In a dense round of disputes-heavy lateral partner recruitment, firms and chambers have made key additions to their rosters of senior advisers this past week.
Firstly, White & Case’s highly-rated commercial litigation partner Hannah Field-Lowes has joined Goodwin in London after a three-year stint. Field-Lowes has over 15 years’ experience in complex cross-border and domestic cases, particularly in disputes arising from the private equity market.
Oliver Glynn-Jones, head of Goodwin’s European litigation practice, described Field-Lowes’ arrival as ‘a significant step as we look to the next stage of market presence for our litigation and dispute resolution capabilities since establishing our UK offering just under a year ago.’
But White & Case has gone some way to offset the departure with the addition of infrastructure partners Katie Hicks and Tim Sheddick from Shearman & Sterling. Hicks advises sponsors and lenders on infrastructure acquisition financings and refinancings, mainly in the brownfield sector. Sheddick advises clients across Europe on both public and private M&A within the same sector.
White & Case’s global head of M&A, John Reiss, described the duo as ‘two of the most outstanding infrastructure lawyers in the UK’ and added: ‘Their addition will position White & Case as one of the preeminent European infrastructure M&A/finance practices. Infrastructure is one of the key pillars of our global strategy.’
Elswhere, Simmons & Simmons has also bolstered its infrastructure roster with the key hire of Marc Fèvre from Baker McKenzie. Previously global co-head of Baker McKenzie’s renewable energy practice, Fèvre assists clients with the challenges of sustainability and decarbonisation, particularly via the sourcing of corporate power purchase agreements.
And in a major hire at the Bar, tax and revenue law specialist Addington Chambers has hired Fieldfisher’s head of tax disputes Hartley Foster. Foster, who has been head of the practice at Fieldfisher since 2012, has specialised in contentious tax matters for over 20 years. It marks a return to the Bar for Foster, having started his legal career at fellow tax specialist Pump Court Chambers.
Commenting on Addington Chambers’ branding as a virtual set, Foster said: ‘Even when lockdown is fully over, virtual hearings and virtual meetings will stay. My prediction is that the Addington business model soon will become the norm for the tax Bar.’
Osborne Clarke has pulled off a significant coup through the hire of seasoned DLA real estate partner Richard Wilkinson, who will bring his 25 years’ experience of real estate investment, finance and corporate transactions. Michelle McGurl, head of OC’s projects, real estate and finance practice group described Wilkinson as ‘a top class technical and commercial lawyer with strong client relationships’.
McDermott Will & Emery has expanded its London white-collar crime capabilities through the hire of partner Simon Airey from Paul Hastings. A specialist in investigations, financial and regulatory crime, and bribery and corruption, Airey has experience in disputes arising from sectors such as construction, financial services, gambling and oil and gas.
Hamid Yunis, McDermott’s London managing partner, said: ‘Having previously practised as a barrister for many years, his clients will benefit from a forensic and strategic approach to dispute resolution and sophisticated advice in navigating the complexities of regulatory investigations, cross border disputes and corporate compliance issues.’
In a further white-collar expansion, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has strengthened its practice in Shanghai through the hire of ex-Paul Hastings partner Haiyan Tang. Tang has experience in advising multinationals on both US and Chinese enforcement actions and internal investigations. She also brings solid in-house credentials, including a stint as managing director and chief legal and compliance officer of a leading healthcare-focused Asian private equity fund.
Tang said: ‘The decision to join Quinn Emanuel was an easy one. It is known as the greatest litigation firm in the world, and I look forward to joining its ranks and helping the firm expand in China.’
Continuing the theme, specialist criminal defence and civil litigation firm Stokoe Partnership has added its seventh partner in experienced financial crime and extradition lawyer Richard Cannon. Cannon, who was previously a partner at Gunnercooke and Mishcon de Reya before that, has particular expertise in cross-border financial crime allegations.
Harbottle & Lewis has recruited within the industry for its latest private capital hire, bringing in Cayman Islands professional trustee Marcus Parker as a partner. Before moving to the Cayman Islands in 2013, Parker was founding partner of London private client boutique New Quadrant Partners. His practice centres on advising families on international structures to hold and manage their global wealth, as well as contentious trust and estate matters.
In Scotland, Morton Fraser has hired former Shepherd and Wedderburn corporate recovery partner Yvonne Brady to fill its newly-created role, head of strategy for restructuring and insolvency. Chief executive Chris Harte said: ‘Yvonne brings a wealth of experience in a field that will prove crucial in Scotland’s economic recovery from the pandemic and means Morton Fraser continues to have the right people offering clients the best advice possible.’
Fieldfisher has boosted its Manchester dispute resolution bench, hiring Knights partner Chris Gee. Gee is a specialist in professional negligence claims and contentious probate matters, and is ranked as a ‘leading individual’ in the Legal 500’s rankings for commercial litigation in the North West.
Finally, Squire Patton Boggs has added a corporate partner in Australia, appointing former MinterEllison lawyer Michael Gajic to its Sydney office. Gajic focuses on public M&A, including schemes of arrangement, takeovers and takeover defences. He also has significant experience in shareholder activism.
Gajic said: ‘The Squire Patton Boggs global platform covers all key markets and will allow me to better service multinational clients or those acquiring international assets.’
tom.baker@legalbusiness.co.uk
