Allen & Overy (A&O) has made a significant US leveraged finance play by hiring a partner from White & Case, as a host of firms added to their benches internationally.
Jake Mincemoyer has been appointed head of A&O’s US leveraged finance practice in New York, having previously led White & Case’s Americas banking department. He brings experience in all aspects of the leveraged lending market, and spent several years in White & Case’s London office.
Tim House, A&O’s US senior partner, said: ‘Beyond the complementary skills and relationships Jake brings to Allen & Overy, he also offers a vision for growth that aligns with our own.’
Dechert has likewise pulled a off a significant coup, landing a senior London restructuring partner in the form of Adam Plainer, who joins the firm from Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Plainer, who will become global co-chair of Dechert’s restructuring group, is a heavyweight figure in the market having worked on eye-catching cases including Lehman Brothers and BHS.
His arrival follows the 2020 hires of fellow restructuring partners Solomon Noh and Alastair Goldrein, as Dechert seeks to boost its credentials. Allan Brilliant, co-chair of the firm’s restructuring group, described Plainer’s appointment as ‘transformative for our presence in the European market.’
Also, in a scarcely-seen move, Slaughter and May corporate partner Murray Cox has left to join Weil’s London office. Cox advises on a wide range of corporate law but specialises in public M&A and private equity transactions in sectors spanning infrastructure, energy, financial services and healthcare.
Last year, Cox co-led a Slaughters team as it advised betting firm William Hill on its £3bn buyout by Caesars UK Holdings . Underlining what is seen as a major coup for Weil, London managing partner Mike Francies ranks Cox ‘among the leading M&A partners in London of his generation’.
Elsewhere, Addleshaw Goddard has made two key partner hires this week. Starting in London, the firm has appointed dispute resolution partner Maria Frangeskides, who arrives from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Frangeskides has a dual practice, representing companies and high-net-worth individuals in both commercial litigation and arbitration.
In Germany, Addleshaws has added a ninth partner to its national operations through the hire of banking and finance expert Nadine Bourgeois. Bourgeois, who joins from German firm Luther and will spread her time across Frankfurt and Hamburg, advises clients on acquisition finance, real estate finance and corporate loan transactions.
Michael Leue, head of Addleshaws’ Hamburg office, said: ‘Frankfurt is the financial centre of the continent, and one of the main finance capitals in the world. Having a dedicated banking and finance partner here is therefore not only vital to support German clients, but also to have a ‘face’ here for our clients worldwide.’
Despite these arrivals, Addleshaws’ has lost a London corporate partner in the form of Will Chalk, who has left to join Ashurst. Chalk, who originally trained at Ashurst before acting as Addleshaws’ head of corporate governance, advises listed, AIM and large private companies on corporate compliance issues.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher has also expanded in Germany after appointing antitrust and competition expert Jens-Olrik Murach as a partner, who will divide his time between Brussels and Frankfurt. Murach was previously a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and has a strong background in EU and German antitrust issues.
Philipp Girardet, head of Willkie’s European antitrust group, called Murach a ‘leading antitrust lawyer in Europe’ and welcomed his strengths in merger control and cartel defence matters.
Meanwhile, TLT has turned to the in-house market for its latest partner appointment, bringing in Simon Courie as a partner to its clean energy team. Courie, who was general counsel at electric vehicle infrastructure company The EV Network, will be based in London and assist clients with renewable energy schemes.
Maria Connolly, head of clean energy and real estate at TLT commented: ‘Simon brings invaluable in-house experience and real sector insight to our ambitious and growing team of specialist clean energy lawyers.’
In a statement hire for Big Four accountancy firm Deloitte, its French legal arm has hired Corinne Knopp as a partner, formerly head of Hogan Lovells’ Paris real estate team for the past 20 years. Knopp joins Taj with significant experience in advising real estate clients on investments, sales, acquisition financing, portfolio transactions or sale and leaseback transactions.
Sophie Blégent-Delapille, managing partner of Taj, said Knopp’s arrival will ‘create a new cross-functional practice, closely connected to the finance and advisory teams of Deloitte’.
A significant move for the Bar, Andrew Ayres QC has departed Maitland Chambers to join Twenty Essex. Taking silk in 2015, Ayres QC is well-experienced in international arbitration and has client connections in Asia Pacific and also in the offshore market. He is the seventh new practitioner to join Twenty Essex in the last year.
Finally, DWF has kickstarted a new insurance practice in Dubai through the hire of ex-Ince Group partner Brian Boahene. A dispute resolution specialist, Boahene will launch a practice focused on premium complex claims work in the region.