US firm Mayer Brown has made a number of lateral hires this week as Pinsent Masons, Cooley and Jones Day also made notable appointments.
In a move to boost its global energy group, Mayer Brown has appointed Morgan Lewis’s former energy transactions partner Mathew Kidwell. With over 20 years of experience in the petroleum sector, Kidwell will bring his expertise to Mayer Brown’s London office.
Mayer Brown global energy group co-leader Thomas Moore said: ‘His upstream oil and gas focus adds another substantial component to our full service energy practice in London. His addition to our already strong London capabilities will help us grow our energy and oil and gas offering to be one of the pre-eminent practices in the London market.’
The firm has also hired private equity partners Julian Lemor and Birgit Hübscher-Alt to its Frankfurt base, to join the firm in spring from King & Wood Mallesons. Partner-in-charge of the firm’s German offices Guido Zeppenfeld said the hires bring strategic advantage to Mayer Brown. ‘Adding Julian and Birgit to our team continues our expansion of Mayer Brown’s transactional capabilities in Germany, particularly in the private equity arena. The new partners further strengthen our private equity competence on a European and global level.’
Still in the Rhineland, Pinsent Masons has announced a fourth partner has been posted to its new Dusseldorf outpost which the firm announced it would open last month. Torsten Bergau joins Pinsents from Hoffman Liebs Fritsch & Partner, bringing his expertise in corporate law, M&A and capital markets. He will join Thorsten Volz, Sönke Gödeke and Torsten Wielsch who joined from KPMG’s German legal team to open the office.
Pinsents’ Germany head Rainer Kreifels said Bergau’s appointment is part of the planned expansion of the new office. ‘He is a skilled lawyer of great pedigree and, together with the other founding partners in Dusseldorf, will help us to meet the needs of our clients particularly in the energy sector.’
In a move to strengthen its skill set in the Asia-Pacific, Jones Day has hired Roger Dobson and Katie Higgins, partners from Sydney firm Henry Davis York. The firm’s partner-in-charge of Australia and Japan Chris Ahern said the hires reflect the firm’s commitment to building an elite cross-practice capability throughout Australia. ‘Both have strong reputations in restructuring and insolvency, an area of increasing importance in the Asia-Pacific. Roger and Katie will strengthen our skills in this area in the Asia-Pacific, a region that will be adversely impacted by slower China growth and lower commodity prices in the near term.’
Cooley has also announced the hire of Latham & Watkins partner Patrick Gibb to boost the firm’s security litigation group. Gibb will be joining Cooley’s Palo Alto office. Cooley head of global litigation Michael Attanasio described Gibb as one of the finest securities litigators in the country. ‘He will further strengthen our market-leading securities litigation group and offer our clients another trial lawyer who excels in the courtroom and in the boardroom,’ he added.
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk