Sidley Austin has sealed the hire of CMS TMT head Clive Gringras, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer who has spent his entire career at CMS and predecessor firms Olswang and Nabarro.
Gringras (pictured) made partner at CMS in 2000 after moving over in the tripartite merger of Olswang, Nabarro and CMS in 2017, before which he was head of technology at Olswang.
He works with some of the world’s largest companies on high-stakes matters including first‑of‑a‑kind disputes and tech-focused cross-border deals. His experience also includes representing major tech companies in regulatory investigations and litigation, as well as handling internet threat cases involving spam, phishing, tech support fraud, and business email compromise.
Yvette Ostolaza, the chair of Sidley’s management committee, noted that Gringras’ hire comes as the tech market gains momentum. ‘With regulators expanding their enforcement powers under rapidly evolving technology laws, we expect more clients to turn to Sidley’s global platform across four continents for top-tier strategic legal advice,’ she said.
London managing partner Tom Thesing added: ‘He is an exciting addition and will help meet the demands of our clients who are faced with the most complex cross-border regulatory, investigation, and transactional matters.’
Gringras is the latest in a string of hires for Sidley. Just last week, the firm welcomed partner Tania Bedi from Latham, where she co-chaired the London finance department. In October, Sidley brought on five sponsor-side leveraged finance partners, including Jayanthi Sadanandan and Sam Hamilton following their August exit from Latham, as well as high-yield partners Scott Colwell and Patrick Kwak.
And the expansion does not appear to be over. Ostolaza told LB back in October that the firm plans to expand its London office with hires in capital markets, high yield, and disputes and investigations, along with further growth in private equity.
However, the firm has also seen a number of losses this year. Restructuring co-heads Mark Knight and Jifree Cader moved to Davis Polk, while M&A partner Phil Cheveley joined Covington following the departures of Lyndsey Laverack and Jade Williams-Adedeji who left in July to join Covington & Burling’s EMEA private equity team.
In a statement, CMS thanked Gringas for his contribution to the firm’s TMT practice and wished him the best for the future.
