Having spent nearly eight years at Sidley, where Robson served as co-head of the leveraged finance practice, the duo brings extensive expertise in representing key stakeholders in complex credit transactions.
Their arrival follows the addition of leveraged finance partner Dan Peach in November, as Simpson Thacher replenishes its team after losing senior partners Ian Barratt and Sinead O’Shea to Kirkland last year.
Elsewhere, Latham & Watkins welcomed debt finance partner Hugh O’Sullivan back to its ranks. O’Sullivan, who was previously an associate at Latham before becoming a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and later Goodwin, advises on high-value, complex leveraged finance and restructuring transactions.
‘Hugh is another outstanding addition to our firm,’ said Ed Barnett, office managing partner of Latham’s London office. O’Sullivan’s return comes during a dynamic year for Latham, marked by significant gains and losses, including the departure of five sponsor-side leveraged finance partners to Sidley in August.
The firm lost another partner to Sidley last month in Tania Bedi, who rejoins her former colleagues from Latham. Bedi, a specialist in leveraged buyouts, acquisition finance, bridge-to-bond financing, telecom finance and general banking, co-chaired Latham’s London finance team since joining the firm in 2022.
Mayer Brown strengthened its structured finance practice with the addition of Chris McGarry from White & Case. McGarry, formerly head of European CLO and English law securitisation at White & Case, brings expertise spanning leveraged loan CLOs, infrastructure CLOs, commodities securitisations, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, consumer credit securitisations, whole-businesses securitisations and esoteric asset classes.
The firm also lost two partners in the City, with Aimee Sharman and Matt Lilley leaving for Clifford Chance’s private credit practice.
The pair brings specialist expertise in fund financing, with Sharman advising on bridge financing, GP support, NAV financing, asset-backed and hybrid facilities, and preferred equity solutions across private equity, credit, infrastructure, real estate, emerging markets, secondaries, and hedge funds. Lilley complements this with experience in subscription, NAV and asset-backed financings, hybrid and co-investment facilities, partner loan programmes, and preferred equity structures.
Shoosmiths expanded its M&A team with the hire of corporate finance lawyer Kurt Ma from BCLP, where he advised corporates, funds, and financial institutions on M&A, private equity, joint ventures, and investments. Ben Turner, head of Shoosmiths’ Corporate practice, said: ‘Kurt’s practice directly complements the firm’s 2030 strategy to lead in premium mid-market M&A.’
The firm also bolstered its IP practice with a six-strong team led by partners Dominic Farnsworth and Leigh Smith from legacy Locke Lord.
Elsewhere, Charles Russell Speechlys hired Charlotte Hill into its financial services regulatory team in London from Taylor Wessing, where she led the financial services regulation and fintech group.
Meanwhile, Uma Sud joins Paul Weiss‘s capital markets group in London. Sud previously spent over a decade at Simpson Thacher, joining the firm in 2013 and becoming counsel in 2018. She specialises in high-yield debt offerings in Europe and advises leading private equity sponsors, companies, and banks.
Greenberg Traurig hired restructuring and insolvency partner Aaron Harlow and international arbitration of counsel Michael Cottrell, building up its London office.
Harlow, from Shoosmiths, specialises in corporate insolvency, advising banks, asset-based lenders, insolvency practitioners, and directors. Meanwhile, Cottrell, from Pinsent Masons, focuses on infrastructure and energy disputes, with extensive experience as an advocate in complex arbitrations.
Other firms making multiple hires in the New Year include Osborne Clarke, which hired three partners to its London and Bristol offices. Competition litigation partner Aqeel Kadri and construction and engineering disputes partner Helen Waddell join the London office from Hausfeld and Pinsent Masons, respectively. Meanwhile, life sciences transactions partner Mathilda Davidson has joined the Bristol office from Gowling, where she was a legal director.
The trio is set to strengthen the firm’s non-contentious IP and disputes teams bringing expertise in competition and antitrust, life sciences, and construction, infrastructure, and energy project disputes.
At CMS, litigation and arbitration partners Simon Castley and Sarah Croft have joined from Shook, Hardy & Bacon to strengthen the firm’s contentious product liability practice for clients across Europe. This move coincides with the closure of Shook, Hardy & Bacon’s London office.
Additionally, CMS hired Nicola Hine as a partner in its London tax practice. Formerly at KPMG, Hine specialises in complex tax dispute resolution across sectors, working with clients including FTSE 100 companies, insurers, oil and gas firms, brokers, and pension funds.
Akin strengthened its energy and arbitration offerings with the recruitment of Mark Clarke, who returns to private practice from Proman, and Daniel Wayte, formerly at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Clarke will join Akin as the head of international arbitration, bringing experience from some of the largest and highest-value arbitrations globally. Meanwhile, Wayte brings over twenty years of expertise in growth equity, public and private M&A, joint ventures, asset-backed finance investments, preferred equity, and special situations to the firm’s newly launched global capital solutions team.
‘As the number and complexity of energy disputes continues to increase globally, Mark, a renowned and respected arbitration and litigation lawyer, brings a wealth of knowledge’ said Akin chairperson Kim Koopersmith. ‘Daniel scales up our capital solutions platform, adds depth to the global team and underscores Akin’s commitment to our international investor clients,’ she continued.