Amid a hectic week for lateral partner recruitment, Herbert Smith Freehills has picked up two former Hogan Lovells financial litigation partners in New York to boost its US operations.
A significant blow for Hogan Lovells, global head of financial services litigation Marc Gottridge and New York administrative partner and fellow financial litigator Lisa Fried are the high-profile departures.
A seasoned litigator with over three decades of experience, Gottridge handles large-scale, cross-border and complex litigation and regulatory enforcement for international clients in the financial services industry. Fried represents some of the world’s leading financial institutions and other global companies in complex commercial litigation, major class actions, and investigations.
Scott Balber, managing partner of HSF’s New York office, described the pair as ‘established market leaders in financial services litigation with a deep wealth of experience in the space.’ He added: ‘Their addition will underline the strength of our practice in New York and adds to our already compelling offering.’
Continuing its expansion into Europe, US employment specialist Littler has launched in Portugal via an association with domestic employment firm DCM Lawyers. The new entity, DCM Littler will have offices in Lisbon and the Algarve, and will be staffed by three lawyers, two trainee lawyers and three paralegals.
It comes four years after the firm opened in London, via a tie-up with boutique GQ Employment Law. On the Portugal opening, global practice leader and chair of the international employment practice Peter Susser said: ‘This dynamic group of lawyers has carved out a space for themselves as go-to labour and employment counsel in Portugal, and we look forward to collaborating with them to help clients in the region navigate an increasingly complex legal environment.’
In the City, Debevoise & Plimpton has made a major disputes play, bringing in former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer litigator Patrick Swain as a partner. An established figure in commercial disputes, Swain has guided clients through high-profile claims involving M&A-related and other shareholder disputes, commercial fraud claims, professional negligence litigation and contentious insolvency.
Michael Blair, Debevoise’s presiding partner, commented: ‘Our litigation practice in the UK has long worked at the highest level of the market, achieving a series of high-profile wins in the country’s most senior courts. Patrick fits that mould perfectly, having a proven track record of working with sophisticated clients on their most business-critical litigation matters.’
Also in London, Baker McKenzie has hired Andrew Hedges as a partner from Norton Rose Fulbright to bolster its corporate EMI (energy, mining and infrastructure) practice. Hedges, who attended the COP 26 summit on behalf of Baker McKenzie this week, has expertise in assisting clients engage with energy transition and decarbonisation.
Richard Blunt, head of Baker McKenzie’s head of corporate EMI for EMEA, said: ‘A talent like Andrew is hard to find. Andrew’s skillsets in and in-depth knowledge of the energy and carbon markets are hugely valuable. His ability to speak knowledgeably to, and direct practice in the issues associated with the energy transition and renewables assets, will enable us to win further mandates in the energy infrastructure M&A and development spaces, where we are keen to expand our market share.’
Charles Russell Speechlys is the latest firm to take advantage of the recent Mishcon de Reya pre-IPO exodus , appointing Madalina-Andreea Dumitrescu as a commercial disputes partner.
Dumitrescu is an experienced adviser on a wide range of contentious and commercial issues for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, and has a dual litigation and arbitration practice. Managing partner Simon Ridpath noted that her client base spanning the Far East, Middle East and Europe chimed with the firm’s key markets.
Norton Rose Fulbright has strengthened its London project finance bench with the hire of partner Alistair Black from Dentons. He specialises in the development and financing of major energy projects and has particular experience relating to advising sponsors, bidders and lenders within the oil and gas, LNG, petrochemicals and power sectors.
Black said of his switch: ‘At this key moment for the energy sector, the energy transition will be hugely influential in shaping the EMEA region’s energy future and I look forward to adding to the firm’s excellent offering in this area.’
Orrick had a productive week of recruitment, appointing a new partner in both London and New York. In London, the firm has hired tax partner David Klass from Hunton Andrews Kurth, bringing with him expertise in the tax aspects of UK, cross-border and international corporate and finance transactions.
And in New York, the firm has welcomed IP partner Rob Parr from Wilson Sonsini. Parr advises clients on transactions focused on the exploitation of IP rights and technology across various industries, including fintech, cleantech, AI, software, hardware, media and digital health.
Similarly fruitful this week was Reed Smith’s recruitment, as the firm hired partners in both London and Dubai. In the City, the firm has reinforced its corporate trust capabilities with the dual hire of partner Paulette Mastin and counsel Paul Regan from Linklaters. Renowned for her counsel on complex trustee matters, Mastin advises bank and independent corporate trustees, agents and companies on a variety of capital market transactions.
And in Dubai, Reed Smith has appointed contentious energy partner James Willn, formerly head of Stephenson Harwood’s construction practice for the Middle East and North Africa region. Willn advises a broad range of clients, primarily within the offshore oil, gas, construction, energy and maritime industries, on the formation of international contracts and disputes.
In France, Shearman & Sterling has landed a four-partner transactional team from DLA Piper, greatly strengthening its presence in the region. Xavier Norlain, Jeremy Scemama, Maud Manon and Matthieu Lampel are the incoming partners, who collectively offer specialisms in M&A, private equity, leveraged finance and restructuring.
David Beveridge, Shearman’s senior partner, said: ‘Each of these new partners brings with them a wealth of experience and the addition of this renowned team exponentially enhances our expertise in Paris.’
Doubling down on its Paris recruitment from last week, BCLP has further grown the office with the appointment of M&A partner Frédéric Jungels from Allen & Overy. Jungels focuses on acquisitions and the sale of listed and unlisted companies on behalf of both French and international clients. He also has significant experience in joint ventures, tender offers and corporate governance matters.
Jungels said: ‘BCLP is a fast-growing firm in France, and joining this adventure is a challenge that I am very excited to be part of.’
CMS has hired a leading financial restructuring partner in Hong Kong, with Kingsley Ong joining from Eversheds Sutherland where he led its debt capital markets, structured finance, securitisation and restructuring and insolvency practices in Asia.
Caryn Miller, CMS partner and joint managing director for Asia and the Middle East, said of the hire: ‘Kingsley’s extensive international experience, including in London and Singapore, means that we will be able to leverage more from our Finance platform across the APAC region and significantly strengthen our capabilities on the ground in Hong Kong.’
