Leading the high-profile moves this week, Paul Weiss hired Akin restructuring partner Liz Osborne in London for its much-anticipated European practice launch.
Leaving Akin after almost a decade at the US firm, Osborne will join Paul Weiss as the head of European restructuring.
Recognised as a leading individual in the Legal 500 for corporate restructuring and insolvency, Osborne has been particularly active advising on situations involving Russian sanctions issues, including advising Croatia-headquartered food producer and retailer Fortenova Group on issues related to sanctioned Russian debt and equity holders in its capital structure.
Elsewhere, Dentons has announced the election of EY’s Kate Barton as global CEO, effective from November. She will replace Elliott Portnoy, the organisation’s founding CEO who has been in post since the firm’s took on its current form with the three-way merger of SNR Denton, Salans and Fraser Milner Casgrain in 2013, following Denton Wilde Sapte’s tie-up US firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, where Portnoy was chair.
Barton led multiple business units during her 39 years at EY, with her most recent position as global vice chair, reported to the Big Four firm’s global chairman and CEO on the leadership’s special transformation and growth projects. Her career began in 1985 when she joined as an intern, becoming partner in 1996 and vice chair of the Americas tax, law and people advisory services group in 2009.
‘Kate has extensive experience in leading a complex and global professional service organisation and has an outstanding skillset in managing people, processes and systems,’ said Portnoy in a statement.
Meanwhile, A&O Shearman has announced the hire of Filippo Crosara as a lender-side leveraged finance partner in London, joining from Barclays Investment Bank.
Dual English and Italian-qualified Crosara has spent just under a decade at Barclays, most recently serving as managing director in the bank’s leveraged finance group. He joined the bank as a senior associate at Clifford Chance’s London office in 2014.
UK managing partner Denise Gibson said: ‘Fil has over 18 years of experience in the legal and banking sectors, combining a very robust technical background with commercial acumen and industry awareness. We look forward to having him with us in the team.’
Over in the international arbitration space, Vinson & Elkins hired James Barratt from Fried Frank as co-head of its international disputes practice in London. Barratt brings over two decades of experience, specialising in disputes within the energy sector, particularly those related to natural gas and LNG.
Elsewhere, Fieldfisher has announced hired John McElroy from Hausfield as a banking and finance litigation partner. McElroy’s move comes after over eight years at Hausfeld including two years as head of commercial disputes. Earlier in his career, he spent time at Quinn Emmanuel and Travers Smith, acting for and against major banks and financial institutions including Macquarie Bank and American Express.
Across the globe, White & Case has bolstered its global capital markets practice with the hires of former Latham & Watkins partners Oliver Seiler and David Rath in Frankfurt.
Legal 500 Hall of Famer Seiler has over 25 years of experience in capital markets and the duo have advised on a number of significant IPOs, spin-offs and equity capital markets deals in the German market in recent years.
In France, Bracewell announced the opening of its new Paris office by hiring Norton Rose Fulbright’s global head of energy, Anne Lapierre, as managing partner. After 25 years at NRF, Lapierre will bring an 11-member NRF energy and infrastructure team, including Arnaud Bélisaire and Simon Cudennec, who will join as partners.