busy start to the lateral market, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has added to its City finance practice as King & Spalding and Simmons & Simmons have hired in Europe at the expense of Ashurst and Allen & Overy respectively. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Weil loses buyout rising star McGonigle to fund as Fried Frank taps Linklaters’ finance team and King & Spalding and Simmons & Simmons make European hires”

The January shopping spree is well underway with firms making moves at home and abroad last week, most significantly in City dispute specialists Signature Litigation crossing the channel to open shop in Paris.

Kirkland & Ellis, meanwhile, continued its expansion in the City with a tax hire and Mishcon de Reya filled the gap left by Alison Levitt QC in London. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Signature Litigation launches in Paris while Kirkland and Mishcon make City moves”

DAC Beachcroft has extended its European footprint with the opening of a new two-partner Paris office, while Watson Farley & Williams, Holman Fenwick Willan and Cooley also kicked off 2019 with key lateral hires.

The new Paris office is DAC’s first in France and its 12^th worldwide. Two partners have been hired from local firm HMN to staff the new branch: Vladimir Rostan d’Ancezune, who will head the office, while Christophe Wucher North also joins. Continue reading “Revolving doors: DAC Beachcroft christens new year with Paris opening as WFW, Cooley and HFW make European hires”

Firms began their Christmas shopping in earnest last week, with LB100 pacesetter Fieldfisher strengthening its energy practice while Pinsent Masons recruited in structured finance and King & Spalding enhanced its City corporate practice.

Meanwhile, TLT made a hire in the regions as Bird & Bird and Dentons made moves abroad.

Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Fieldfisher lands new energy co-head as King & Spalding and Pinsents strengthen City benches”

There were signs of a pre-Christmas pick up in the City lateral market last week with Greenberg Traurig the leader following a double hire from US counterparts Ropes & Gray.

Gowling WLG, meanwhile, made a significant London hire to its planning and environment practice as Bates Wells Braithwaite (BWB) brought in a team from Pennington Manches. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Greenberg capitalises on Ropes & Gray’s real estate cutback as Gowling and BWB make City moves”

The first signs of a late-autumn slowdown in City laterals emerged last week with Eversheds Sutherland making the only significant hire in London, strengthening its corporate practice. Meanwhile, DLA Piper bolstered its litigation offering in Madrid in a slightly busier international round and Ashurst landed a partner at the expense of White & Case in Abu Dhabi.

Eversheds added to its corporate bench with the hire of Stewart Womersley from Addleshaw Goddard’s funds and indirect real estate team. Womersley had been a partner at Addleshaw Goddard for over four years, and focused on corporate real estate transactions and joint ventures. Womersley will now join a cross-department team at Eversheds that covers real estate, tax, funds and banking. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Eversheds makes City corporate play as DLA and Ashurst announce international hires”