DWF has hired Addleshaw Goddard’s former national head of employment Andrew Chamberlain to take on an identical role at his new firm, leading the strategic growth of its 60-strong UK-wide employment team.
Chamberlain headed Addleshaws employment team for nine years until 2012, when Michael Leftley took over, and served terms on both the firm’s executive committee and its governance board.
He has over 25 years’ experience advising corporate clients and FTSE 100 employers on all aspects of employment, from service agreements through to termination and restrictive covenants to TUPE, and has particular in-depth industry expertise in the financial services, transport and retail sectors.
Chamberlain initiated and led the development of Addleshaw Goddard’s transaction services team, an in-house centralised support team to manage the process elements of legal work, which was recognised in the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers Awards.
Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Leaitherland, managing partner & CEO at DWF said: ‘The UK legal market is undergoing significant change and these changes are bringing opportunities, which Andrew has said to me he feels strongly that DWF, based on its current market proposition, its senior management sponsorship and its ambition, has the right mindset to embrace and build a new employment proposition in the market which better meets the needs of clients.’
Chamberlain’s appointment is the latest in a series of strategic lateral hires for DWF which include, most recently, the recruitment of Stephen Miles as CEO for commercial services from Pinsent Masons.
Meanwhile, Addleshaw Goddard this week announced the hire of financial services partner Fiona Ghosh from Eversheds.
City based Ghosh, who currently co-heads Eversheds payment processing group, acts for financial services providers in the retail and investment banking and insurance services sector, as well as being a key advisor in the field of retail payments.
A statement from the 174-partner firm said: ‘[Fiona] has market leading expertise in joint ventures and acts for acquirers, payment facilitators and merchants on a global basis – her clients include American Express, Euronet and numerous US merchant acquirers.’
The hire marks a return to Addleshaws for Ghosh, who was a lawyer at the top 25 firm between 2001 and 2006.
Malcolm Pike, Addleshaws commercial services divisional managing partner said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Fiona back to the firm. Her skill set perfectly complements ours in that she has an existing strong track record of deals under her belt, she has financial services market credibility; and excellent client and relationship skills.’
Ghosh’s hire follows the announcement on 16 May that Addleshaws has appointed business support and restructuring head John Joyce as managing partner for a three-year term after a contested election against real estate head Adrian Collins, following outgoing chief Paul Devitt’s ahead-of-term resignation.
Devitt stood down more than a year before his term was due to end on 30 April 2015. The 174-partner firm carried out a soundings process followed by a formal period for nominations, which closed around Easter time and moved to a formal vote this month.
caroline.hill@legalease.co.uk
