Paul Weiss has continued its rapid London expansion with the hire of TDR Capital general counsel David Holdsworth, who is returning to private practice after less than two years at the private equity house
He is set to join as a partner in the US firm’s London private equity group, bringing the firm’s London partner headcount to 27, according to its website.
Holdsworth joined the London-based TDR in January 2023 after a 15-year stint at Linklaters, where he made partner in 2009, followed by six years at Kirkland & Ellis. At Paul Weiss he will be reunited with a number of his former colleagues from Linklaters and Kirkland, including London co-heads Neel Sachdev and Roger Johnson.
Johnson, who is global co-chair of the firm’s M&A practice, referenced the pair’s shared background at Kirkland in a statement, saying: ‘David is an exceptional lawyer, and I am delighted to once again have him as my partner.’
Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp (pictured, top) added: ‘David will be an excellent counselor to our private equity clients on their most complex transactions in the UK and Europe.’
Holdsworth’s move comes amid a flurry of additions to the US firm’s London office that have seen it repeatedly raid Kirkland. Asset management transactional specialist James King joined as partner from Kirkland in April, then at the beginning of August the firm announced it had recruited his Kirkland colleague Jeremy Leggate as European investment funds co-head.
This was quickly followed by the addition of investment funds partner David Pritchett, described as a ‘fantastic addition to our partnership’ in a statement by Karp, who also went on to say: ‘His experience working on complex fund formation matters will make him an exceptional asset to our growing global investment funds group.’
According to its website, the US firm now has around 150 lawyers in London, which, according to the most recent Global London ranking, puts it alongside firms such as Debevoise & Plimpton, Gibson Dunn and Cleary Gottlieb. The firm has a set itself a target of reaching 200 by the end of 2024 – a number which would place the firm among the top 20 Global London firms.
Other firms strengthening their partnerships include Dechert, which has bolstered its financial services ranks in Dubai with the addition of partner Amanjit Fagura from Morgan Lewis.
Dechert co-chair Mark Thierfelder said in a statement: ‘Ama’s global expertise and innovative approaches to fund structuring and investment transactions will be a tremendous asset to our clients.’
Fagura specialises in private funds and investment solutions for Middle East investors, including the structuring of Shari’a-compliant investments, while she also brings expertise in Sukuk issuances, and both conventional and Islamic financings.
Gus Black, co-chair of Dechert’s financial services practice group, added: “Ama’s arrival is a strategic enhancement to our global team and her expertise will significantly strengthen our capabilities in the Middle East region.”
In Sweden, Linklaters has boosted its leveraged finance offering with the addition of senior partner and Legal 500 banking and finance Hall of Famer Magnus Wennerhorn, who will lead the firm’s banking and finance practice in Stockholm.
Wennerhorn’s move comes after 19 years at White & Case where he was most recently co-head of its debt finance practice. Rebecca Jarvis, Linklaters’ global co-head of banking, said in a statement: ‘We are excited to welcome Magnus to our banking practice where his skillset will strengthen a targeted area of growth, working closely with our network to service banks, financial sponsors and corporates both locally and globally, wherever they are in the world.’
In Riyadh, Latham & Watkins has hired Leen Zaza from independent Saudi firm Khoshaim & Associates (K&A) into its M&A and private equity practice. Zasa made partner at K&A in 2020 and is a Legal 500 next generation partner for commercial, corporate and M&A. She joined K&A as an associate in 2012. At that time, the firm had a cooperation agreement with pre-merger Allen & Overy, a deal which ended in December 2020.
‘Leen is a highly regarded practitioner with first-class technical skills and a wealth of experience advising on some of the region’s most significant strategic M&A and private equity transactions’, said Latham’s MENA region managing partner Salman Al-Sudairi in a statement. ‘Her broad practice spans important sectors that are central to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious growth plans, and she will be a terrific addition to our strong and growing team.’
