Revolving doors: US moves for Baker McKenzie and Linklaters as Morgan Lewis makes City play

Revolving doors: US moves for Baker McKenzie and Linklaters as Morgan Lewis makes City play

US and City firms have extended their reach in key jurisdictions with Baker McKenzie making a move in Silicon Valley and Linklaters hiring in New York, while Morgan, Lewis & Bockius welcomes infrastructure partner from US rival Latham & Watkins in London.

In London, Morgan Lewis hired infrastructure partner Ayesha Waheed from Latham & Watkins. Waheed focuses on international energy and infrastructure transactions and has experience working through Europe as well as emerging markets in Africa and Asia. She has acted for developers and lenders in oil and gas, power generation, and infrastructure projects around the world and has advised on all aspects of international project financings and privatisations. Continue reading “Revolving doors: US moves for Baker McKenzie and Linklaters as Morgan Lewis makes City play”

Revolving doors: Expansive Goodwin makes another City tech play as Dechert and Quinn hire further afield

Revolving doors: Expansive Goodwin makes another City tech play as Dechert and Quinn hire further afield

Following a string of hires to expand its London office this year, Goodwin Procter has again added to its City technology and life sciences practice with the hire of partner Ali Ramadan from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Ramadan has experience in venture capital, cross-border M&A and private equity transactions for technology businesses. He acts for start-ups, high-growth companies and investors operating in the technology, fintech, proptech and digital media industries. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Expansive Goodwin makes another City tech play as Dechert and Quinn hire further afield”

Revolving doors: Ince appoints London managing partner duo as City players hire globally

Revolving doors: Ince appoints London managing partner duo as City players hire globally

After an eventful few months following its acquisition by Gordon Dadds, Ince has put down some roots with the appointment of Nick Goldstone and Michael Volikas as joint managing partners of the London office.

The move came after Gordon Dadds last month posted a 69% revenue hike from to £52.6m and a 73% rise in profit to £15.2m on the back of its £43m acquisition of Ince. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Ince appoints London managing partner duo as City players hire globally”

Revolving doors: NRF loses insurance team to DAC Beachcroft as Taylor Wessing taps Fieldfisher for life sciences co-head

Revolving doors: NRF loses insurance team to DAC Beachcroft as Taylor Wessing taps Fieldfisher for life sciences co-head

In an otherwise sedate week for City legal recruitment, DAC Beachcroft has proved the exception to the rule for August hiring, adding a seven-strong insurance team from Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) in London.

The team joining DAC was led by insurance litigation partner Kirsty Hick who joined on 1 August and acts for global and London market insurers. She has experience advising on complex coverage and defense issues as well as warranty and indemnity claims. The firm has been trying to grow its high-end international insurance business for the last few years with the London hires being a significant boon to that strategy. Continue reading “Revolving doors: NRF loses insurance team to DAC Beachcroft as Taylor Wessing taps Fieldfisher for life sciences co-head”

Revolving doors: Eversheds ups City disputes investment as White & Case hires Latham duo in Milan

Revolving doors: Eversheds ups City disputes investment as White & Case hires Latham duo in Milan

Eversheds Sutherland has added to recent investment in its London litigation and dispute management practice with a lateral hire from Shepherd and Wedderburn, the sixth addition to the team in the last year.

White & Case, meanwhile, made a notable double-hire from Latham & Watkins in Milan to its banking and M&A practices, as TLT expanded in Manchester with a team hire. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Eversheds ups City disputes investment as White & Case hires Latham duo in Milan”

Revolving doors: Dechert makes hires from Sidley and Hill Dickinson expands its commodities team

Revolving doors: Dechert makes hires from Sidley and Hill Dickinson expands its commodities team

The lateral hires market has seen significant moves recently with Dechert hiring more partners from Sidley Austin, Crowell & Moring making another hire from Squire Patton Boggs and Hill Dickinson expanding the firm’s commodities team with two partners.

Dechert added to its global finance and litigation practices with the recruitment of Aparna Sehgal and Simon Fawell from Sidley, following structured finance partner John McGrath, who recently joined from the same firm. Furthermore, Dorothy Cory-Wright was appointed last year as head of disputes and is also from Sidley. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Dechert makes hires from Sidley and Hill Dickinson expands its commodities team”

Former Ashurst managing partner Collis quits for Squire Patton Boggs

Former Ashurst managing partner Collis quits for Squire Patton Boggs

Ashurst lifer and former managing partner James Collis has quit the firm to join the London arm of Squire Patton Boggs.

The finance partner, whose practice focuses on acquisition finance and general banking law, was at the helm of Ashurst for four years until June 2016, when he was replaced by current managing partner Paul Jenkins. Continue reading “Former Ashurst managing partner Collis quits for Squire Patton Boggs”

Revolving Doors: City lateral market falls quiet as firms look further afield to strengthen benches

Revolving Doors: City lateral market falls quiet as firms look further afield to strengthen benches

May has been a quiet month for the London lateral market, with Addleshaw Goddard making the only notable City move last week as the firm strengthened its City banking practice. However in the Middle East Ashurst and DLA Piper made significant hires, while Paul Hastings and Allen & Overy (A&O) both made plays in Europe.

Addleshaw Goddard hired well-regarded leveraged finance and banking partner Peter Crichton from McDermott Will & Emery. He will now join the active mid-market practice currently led by Alex Dumphy, while Amanda Gray, Addleshaws’ finance and projects division managing partner, welcomed the hire: ‘The leveraged finance market is becoming increasingly fractured with an ever-growing number of lenders, and we have seen a proliferation in debt funds. Peter’s appointment provides necessary bandwidth to win new market share across the broad spectrum of this market, as well as additional resource to combine with our award-winning private equity team on sponsor-side transactions.’ Continue reading “Revolving Doors: City lateral market falls quiet as firms look further afield to strengthen benches”

Revolving Doors: King & Spalding continues lateral spree with double hire as Linklaters loses NY funds partners to Debevoise

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”

Revolving Doors: Crowell & Moring taps Squire Patton Boggs for UK partners as DLA leads hefty international recruitment round

Revolving Doors: Crowell & Moring taps Squire Patton Boggs for UK partners as DLA leads hefty international recruitment round

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