Amid the typical summer lull in lateral partner appointments, Addleshaw Goddard and White & Case have bucked the trend with two key hires apiece.
Addleshaws has bolstered its leveraged finance team with the hire of experienced partner Ewen Scott from Jones Day. The firm described the hire as ‘a clear statement of intent’, asserting that the appointment boosts both its leveraged finance team and its private equity practice.
Scott specialises in assisting lenders, including debt funds and alternative lenders, sponsors and portfolio companies both in the UK and internationally.
Alex Dumphy, head of leveraged finance, said: ‘As Addleshaw Goddard continues to grow and develop both our City practice and our comprehensive finance offering, Ewen’s first-rate knowledge of the debt advisory world will help us to deliver an ever-stronger roster of services for our client base.’
And to cap off an expansive week in London, the firm also hired veteran environmental sustainability and health and safety partner Stuart Wardlaw. Joining from Womble Bond Dickinson where he led the regulatory and environment practice, Wardlaw has spent 23 years advising industrial, commercial and public sector clients on all kinds of environmental, health and safety issues.
Nichola Peters, head of global investigations at Addleshaws, cited an increased demand for ESG advice from clients as a factor in Wardlaw’s appointment: ‘We are seeing increasing demand from clients for strategic advice on health, safety and environmental compliance issues, particularly as part of a wider ESG focus by boards and an appreciation of the risks that these pose, but also as a result of seeing the opportunities that a wider focus on sustainability and the environment creates.’
Meanwhile, White & Case has made a concerted effort to strengthen its international network with two global hires. First, in Milan, the firm has added Alessandro Zappasodi as a partner to boost both its global M&A and financial services regulatory practices.
Zappasodi, who arrives from Italian firm Pedersoli Studio Legale, represents clients in the financial services sector on day-to-day regulatory matters as well as transactions. He also has contentious experience, advising clients on litigation and sanctions brought by relevant authorities.
And in Australia, White & Case has reinforced its international arbitration practice with the hire of Lee Carroll as a partner in Melbourne. Carroll has practised in London, Paris and Australia and regularly advises international clients on drafting arbitration clauses and on the potential enforcement of bilateral investment treaties. She joins from Australian firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
Andrew Clark, White & Case partner and regional disputes head for Asia Pacific, said: ‘Having such an exceptional disputes partner on the ground in Melbourne is essential to ensure we best serve clients in and around the capital city of Australia’s second-largest domestic economy.’
Elsewhere, Fladgate has pulled off a corporate coup by appointing former Shoosmiths partner David Harrison. Harrison, who was part of the team that founded Shoosmiths’ City M&A practice, advises clients on the structuring and execution of complex acquisitions, disposals and fundraisings in both the public and private markets.
Harrison has vast experience in a range of sectors, particularly in energy, consumer, real estate and technology. He commented: ‘Fladgate’s highly personalised client-service ethos closely suits my preferred approach to developing and nurturing long-term relationships. The breadth of first-rate legal and related services it is able to offer at each stage of the corporate lifecycle makes for a truly compelling overall service proposition.’