Clifford Chance began last week by revealing that it had acquired two new partners, Craig Nethercott and Chirag Sanghrajka, to its global energy and infrastructure practice in both London and Dubai respectively.
Nethercott joins from Latham & Watkins, where he spent nearly 14 years as a partner, before which he spent seven years as a partner at White & Case. He brings to CC a wealth of experience handling work involving banking, capital markets, Islamic finance and energy transition projects. His clientele includes energy, metals, and infrastructure companies, as well as capital providers.
Previously an associate at Slaughter and May and most recently a partner for five years at Latham, Sanghrajka represents financial institutions, as well as clients in the energy, mining and metals sectors. He is experienced in handling matters involving project development finance and banking in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
‘It’s too early to speak about that now,’ said Nethercott on the pipeline of work the duo will be bringing to CC. ‘But the work is essentially traditional project finance work with an increasing mix of energy transition mandates.
‘We are very excited about CC’s initiative in the US and we recently met our partners from Houston who are at the cutting edge of energy transition. The work they are doing is of significant interest to clients globally.’
Dentons has hired Carolyn Saunders as a new pensions partner in its London people, reward and mobility team. Saunders brings to the firm 14 years of experience leading the pensions team at Taylor Wessing and ten years of heading the national pensions team at her most recent firm, Pinsent Masons, where she was also head of the London office. She is well versed in providing advice across the full gamut of pensions matters, including governance, transactional and contentious matters.
Saunders explained her motivation for moving to Dentons: ‘Given the size and presence of the global team, the size of the pensions team is relatively small, which in itself creates great potential and opportunity. The pensions market has always been dynamic, especially at the moment, so it is important to be nimble and responsive when the market is like that which is easier to do in a smaller team.’
Meanwhile, Irwin Mitchell has brought a new regulatory team in London over from Ince & Co, led by partners Philip Somarakis and Colette Kelly.
Former head of Ince’s regulatory solutions department Somarakis, is often in demand from gambling companies, whom he assists with applications for bricks-and-mortar and online casino licences.
Kelly brings to the firm over two decades of expertise handling investigations and enforcement proceedings, concentrating on criminal and regulatory cases brought by the FCA, SFO, HMRC and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Discussing the logistics of the team’s move, Somarakis said: ‘We have dovetailed into the existing practice at Irwin Mitchell. Our combined skillsets provide a wider service offering to our internal and external market and we are bringing a significant number of clients from Ince who wish to follow us to Irwin Mitchell.’
Charles Russell Speechlys has added media lawyer Rebecca Steer to its commercial team in Cheltenham. Formerly at her own firm. Steer & Co, since 2005, Steer provides digital and tech businesses with advice on IP, media, technology, commercial and data protection matters. She also brings five years of added insight working as in-house counsel with her to the firm.
Outside of the UK, Quinn Emanuel has announced that it is opening new offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, appointing new partners Parnika Chaturvedi and Joanne Strain from King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) in Dubai who will join later in the year.
Disputes specialist and managing partner at KWM Dubai, Strain cut her teeth as an associate at Allen & Overy before moving to KWM in 2009. Her clients include financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and corporations, whom she advises across a range of disputes and settlements often involving Middle Eastern projects.
Chaturvedi has been a partner at KWM since 2022 and focuses on international commercial arbitration and litigation. She is sought by clients from a number of sectors, including real estate, retail, energy, healthcare, construction and insurance.
