Firms began their Christmas shopping in earnest last week, with LB100 pacesetter Fieldfisher strengthening its energy practice while Pinsent Masons recruited in structured finance and King & Spalding enhanced its City corporate practice.
Meanwhile, TLT made a hire in the regions as Bird & Bird and Dentons made moves abroad.
Fieldfisher hired corporate partner Matthew Williams from Orrick, where he had been co-head of the firm’s European energy practice. Williams will now serve as Fieldfisher’s co-head of energy and natural resources, based in London and Birmingham, with experience in project finance, M&A, commodity trading and corporate restructuring.
Fieldfisher’s co-head of energy and natural resources Dominic-Gurney Champion said: ‘His appointment adds significant firepower to our UK renewables practice and helps join the dots with our strong European reputation in this area. Matthew will help extend the reach of our energy expertise across our UK offices.’
King & Spalding, meanwhile, added to its corporate, finance and investments practice in the City with Derek Meilman from Hogan Lovells. Meilman’s practice focuses on industrials, having worked in energy, infrastructure and consumer retail.
Not to miss out on the festive hiring spate, Pinsents recruited former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Ian Falconer. At Freshfields, Falconer had played a significant part in the firm’s structured finance business in the City, having headed the practice between 1993 and 2001 before relocating to Paris. He brings experience covering public and private transactions.
Elsewhere, TLT made a move north of the border, hiring Damien Bechelli as a corporate partner to the firm’s Glasgow office. Formerly of DWF, Bechelli will now form part of TLT’s expansion strategy in Scotland, bringing with him experience advising on corporate and commercial matters to local and international clients.
Internationally, Bird & Bird found itself at the centre of multiple moves. In Paris, the firm appointed white collar crime partner Jean Tamalet to its compliance and investigations team. Joining from corporate crime boutique Tamalet & Associés, Tamalet has regularly assisted corporate officers and legal entities, focusing primarily on matters related to financial offences and criminal liability.
In Hong Kong, however, the firm lost a six-lawyer dispute resolution team to Dentons, including partners Robert Rhoda and Richard Keady. Before arriving at Dentons, Keady had spearheaded Bird & Bird’s international dispute resolution group in the Asia-Pacific region, and has advised governments and multi-national corporations. Rhoda, meanwhile, acted on international arbitration matters and cross border litigation, having spent ten years in Hong Kong.
‘We are thrilled to have this deeply experienced team on board,’ Dentons Hong Kong managing partner Keith Brandt commented. ‘The expansion of our litigation capabilities is a key pillar of our strategic growth plans in Hong Kong.’