Stephenson Harwood has made a significant addition to its restructuring practice, hiring former Allen & Overy partner Tim Crocker in London. A non-contentious finance expert who left A&O last year, Crocker has over 20 years’ experience advising clients on complex debt restructurings and insolvencies.
Tammy Samuel, head of finance at Stephenson Harwood, said Crocker’s hire was in line with an expected uptick in restructuring as governments gradually remove pandemic state support. She commented: ‘For many businesses, the coming months and years will be crunch time, when they need to critically assess the changes they might need to make in order to ensure their long-term success. That’s where the experience and understanding of specialists like Tim will really come into its own, and why R&I – on both the contentious and non-contentious sides – is something we’re actively looking to grow at the firm.’
Meanwhile, Wedlake Bell has made the most notable hiring move of the week in London, adding three new partners to its private client, intellectual property and data protection teams.
Charles Wang is a private client partner who joins from Rosenblatt, where he had led the firm’s China desk. He specialises in advising Chinese ultra high-net-worth individuals as well as other wealthy clients on their investments in the UK.
Charlotte Wilding becomes Wedlake Bell’s new head of trade marks after switching from Deloitte. Also joining from Deloitte is data protection partner Alexander Dittel, who has spent ten years in both big tech companies and private practice advising on data protection issues.
Managing partner Martin Arnold emphasised the impact the new hires would have: ‘They are outstanding lawyers with a wealth of expertise and experience that will add value to our award-winning practice areas.’
Payne Hicks Beach has a made a strong white-collar crime appointment this week, hiring Paul Dorrans as a partner from Simmons & Simmons. In addition to a 15-year history of advising on complex financial services disputes, fraud and other white collar crime matters, Dorrans brings an international depth to his practice having operated across London, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
In Scotland, Burness Paull has announced it has hired Grace McGill and her team of four lawyers joined from boutique firm McGill & Co. Joining as a partner, McGill will strengthen Burness Paull’s ability to assist clients with complex international visa and employment regulations.
Chair of the firm, Peter Lawson, said: ‘A combination of geopolitical effects resulting from Brexit and the pandemic is remaking the immigration law landscape. It’s a global issue that requires experience, vision and flexibility to navigate, and Grace brings these qualities in abundance. She is regarded as the top immigration lawyer in the market and her desire to join Burness Paull is a major coup for us.’
Internationally, fresh off a team hire in Poland last week , CMS has picked up a transactional team in Dubai. The arriving team is led by M&A specialist Patrik Daintry who joins from Baker Botts alongside a senior associate. They are joined by a senior associate from Taylor Wessing and a senior paralegal from a large Abu Dhabi conglomerate.
John O’Connor, head of corporate at CMS Dubai, commented: ‘The addition of these four talented lawyers will boost the team significantly and position us as one of the leading transactions practices in the Middle East. Patrik is a first-rate lawyer with deep sector experience which complements the firm’s sector-driven approach, a key differentiator for us in the region.’
Also in Dubai, Squire Patton Boggs has established a new sports law team to build out its specialisms in the Middle East. Steven Bainbridge joins as a partner from Dubai firm Al Tamimi & Company, taking up a new role as head of the sports and entertainment group. Bainbridge is joined by senior associate Andrew Moroney, who joins from the same firm.
In a statement of intent, Stephen Sampson, global head of SPB’s sports and entertainment group said: ‘With the arrival of Steve and Andrew, the practice has taken a major leap forward, to become the leading practice in the Middle East.’
And in Paris, Goodwin has boosted its intellectual property capabilities through the hire of former Dechert partner Marie Fillon. Fillon has a transactional slant to her practice, advising clients on intellectual property-related issues in relation to M&A and private equity deals.
Mitchell Bloom, chair of Goodwin’s life sciences group, said that Fillon’s arrival underlined the firm’s status as ‘the global destination practice for the life sciences industry.’