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Strategic Recruitment: King & Spalding continues City drive with Steptoe hire

King & Spalding has continued its City recruitment drive with the hire of Steptoe & Johnson’s London dispute resolution partner and co-head of the Russia and CIS group, Egishe Dzhazoyan.

Listed by Legal 500 as a leading arbitrator with ‘excellent common sense’, Dzhazoyan is a UK and Russian-qualified lawyer who has represented clients in more than 50 arbitration and litigation proceedings across a host of international jurisdictions. He has a particular focus on the banking, telecoms and energy sectors.

Dzhazoyan becomes the 15th partner in King & Spalding’s growing London office and the fourth dispute resolution partner, joining Tom Sprange, Jane Player and Sarah Walker. Player and Walker joined the firm from Bird & Bird last year.

According to an announcement by the firm today, Dzhazoyan will work closely with the Moscow office, which launched a Russian disputes practice in February with the recruitment of partner Ilia Rachkov, who recently acted as an expert witness on Russian law in the high profile £3.5bn dispute between Roman Abramovich and former business partner Boris Berezovsky.

‘Egishe is an excellent lawyer who is highly regarded in key King & Spalding practice areas, including financial services and energy,’ said John Keffer (pictured), co-managing partner of the London office. ‘His addition will add further depth to our London disputes group, which has become one of the largest practice areas in the office, as well as form another significant link with our Russian practice.’

In May, the Legal Business Global 100 top 40 firm launched its London trade practice with the hire of Bird & Bird’s head of international trade and customs for Brussels and London, Iain MacVay. The firm’s stated ambition is to double its City base to around 60-75 fee earners by the end of 2014.

caroline.hill@legalease.co.uk