US firm Morrison & Foerster has made a key hire with the recruit of Latham & Watkins’ private equity partner Graeme Sloan, where he will head the firm’s London corporate practice and serve as global co-chair of the firm’s M&A practice.
Announced today (1 July) Sloan leaves Latham after nine years where he served as global co-chair of the firm’s M&A practice. Recommended by the Legal 500, he focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, acting for both strategic and private equity buyers, and on corporate finance matters.
Morrison’s managing partner for Europe, Paul Friedman, said the hire will ‘be instrumental in our continued expansion in the UK and continental Europe’.
Thomas Knox, global co-chair of the firm’s corporate department, said: ‘The M&A market in the UK and Europe has seen significant growth recently, with deal levels soaring in 2014 and with 2015 on pace to be another banner year. Graeme’s arrival comes at a great time in the market cycle.’
This is the first London hire made by the firm following a five-partner exodus led by corporate partner Justin Stock to Cooley as part of its London launch in January. Last week it also saw three lawyers, including tax partner Eric Roose, and fee-earners will be Chizuko Tomita and Takeo Mizutani, depart for private client specialist Withers for the launch of a new office in Toyko.
The firm is, however, currently in talks with Olswang’s soon-to-depart Berlin outpost after it emerged that the entire 50-strong lawyer office is set to move en masse and considering several offers from a host of international firms.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
