DWF, CMS Cameron McKenna, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), and Mayer Brown have all made strategic hires in the last week, bolstering key practice areas in London, Scotland and New York.
CMS added to its construction team in Scotland with construction disputes specialist Shona Frame from MacRoberts, who also serves as adviser to arbitrators and adjudicators, and Ian McCann from DWF who brings 10 years of experience in non-contentious construction law, advising local authorities, developers, purchasers, funders and tenants.
CMS construction partner Lindy Patterson QC said: ‘With a resurgence of the UK economy and significant success in international markets, it’s a priority we continue to add partner capacity to our team.’
BLP, meanwhile, last week announced the appointment of real estate finance specialist, Daniyal Ansari as a partner, and is set to join the firm on 4 March. Previously a partner in the London banking team at Eversheds, Ansari focuses on investment, development, and complex structured debt, and has advised on investment transactions for Deutsche Bank AWM, Lloyds CRE, and Deutsche Pfandbriefbank in his role as relationship partner.
Ansari said: ‘BLP’s reputation as one of the leading firms for real estate finance and the quality and international reach of its practice were key factors in my decision. [It’s] client list is second to none and includes many of the highest profile investors and debt providers in the European real estate industry; this will provide fantastic opportunities for involvement in some of the most challenging and innovative transactions in the current market.’
Also in the City, having served as legal director at DLA Piper, managing legal risk and compliance within the insurance and reinsurance markets, Jeremy Irving is set to join DWF this month as partner. He regularly advises insurers and intermediaries across a range of product lines and has undertaken large scale projects including a multi-jurisdictional web-based insurance mediation programme.
Commenting on the appointment, DWF’s head of national regulatory Steffan Groch said: ‘Jeremy will be a strong addition, [and brings] exceptional technical capability in his practice area that makes him well-suited to support DWF’s insurance sector clients.’
Lastly, Mayer Brown made a key strategic hire in the US with the former co-leader of Bingham McCutchen’s global corporate group, Kevin Sheridan.
Sheridan handles transactional matters, including M&A, joint venture and other corporate advice to US and multinational businesses, including Japanese industrial and trading companies, private equity sponsors and financial services firms.
‘As business becomes more global, it is increasingly important for my practice to be part of a truly integrated international platform,’ he said. ‘Mayer Brown’s global presence, collaborative culture and strong reputation for excellence will enable me to better serve current and prospective clients.’
Richard Spehr, partner-in-charge of the New York office, added: ‘Kevin’s arrival reflects the continued growth of our New York office, and his skills will be a boon to clients here and around the world.’
Last week also saw the firm’s New York office, its second largest, relocate to 1221 Avenue of the Americas.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk