Ropes & Gray has strengthened in the City as Harbottle & Lewis has made a major private client play. Meanwhile, at the Bar, Essex Court Chambers has made several appointments.
Last week Ropes hired leading finance lawyer Malcolm Hitching as a partner in its London office. Hitching is HSF’s former UK and EMEA finance head and had been a partner since 2003. He specialises in corporate financings, restructurings and debt finance, recent credentials include acting for Virgin Group, Lonmin and Yell Group. The departure was the second exit from HSF in a week after HSF financial regulation partner Nick Bradbury also left for Allen & Overy.
Meanwhile, media firm Harbottle & Lewis has expanded into private client with the hire of Lee & Thompson’s family team, including partners Catherine Bedford, Nicholas Westley and Mark Irving and their associates. Bedford, who will head the family law team, joined Lee & Thompson in 2007 and founded the firm’s family group. According to The Legal 500 she has ‘propelled the firm into the front line of niche family law firms’.
Finally at the Bar, Lucas Bastin is joining Essex Court Chambers from Latham & Watkins. Bastin specialises in investment treaty arbitration, international commercial arbitration and public international law and has been named leading junior in the Legal 500. The set also added Maitland Chambers banking and finance duo Ciaran Keller and James Sheehan last week.
Richard Jacobs QC, co-Head of Essex Court Chambers, said: ‘We are delighted to be welcoming Ciaran and James as new tenants. They are outstanding juniors with established reputations in the commercial/chancery arena, a great fit for the profile of disputes handled by members of chambers here and abroad.’
georgiana.tudor@legalease.co.uk
