Winston & Strawn has hired Middle East M&A heavyweight Campbell Steedman from White & Case to head up the firm’s practice in the region.
As well as being head of the firm’s Middle East office, Steedman is also responsible for M&A, ECM and corporate finance work across the Middle East, Indian sub-continent and sub-Saharan African regions.
Steedman has 25 years’ experience of working in emerging markets and was previously senior partner of Norton Rose legacy Middle East offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Having moved to White & Case after 13 years at Norton Rose in 2011, Steedman spent five years at the US firm. He has worked on corporate finance work across the Middle East, central Europe, Africa and India.
He takes on the role of Middle East managing partner just over a year after Winston & Strawn swooped for a series of mass hires. The firm launched in the Middle East in March 2015 with the appointment of Stephen Jurgenson from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman as part of a 15-lawyer hire from the firm. Winston & Strawn also added London-based energy and infrastructure partner James Simpson and New York-based projects head Jeffrey Stern.
Steedman was Norton Rose’s senior Middle East partner until 2011 when the firm suffered a series of departures with four exits from its Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices. Dominic Harvey and Jonathan Brufal both left for Vinson & Elkins and Anthony Pallett also left for Latham & Watkins that year.
Winston & Strawn’s latest financials saw the firm increase global turnover by 4% for 2015/16, up to $818.5m.
matthew.field@legalease.co.uk
Read more on the region in: ‘Running on empty – how to survive in the Middle East in the era of cheap oil’
