The latest standout lateral moves have seen Herbert Smith Freehills’ (HSF) former advocacy chief Murray Rosen QC return to the Bar, as Weil Gotshal & Manges boosts its City finance practice, Simmons & Simmons expands in Bristol, with further partner hires at Rosenblatt Solicitors and Payne Hicks Beach.
Rosen, former advocacy head of HSF, is to join 4 New Square in September. He joined HSF in March 2005 from 11 Stone Buildings to launch its advocacy unit and co-manage the team alongside Ian Gatt QC, who joined the firm from Littleton Chambers the following month. Gatt will continue to head the advocacy unit.
Rosen resigned from HSF in January 2014, announcing he would leave in April and return to the Bar, at which time HSF looked to Maitland Chambers for a rare silk hire, appointing Tom Leech QC as a partner in its City advocacy group.
Rosen’s hire will be a further boost for 4 New Square, which recently turned to White & Case for the hire of partner Paul Cowan, who joined the set after 11 years as partner at the US firm in London.
In his new role, Rosen will resume practice as an arbitrator, mediator and senior advocate. Rosen was appointed as a QC in 1993. He has experience of advising on cross-border commercial, fraud and offshore disputes.
Rosen said: ‘I am pleased to be joining 4 New Square, which is a diverse and forward-thinking set in the areas which most interest me. I see this as a great opportunity to extend my practice as an arbitrator and mediator, whilst continuing as advocate and consultant in commercial Chancery and sports and media work.’
Meanwhile, Weil, Gotshal & Manges has boosted its City finance practice with the hire of banking partner Reena Gogna who leaves Latham & Watkins after eleven years.
Gogna focuses on advising lenders and sponsors on acquisition finance transactions with a particular focus on bank and bond structures. She joined Latham in 2003 and was a solicitor at Slaughter and May before then.
The hire follows the departure of one of the best-known names in the leverage buyout market, banking head Stephen Lucas, who left Weil’s City practice to join Kirkland & Ellis in May.
The recruitment also follows some key recent hires including restructuring heavyweight Andrew Wilkinson from Goldman Sachs who joined Weil in April, and Hogan Lovells partner Chris McLaughlin who joined the firm’s banking and finance practice in January.
Gogna’s addition will boost the firm’s banking team further, which currently houses around 40 lawyers. One of her recent deals includes representing Mersin International Port in relation to the $450m project debt refinancing for the joint venture between Turkey’s Akfen Holding and Singapore’s PSA International, in connection with Turkey’s first infrastructure bond.
London managing partner Mike Francies said: ‘We are delighted Reena is joining the team. Her experience acting for lenders and sponsors is a perfect fit with our growing finance practice, which has some of the best leveraged finance, high yield and structured finance partners in the London market. In the last week alone we have received instructions on a number of new matters reflecting the strength of the team and the depth of the partner bench. Reena will only make that stronger.’
Another recent move saw Simmons & Simmons expand its Bristol-based corporate practice with partner Jocelyn Ormond who joined from DAC Beachcroft. Ormond joined DAC Beachcroft in 2006 from Allen & Overy, where he was an associate.
Ormond has experience of advising corporate and commercial matters, with a focus on M&A and equity fundraisings, covering the life sciences, healthcare and financial services sectors.
Simmons & Simmons corporate and commercial international practice head Mark Curtis said: ‘Jocelyn Ormond’s arrival marks a further milestone in the expansion of our corporate practice. His extensive experience of M&A and equity fundraisings for life sciences and other healthcare companies and financial institutions and on cross border matters will be invaluable to our international practice.’
Meanwhile, Rosenblatt Solicitors recruited Caroline DeLaney as a partner specialising in real estate disputes and Bruno Fatier as a partner specialising in financial services.
DeLaney joins from Kingsley Napley, which she joined in 2012 and headed the real estate disputes practice. Prior to this, she worked in the same role at CMS Cameron McKenna in 2000. She has experience in commercial property, residential and agricultural disputes, and acting for institutional investors, high net-worth individuals, retailers, public bodies and insolvency practitioners.
Fatier was at Clifford Chance in Paris for the last 13 years, and comes with experience of covering financial services including general banking, derivatives, market infrastructure and asset freeze.
Separately, Payne Hicks Beach hired Rosamond McDowell as a partner and Andrew Dixon as a consultant from Collyer Bristow. Both will join the firm’s private client department which currently houses seven partners, one associate and two solicitors.
McDowell specialises in tax and estate planning for individuals, families and trustees, onshore and offshore on contentious and non-contentious matters. Dixon has experience in UK and international taxation and trust and estate law. His clients include land owners, executives and partners, whom he advises on assets such as land, shares and securities and heritage property.
Managing partner Peter Black said: ‘Our private client team is experiencing increasing demand from both a domestic and international client base, and Rosamond and Andrew’s arrival further increases our capabilities. We are delighted that they join us at such an exciting time in the development of the team, and Payne Hicks Beach more widely, as we look forward to strong growth in the next 12 months and beyond.’
