Linklaters has hired Ropes & Gray partner James Douglas to its London office, its second restructuring hire in as many months.
Douglas regularly advises clients such as KKR Credit, Bartec and Peermont Group. He joined Ropes in 2010 from New Zealand firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts, after also being a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He also has extensive experience in the litigation, arbitration and mediation of commercial disputes, including disputes arising out of corporate joint ventures, debt financings, derivatives and corporate insolvencies.
Recently, Linklaters hired Goldman Sachs’ managing director Sarah Mook into its restructuring team, who is due to start at the Magic Circle firm at the end of June. Conversely, restructuring rising star Yen Sum left Linklaters’ banking practice late last year to join US firm Sidley Austin after eight years.
The Linklaters hires follow the strategy of Tony Bugg (pictured), former restructuring head, who was appointed global head of banking in early 2016 after Gideon Moore was elected managing partner. Last year, Bugg restructured the banking team appointing four new practice heads for leveraged finance, restructuring and insolvency, global loans and financial structuring.
Recently, in a bid to add another more senior hand to its finance team, Ropes also appointed Herbert Smith Freehills’ former UK and EMEA head Malcolm Hitching, bringing its offering up to 12 partners in total.
Both firms did not comment.
georgiana.tudor@legalease.co.uk