Leading the moves this week, US law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth has expanded its London office with the addition of an 11-lawyer energy and infrastructure team from EY Law, including four partners who moved together from DLA Piper less than five years ago.
The team – which includes partners Charles Morrison, Dimitri Papaefstratiou, Simon Collier and Harry Brunt, as well as five associates, a counsel, and a consultant – specialises in energy and infrastructure deals across oil and gas, renewables, thermal power, and emerging technologies like carbon capture and hydrogen.
This marks another setback for EY Law, which previously lost partners Alan Cunningham and Richard Skipper to Hunton in October, with the firm adding over two dozen lawyers to its London office since August 2023.
Hunton managing partner Sam Danon said: ‘The team aligns well with our international growth strategy, which is focused on ensuring that we’ve achieved critical mass in key practices, in core industry focus areas and in geographies where client demand is strong’.
Elsewhere in the City, Clifford Chance has hired Philipp Girardet as a partner in its global antitrust group. He joins from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, where he was chair of the European competition practice group. Leaving Willkie after eight years, he brings experience advising on EU and UK competition law, including complex, cross-border merger control, FDI and antitrust/cartel defence cases.
He previously was a partner at King & Wood Mallesons where he moved in 2016 to set up the firm’s London competition practice.
Nelson Jung, head of London antitrust at CC, commented: ‘We are thrilled to welcome Philipp to our team. He is an outstanding lawyer who advises clients on their most complex and strategic antitrust matters.’
CC has also recently seen some departures in London. Former head of UK real estate construction Marianne Toghill has left for Simmons & Simmons after more than three decades at the magic circle firm.
A Legal 500 leading partner for non-contentious construction, Toghill focuses on complex London real estate development deals and has advised on a range of iconic buildings in the capital including the Shard, Battersea Power Station and Canary Wharf.
Duncan Athol, a partner in Simmons’ construction team, commented: ‘We are delighted to have secured such a highly-regarded construction partner in Marianne. Her vast experience, long-term client relationships and deep industry knowledge will immediately enhance the offering of our thriving construction team and wider ENRI practice.‘
CC counsel Michael Evans has also left to join White & Case as an IP and tech partner. Evans advises on the technology regulatory, IP, contract and data aspects of corporate transactions, commercial contracts and strategic projects.
White & Case has hired Haynes Boone’s London head of finance Emma Russell. Funds finance partner Russell is set to join after eight years at Dallas-headquartered firm. She brings almost 25 years’ experience having spent time at firms including Carey Olsen, King & Wood Mallesons and Squire Patton Boggs.
Her practice focuses on the full range of fund lending products across fund sectors including private equity, real estate, secondaries and infrastructure.
White & Case vice chair Oliver Brettle said in a statement: ‘Emma’s addition is another important step in the ongoing growth of our investment funds capabilities globally.’
Meanwhile, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has continued to expand its transactional capacities in London with the addition of public company M&A partner Will McDonald.
McDonald has moved after almost 18 years at Jones Day, becoming partner in the firm’s 2018 round of New Year promotions. His arrival follows the additions of White & Case private equity partner Will Summers in September and Linklaters’ co-head of leverage finance David Irvine who moved in April, becoming the firm’s co-chair of global finance.
During a two-year secondment at the Takeover Panel, McDonald was involved in regulating over 250 transactions including Anheuser-Busch InBev’s £71bn offer for SABMiller.
Another firm making moves in the IP space is Paul Hastings which has tapped boutique IP law firm EIP for intellectual property litigator Alex Morgan.
Morgan, who was made up to partner in April, advises on major disputes involving cross-border IP issues and has played a key role in EIP’s representation of Optis against Apple and ThroughPuter against Microsoft. He leaves after almost seven years at EIP and had previously spent seven and a half years at Baker McKenzie.
Brown Rudnick has also been active in the real estate space, welcoming Eversheds Sutherland real estate partner Angus Ford who joins as the firm’s head of UK & European real estate in London.
Ford specialises in advising on innovative residential, retail, and industrial developments including cloud storage facilities. He joins after nearly 12 years at Eversheds and previously spent time at legacy Berwin Leighton Paisner and Osborne Clarke.
Meanwhile, private client partner, Jonathan Burt has decamped to Charles Russell Speechlys following a six-year stint at Harbottle & Lewis.
Burt arrives with more than 30 years of experience advising entrepreneurs, business and wealth owners on international private client matters. He has also spent time at Harcus Sinclair, Baker & McKenzie and as a managing director at Barclays Wealth.
Payne Hicks Beach has tapped Withers for property partner Peter Lamb and private client senior associate Phineas Hirsch who has joined as a partner.
Lamb joins after 11 years at Withers and has worked on a broad range of transactions for major organisations, entrepreneurs and individuals. Hirsch is fluent in French and Spanish and has developed significant experience in dealing with foreign assets and estates in Continental Europe.
In the US, Freshfields has welcomed corporate lawyer Calise Cheng and employee benefits and executive compensation practice Heather Brookfield to its Silicon Valley office.
Cheng has slotted into the firm’s capital markets group. She moves after seven years at Cooley having previously spent 11 years at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Brookfield, meanwhile, focuses on the representation of companies in their compensation and employee benefits matters. Her move comes after three and a half years at Goodwin Procter.
In Germany, Latham & Watkins has welcomed capital markets partners Oliver Seiler and David Rath back to the firm’s Frankfurt office after the pair moved to White & Case in July.
Seiler and Rath advise advising issuers, private equity sponsors, and underwriters on a range of domestic and international equity capital markets transactions.
‘We are thrilled to welcome Oliver and David back to Latham,’ said Burc Hesse, office managing partner of Latham & Watkins in Germany in a statement. ‘With their reputation as top capital markets partners in Germany, Oliver and David will recontribute extensive expertise and a track record of success in innovative transactions.’
tom.cox@legalease.co.uk
