In this week’s appointments around up, law firms including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, DWF and accountancy giant EY have all key appointments.
DWF announced the launch of a counter fraud team in Scotland to enhance its national fraud offering to the firm’s insurer client base – which includes Aviva, QBE, RSA, Travelers, and Zurich – with the recruit of Jill Sinclair as partner from Harper Macleod to lead the team.
Sinclair will head the team and work within DWF’s national counter fraud team led by Lorraine Carolan, former national head of claims validation at DAC Beachcroft.
The launch follows the firm’s acquisition of insurance boutique Fox Hartley in May this year, a move which bolstered the firm’s offering in litigation and alternative dispute resolution services for insurer clients.
US firm Skadden announced last Thursday (23 June) the hire of Reed Smith private equity real estate (PERE) partner Robert Porter as of counsel to its London office. Porter advises PERE firms, sovereign funds, property companies and financial institutions on UK and European real estate funds, joint ventures, M&A, financings and structured transactions across Europe and the Middle East. Porter, a former partner at CMS Cameon McKenna and Clifford Chance, will now head Skadden’s European PERE initiative.
Meanwhile, Big Four accountancy firm EY expanded its legal offering across Chile and Argentina with the hire of Jorge Garnier from Argentine power company Genneia, where he served as senior legal counsel, as an executive director to build a team focusing on corporate law. In Chile, the firm recruited Paola Bruzzone from retailer Falabella where she was general counsel. Her move to EY will see her lead the legal services group, which will focus on corporate and commercial law. The Chilean practice will initially focus on core offerings around corporate and commercial law, M&A and employment law.
EY also added to its legal team in Canada, where Toronto-based Norton Rose Fulbright corporate partner Anthony Kramreither joined EY Law to lead its business law team.
EY global law leader Cornelius Grossmann, said: ‘New legislation and compliance measures demand that we provide more expansive legal services globally. These key hires provide the breadth and experience required to deliver multidisciplinary services as we continue to acquire the leading talent for our growing teams.’
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk