Dechert is to appoint Kirkland & Ellis banking and finance partner Rob Bradshaw, returning to the Chicago-bred firm’s London office for recruitment for the second time in the last six months.
Part of its City push, Dechert also hired Kirkland partner John Markland last November. Markland had been with Kirkland for 12 years and founded the firm’s European debt finance team, advising clients such as Palamon Capital Partners, Mid Europa and Bain Capital.
Bradshaw was made partner at Kirkland in 2015, and was previously an associate at Allen & Overy. His practice focuses on cross-border financing transactions, including leveraged and acquisition financing, refinancing and restructurings. He advises both borrowers and creditors.
Bradshaw’s key mandates at Kirkland included representing Bain Capital in connection with the financing of the acquisition by Autodis of Doyen Auto, and TPG Growth on the acquisition of Frank Recruitment Group in April 2016.
Dechert has been significantly improving its finance practice in the City in recent months, with the hire of DLA Piper partners Philip Butler and David Miles. Miles was DLA’s head of debt finance in London while Butler was head of finance and projects, and global co-chair in the firm’s financial services sector.
Alongside Markland, Dechert also hired White & Case’s private equity partner Ross Allardice last November.
As well as losing high-yield heavyweight Ward McKimm to Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2015, Kirkland also lost a seven-partner team to Sidley Austin in Munich last month, after having already lost a six-partner deal team from its London office to Sidley one year before.
Conversely, Kirkland took star finance partner Michael Steele in 2015 and real estate finance partner Jonathan Birks in late 2016, both from Freshfields.
Earlier this month, Kirkland also hired Munich-based corporate partner Volkmar Bruckner from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, to replenish the German practice.
Dechert and Kirkland declined to comment.
georgiana.tudor@legalease.co.uk