Clyde & Co litigator Paul Friedman (pictured) has left the firm after more than 12 years to join US firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as its expands its Israel practice.
Recommended by the Legal 500 for litigation, Friedman will join Quinn Emanuel’s 12-partner team in London but will split his time between the City and Israel, despite the firm not having an office in the Middle East.
‘Quinn Emanuel has focused on representing Israeli clients for over a decade, and has successfully litigated disputes for Israeli clients in the US, the UK, the EU and elsewhere,’ said managing partner John Quinn. ‘Given that Paul will divide his time between London and Israel and has deep connections to Israeli business, Paul’s practice will also be a further boost to the firm’s Israel practice.’
At Clydes, Friedman advised on complex international disputes for global investment banks, private equity houses and high net worth individuals. He also has experience acting for clients in international arbitrations and mediation.
Some of his key cases include acting for a US bank for claims around complex financial markets derivatives transactions and a structured investment vehicle with $5bn under management; representing a Japanese investment bank and a Japanese securities finance company in relation to the Lehman collapse; and advising a Russian company in liquidation in the UK against various high net worth individuals and a related company on a claim for in excess of $2bn in High Court litigation.
Recent mandates for Quinn’s disputes team include advising Blackstone fund GSO Credit in its dispute with Barclays Bank and HCC International Insurance Company, in the first decision to be delivered by London’s new commercial court; while in the US the firm took on some of Wall Street’s top firms including Sullivan & Cromwell and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, as a dozen major banks, data provider Markit and International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) were accused by investors of rigging the credit derivatives market in a case which resulted in a $1.87bn settlement last September. Quinn Emanuel had represented the investors in the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk