In a week of German hires, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Noerr have added depth to their German offices with Clyde & Co and Farrer & Co making moves closer to home.
On the back of dismantling its intellectual property (IP) practice, Ian De Freitas is the latest partner to jump ship from BLP after IP head Simon Clark also announced his departure earlier this month. De Freitas joins Farrer & Co, bringing with him 25 years’ experience in the field working on litigation and regulatory investigations.
A particular focus of De Freitas’ practice is helping clients prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation which is due to come into effect in May 2018.
De Freitas, who joins the firm on 18 April 2017, commented: ‘It is an exceptionally busy time for clients who are preparing for the GDPR. After it takes effect, there will be a move towards regulatory enforcement and litigation. Farrers has been gearing up for this and I very much look forward to combining my experience with theirs.’
As De Freitas leaves, BLP has hired Till Buschmann as a partner to launch its restructuring practice in Frankfurt.
Buschmann, who joins 1 April 2017, will form BLP’s first restructuring capability in Germany and complement its pre-existing real estate, finance and tax teams. Buschmann joins from Dentons corporate and restructuring team, after a previous stint at Ashurst.
BLP’s German managing partner Roland Fabian said: ‘The appointment of Buschmann adds a new service line across our offices, and brings expertise into the increasingly busy German M&A market.’
Staying in Germany, Munich headquartered firm Noerr is launching a Hamburg office in conjunction with the hires of Volker Land, Matthias Stupp and Kai-Michael Hingst as partners from White & Case.
Land, who has previously acted as White & Case’s German corporate co-head, will lead the new office with Noerr partner Christoph Spiering. Stupp arrives at the firm with a background in litigation while Hingst is a banking specialist.
Moving back to the UK, Clyde & Co has announced the hire of Terry Saeedi as a partner in its pensions team. Previously head of pensions at Gordons, Saeedi is a seasoned specialist in pensions law, offering over 20 years background in advising sponsors and trustees on pension schemes.
Saeedi will be joined by senior associate Matthew Ambley, who has worked with Saeedi for nearly 10 years.
Saeedi said: ‘I am delighted to be joining a firm with such a strong reputation and brand. I am looking forward to developing our services to our clients further, and playing a part in the team’s continued growth.’
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk