Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) continues to build its City roster with the hire of Reed Smith corporate partners Giles Beale and James Wilson, who join as the firm seeks to ‘help domestic and international clients take advantage of transactional opportunities’.
Beale and Wilson specialise in corporate finance and international mergers and acquisitions, in particular involving equity capital markets.
The pair advise on a wide variety of issuers, investors and intermediaries on initial public offerings, secondary offerings and takeovers in London, and are experienced in advising overseas businesses and investors in their dealings with the London Stock Exchange, the UK Listing Authority and the UK’s Panel on Takeovers and Mergers. In particular, Beale led Napo Pharmaceuticals in the first primary listing of a US corporation on the main market London Stock Exchange when it went public in 2006.
HFW has had a difficult year, with a 15% slide in its profits per equity partner (PEP) for the 2014/15 financial year and was hit with a professional negligence dispute.
The firm has made several lateral hires to its London team this year, including finance partner Stephen Marais from rival Ince & Co and energy partners Alexander Reid and Jonathan Martin, who joined from Baker Botts and Fasken Martineau respectively.
HWF corporate head Brian Gordon said: ‘Despite the market downturn, and by working closely with our wider legal service and industry sector groups, we are seeing significant opportunities to help domestic and international clients take advantage of transactional opportunities when and where required.’
Separately, Baker & McKenzie also a key London hire today (3 December), with the appointment of dispute resolution and arbitration partner Andy Moody. Joining from Eversheds in January 2016, Moody is recommended by The Legal 500.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
