US litigation powerhouse Boies, Schiller & Flexner has hired Bingham McCutchen star partner Natasha Harrison to head the firm’s foray into the London market, its first office outside of the US.
Harrison has been a partner at Bingham since 2004 and is described by the The Legal 500 as an ‘incredibly commercial for a litigator’. She was instrumental during the Icelandic bank crisis, acting for bondholders of the three collapsed Icelandic banks, Landsbanki, Kaupthing and Glitnir, the world’s second largest insolvency.
The highly profitable 258-lawyer firm has chosen to open an office in the City to service the firm’s major clients including Barclays, which Boies Schiller has been representing over Libor related issues. The firm’s team defending Barclays is led by managing partner Jonathan Schiller and chairman David Boies.
The 258-lawyer firm was reported to have been considering a move to London as far back as 2008 but its growing London portfolio, including the successful defence of Barclays against a $13bn claim brought by Lehman Brothers over the purchase of its North American broker unit, has brought the decision to a head.
Although the firm has not finalised the office headcount, it is expected to bring in a group of associates to support Harrison.
Schiller (pictured) said: ‘Natasha is a distinguished English lawyer, with a leading practice in finance litigation and arbitration, areas in which our firm’s works is increasing globally each year. She will be the managing partner in our London office and joins our talented partnership in addressing clients’ most critical issues around the world.’
Boies Schiller’s 2012 profits per partner stood at $2,725,000, according to The American Lawyer 2013.
david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk
