In a novel lateral move, Fieldfisher has announced that cannabis regulatory pioneer Robert Jappie is joining its London regulatory team this month.
Jappie established the first department dedicated to cannabis law in the UK at previous firm Mackrell Turner Garrett in 2018. While in this position, Jappie advised CBD brands, licensed producers and medicinal cannabis companies on regulatory and commercial issues in the UK and Europe.
He then joined Ince in in 2020 where he continued to focus on advising companies on cannabis and CBD, as well as across the full spectrum of UK and European life sciences regulation. Jappie will bring with him existing clients such as British Cannabis and Jacob Hooy.
Jappie told Legal Business: ‘The cannabis sector was slow last year but that wasn’t just a cannabis problem, it was more to do with the financial climate. The expectation is that towards the end of the year the activity will start again when economic situations improve, and we shall see a second wave of companies take the plunge and go for a listing on the London Stock Exchange.’
He added: ‘Fieldfisher has an amazing presence across major European countries where cannabis regulation and food tech are really starting to pick up speed. With the firm’s focus on life sciences and technology, it seems that it is the perfect home for serious cannabis businesses in Europe. To be able to add my expertise to the practice makes for an exciting opportunity to push this firm to the forefront of the industry.
‘In terms of the UK specifically, we are going to do a lot of work in the medical cannabis sector. The potential is massive as something like 1.4 million people in the UK self-medicate cannabis. We can make the UK the centre of medical cannabis in Europe and we really expect patient numbers to expand rapidly over the next couple of years.’
Meanwhile, litigation boutique Seladore Legal has recruited former criminal barrister, Dan Hudson, as a partner in its new London white-collar and regulatory disputes practice.
Hudson brings to his new position over two decades of experience as a white-collar crime and financial regulatory specialist with a focus on corruption and sanctions.
Hudson is the latest litigator from HSF to join Seladore, whose rapidly growing practice consists of several strategic lateral hires from HSF.
On asking what he hoped to achieve in his new role, Hudson told Legal Business: ‘I plan to maintain my focus on detail and excellent execution and to help build out the contentious regulatory and white-collar practice at Seladore. The ability to help people in difficulties really appeals to me. I have a genuine grounding in criminal law and have always been fascinated by fraud and bribery and in particular navigating its overlap with civil disputes.’
Down in the West Country, Andrew Mills has joined Burges Salmon’s Bristol corporate and M&A practice. Mills specialises in advising on issues involving private equity, as well as offering his clients further expertise in infrastructure, corporate transactions, join ventures, equity fundraising and co-investments.
After spending six years at Clifford Chance as a senior associate, Mills joined MJ Hudson’s M&A team, where he has spent the last decade as the lead partner.
Mills outlined his ambitions for his new role: ‘We are growing the private equity capability in the corporate team. Private equity is a competitive space, and I am here to add some depth and bandwidth to our offering. The opportunity is about growing the client team and feeding into other parts of the firm. A significant number of clients are moving with me from my previous firm with a good pipeline of work.’
In the States, Anthony McCusker has been chosen as the new chair of Goodwin, succeeding Robert Insolia who has held the position since 2019.
McCusker takes over after a 13-year-long career at Boston-based Goodwin, where he has played an integral role in the success of its technology practice in Silicon Valley after its launch in 2010. He is sought by tech clients such as Eventbrite, Atlassian and Clickhouse for his expertise in IPOs, venture financings and M&A.
The news of McCusker’s appointment follows a period of significant expansion by Goodwin, which has resulted in an impressive 60% increase in the firm’s headcount since 2019.
Meanwhile in France, Signature Litigation has added new partner Jérémie Fierville to its team, who joins the disputes boutique from his own litigation firm. Fierville has expertise handling corporate, shareholder and financial disputes, offering representation to an array of French and international companies, as well as financial institutions. He has experience practising in both France and London.
Elsewhere, litigation partner Thomas Adocker will be joining Taylor Wessing’s IP practice based in Vienna. The former Schwarz Schönherr attorney brings twenty years of experience representing national and international clients, especially in the pharmaceutical and medical device arenas. Adocker’s arrival will strengthen Taylor Wessing’s multinational disputes offering in Austria.
