The City lateral market has been abuzz with activity, as major moves in the infrastructure, corporate, funds and real estate sectors have proven.
Paul Hastings has hired Linklaters co-heads of infrastructure Jessamy Gallagher and Stuart Rowson in London, significantly boosting its City credentials.
Both hires feature in The Legal 500 hall of fame. Gallagher has a track record of working on the largest deals in the infrastructure space, which includes advising National Grid on the £14bn divestment of its gas distribution business. Rowson, who helped establish the firm’s funds and financial investors practice, brings extensive knowledge of financing in the infrastructure and energy sector.
The departures mean that Linklaters is the latest Magic Circle firm to see its infrastructure leading lights depart for US rivals. Allen & Overy lost Sara Pickersgill and Paul Sampson to Kirkland & Ellis in 2022, while the Chicago juggernaut also took Toby Parkinson and James Boswell from Clifford Chance.
Linklaters also saw its corporate ranks depleted, as M&A partner Sarah Flaherty departed for Weil Gotshal. Having joined Linklaters as a trainee in 2008, she advised on public and private M&A transactions as well as corporate restructurings, joint ventures and equity offerings during her time with the firm.
Elsewhere, Macfarlanes made a rare senior addition this week, as Stephen Ross joined from Sidley Austin where he was head of the London private funds team. Having previously worked at Clifford Chance and in-house at Man, Ross brings experience of private fund formation across a wide range of illiquid strategies.
Ross told Legal Business: ‘When I came back to private practice nine years ago, I decided to find a firm that had a blend of hedge funds and closed ended limited partnership work. That put me into the world of Sidley, Schulte, Akin and Dechert. Since then, the market has become more and more attractive for closed ended funds. I found myself doing 90% closed ended and 10% hedge. The Macfarlanes platform has great depth, in terms of its client base, its tax capability, its regulatory capability, along with its private client business, which is an interesting source of work these days for closed ended fund lawyers.
‘There was a feeling that my experience and my fresh perspective, given my in-house and US firm experience, would add something to the mix.’
Elsewhere, Wilson Sonsini brought Fleur Benns, Sarah Lane and Martin Luff into its City office as partners. Benns arrives from Pinsent Masons, where she was a legal director and focused on employee incentives and benefits, most notably in the life science and tech sectors. Tax specialist Lane moves over from Simpson Thacher, where she was a counsel, and previously spent 12 years as a partner at KPMG. Luff joined the employment group from Vinson & Elkins where she was a counsel and handles the employment aspects of corporate transactions.
US compatriot Locke Lord has also recruited in London, as Artem Faekov joined as a partner in the energy and infrastructure practice. Focusing on corporate and investment transactions, Faekov has experience across projects related to technology, media and telecoms, energy and infrastructure as well as emerging markets. He joined from Akin Gump.
Meanwhile, King & Spalding continued its rich vein of hiring form by recruiting ex-Reed Smith counsel Patrick Schumann as a partner. His practice focuses on restructuring, and he has had significant mandates in the energy, construction and commodities sectors.
This is the latest addition to King & Spalding’s rapidly growing corporate, finance and investments group. Recent arrivals have included Stephen Sims, who joined last November, while Richard Kitchen and Amin Doulai arrived in August.
Reed Smith also lost its London corporate real estate lead, as Chris Beaumont-McQuillan joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. He has a particular focus on Middle Eastern capital, having worked in the region during his time at White & Case, and advises REITs, PERE funds, asset managers, sovereign wealth funds and property developers.
Financial services was Morrison Foerster’s focus, as it hired Sam Riley into the London transactions department as a partner. Riley returned to private practice after six years at the Bank of England, where she developed expertise in financial regulation, fintech, digital innovation, and emerging technology in financial services and advised Sir Jon Cunliffe in his role as chair of the committee for payments and market infrastructures.
Also, Boodle Hatfield launched its new immigration practice this week, recruiting Zoe Jacob as a partner. Having taken a short career break, Jacob most recent role was at Farrer, where she was a senior associate, and she has acted as counsel for the Home Office in respect of a range of appeals in the Immigration Tribunal.
Finally, Paul Weiss has made a significant addition to its antitrust litigation team in New York, as Katherine Forrest joined from Cravath, Swaine & Moore. A former US District Judge for the Southern District of New York and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice, Forrest provides expertise in investigations in addition to criminal and regulatory enforcement matters.