‘Ambition, confidence and opportunity’: Eversheds selects new members of its senior leadership team

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Leadership Eversheds Sutherland
‘Ambition, confidence and opportunity’: Eversheds selects new members of its senior leadership team

Eversheds Sutherland has announced several new appointments to its senior leadership team across its practice groups and business services teams.

Succeeding Paul Worth, who is retiring at the end of December following 21 years at the firm, Mark Davenport will take on the role of litigation and dispute management practice group head. Davenport led the commercial dispute resolution team for the last three years. Taking on Davenport’s role as head of CDR is Lisa Barge, the former head of real estate litigation, whose boots will in turn be filled by Will Densham.

Revolving doors: Two out, two in at Kirkland, as A&O sees first exit following merger approval

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Strategic recruitment
Revolving doors: Two out, two in at Kirkland, as A&O sees first exit following merger approval

London fraud specialist Andy McGregor has become the first partner to leave Allen & Overy since partners voted in favour of its merger with Shearman & Sterling last week. A Legal 500 leading individual for civil fraud in London, McGregor is particularly experienced in banking litigation. He moves to disputes boutique Enyo Law after eighteen months at A&O, which he joined from RPC in May 2022.

Kirkland & Ellis has seen another partner depart its London office with the move of IP litigator Katie Coltart to Linklaters. Coltart joined Kirkland as a partner in 2018, and previously spent six years at A&O, where she qualified in 2011.

Weil set for new London leadership as longstanding office head Mike Francies prepares to step down

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Leadership Weil
Weil set for new London leadership as longstanding office head Mike Francies prepares to step down

Longstanding Weil Gotshal & Manges London managing partner Mike Francies is set to step down after more than 20 years in the role. Francies, who joined Weil from Clifford Chance in 1998 and started leading the office two years later, will retire at the end of 2024.

Public M&A partner David Avery-Gee and private equity partner Jonathan Wood will work alongside Francies as co-managing partners for a transition period starting in January 2024.

Revolving Doors: lateral hiring market picks up pace again

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Strategic recruitment
Revolving Doors: lateral hiring market picks up pace again

The beginning of October has seen the lateral hire market leap back into action following the summer lull, with several high-profile hires across disputes, arbitration, and IP.

Goodwin has strengthened its litigation offering with the appointment of government investigations and enforcement partner Mark Beardsworth.  Beardsworth is a Legal 500 Leading Individual for white-collar crime and will lead the firm’s European investigations and enforcement practice. He carries out internal investigations for corporations and regulators and advises on a range of risk and governance issues.  Alongside this he has been involved in prosecutions by HM Revenue and Customs, the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Financial Reporting Council.

‘We opted for ambition’: King & Spalding’s Tom Sprange KC on the firm’s London move and expansion plans

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Global London King & Spalding
‘We opted for ambition’: King & Spalding’s Tom Sprange KC on the firm’s London move and expansion plans

Following the announcement of its move to a new office space at 8 Bishopsgate, Legal Business spoke to King & Spalding London managing partner Tom Sprange KC (pictured) about the move, the firm’s expansion plans and cracking the private equity market.

‘I can’t emphasise enough how important the new office is to us, on a strategic, symbolic, practical, and professional level. The firm launched in London in 2003 with a handful of people in rented office space so announcing a new state-of-the-art office is a perfect way to not only mark our 20th anniversary but also to secure the foundations for further growth over the next two decades and beyond,’ Sprange responded when asked about the rationale behind the move.

SRA closes Axiom Ince with immediate effect following intervention

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Legal regulation Ince
SRA closes Axiom Ince with immediate effect following intervention

Drawing a long-running saga to its inevitable conclusion, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has today (3 October) announced that it has closed down Axiom Ince with immediate effect following its intervention to protect the interest of clients and former clients of the firm.

This intervention by the SRA prevents Axiom Ince from operating, while it takes ownership of all documents held by the firm and all money, including client money, held by the firm. It has appointed intervening agents to deal with all live matters held by Axiom Ince across its network and to deal with the closure of its offices.

Revolving Doors: CC expands in London and Dubai as LB100 firms strengthen regional teams

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Revolving doors
Revolving Doors: CC expands in London and Dubai as LB100 firms strengthen regional teams

Clifford Chance began last week by revealing that it had acquired two new partners, Craig Nethercott and Chirag Sanghrajka, to its global energy and infrastructure practice in both London and Dubai respectively.

Nethercott joins  from Latham & Watkins, where he spent nearly 14 years as a partner, before which he spent seven years as a partner at White & Case. He brings to CC a wealth of experience handling work involving banking, capital markets, Islamic finance and energy transition projects. His clientele includes energy, metals, and infrastructure companies, as well as capital providers.