Legal Business

DLA Piper, Slaughters and Vodafone shine in 2014 Legal Business Awards

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In what has proved the largest Legal Business Awards ever held, DLA Piper, Slaughter and May and Vodafone were last night (13 February) among the winners of major prizes in front of well over 1,000 guests.

DLA Piper was named Law Firm of the Year, ahead of a shortlist including RPC, Holman Fenwick Willan, Mishcon de Reya, Stewarts Law, PwC Legal and Axiom in the wake of two years of renewed global growth and ambition.

The night was also marked by the return of Legal Business’ GC Power List report in an expanded format, with a reception held alongside the main awards to mark the report’s 2014 launch, attended by 100 corporate counsel from bluechip companies.

The report highlighted 101 rising stars working in-house.

In the main awards, Vodafone was named In-House Team of the Year, edging out a shortlist including BT, ITV and Shell. A new category – Rising Star In-House Counsel of the Year – was won by ITV’s Barry Matthews.

The awards, now in their 17th year, were held at London’s Grosvenor House with the distinguished broadcaster Jeremy Vine hosting the evening. Other flagship awards saw disputes leader Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan named US Law Firm of the Year, while Burness Paull won for best regional player. Leading German independent Noerr was named International Firm of the Year.

In the practice awards, Slaughters was named Corporate Team of the Year for its work on the most high-profile privatisation in a generation for Royal Mail. Disputes Team of the Year was handed to Jones Day and Memery Crystal, who stood out for their work successfully representing separate defendants in a high-profile $1.6bn claim brought by Excalibur.

RPC was named Competition Team of the Year, while Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance respectively secured awards for finance and private equity.

In the individual awards, 2 Bedford Row’s Maura McGowan QC won Lawyer of the Year for her work as Bar Council chair combatting cuts to legal aid, while DWF’s Andrew Leaitherland was named Management Partner of the Year for work in driving his firm’s dramatic growth in recent years.

Other winners included Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for CSR and Eversheds for Real Estate Team of the Year, while Simmons & Simmons, Mishcon de Reya and Weil, Gotshal & Manges also picked up practice awards.

The awards were held after 12 months of sustained expansion at Legal Business including a total overhaul of its website, sustained editorial investment and the launch of its acclaimed iPad edition, which now has more than 1,000 subscribers.

The Legal Business Awards and GC Power List will return in 2015 in expanded and updated format.

alex.novarese@legalease.co.uk

 

2014 winners

TMT Team of the Year – Wragge & Co

Finance Team of the Year – Allen & Overy

Restructuring Team of the Year – Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Employment, Pensions & Benefits Team of the Year – Hogan Lovells

Real Estate Team of the Year – Eversheds

Insurance Team of the Year – Simmons & Simmons

Energy & Natural Resources Team of the Year – Pinsent Masons

Competition Team of the Year – RPC

Lawyer of the Year – Maura McGowan QC, 2 Bedford Row

International Firm of the Year – Noerr

In-House Team of the Year – Vodafone

Rising Star In-House Counsel of the Year – Barry Matthews, ITV

Private Client Team of the Year – Mishcon de Reya

Dispute Resolution Team of the Year – Jones Day and Memery Crystal

CSR Programme of the Year – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Legal Technology Team of the Year – Taylor Wessing

Corporate Team of the Year – Slaughter and May

Private Equity Team of the Year – Clifford Chance

US Law Firm of the Year – Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

Management Partner of the Year – Andrew Leaitherland, DWF

National/Regional Firm of the Year – Burness Paull

Law Firm of the Year – DLA Piper

Legal Business

Asia round-up: DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells and Stephenson Harwood move to bolster regional networks

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Despite the bearish mood that last year gripped many international law firms regarding Asia, and sustained tremors this year running through emerging market securities, a host of major advisers have kicked off 2014 with significant investments in the region, including DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells and Stephenson Harwood.

DLA Piper has hired O’Melveny & Myers partner Mark Fairbairn to head its restructuring group in Asia. Fairbairn was based in O’Melveny’s Hong Kong arm, having joined in 2008 following a five-year tenure at White & Case.His focus is on distressed and alternative investments, financial restructurings and insolvency. Counsel Ashley Bell also joins the Anglo-American giant’s restructuring group from O’Melveny. This is the third recent hire that DLA Piper has made from O’Melveny, as corporate partner Timothy Tan joined the firm’s Bangkok office last month.

Hogan Lovells, meanwhile, has scored a high-profile recruit with the appointment of Herbert Smith Freehills’ head of litigation in south-east Asia, Maurice Burke. Burke, who is set to join Hogan Lovells in May, has extensive experience on a range of commercial litigation, contentious regulatory and investigation matters throughout Asia. He will work alongside Singapore-based international arbitration partners Jonathan Leach and Paul Teo, a team that is rated in the top-tier of the recently released edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2014.

Commenting on Burke’s arrival, Stephen Immelt and Michael Davison, global co-heads of Hogan Lovells’ litigation, arbitration and employment practice, said: ‘Singapore has established itself as a hub for resolving disputes in south-east Asia. As one of the leading practitioners in the region, Maurice will further enhance our top-tier offering to clients across south-east Asia.’

Elsewhere, Jones Day has announced that David Carden, the US’s first ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will re-join the firm as partner-in-charge of Asia. He was a partner based in New York and co-head of Jones Day’s securities litigation and SEC enforcement practice before his ambassadorship in March 2011.

Finally, top-50 UK practice Stephenson Harwood has hired DLA Piper’s Seoul office head Michael Kim as a partner in the marine and international trade practice to aid the firm’s launch in the much-touted economy. Kim will be based in the firm’s London office initially but with a planned opening in South Korea soon, Kim will be the managing partner of the new office.

He is experienced in ship finance and litigation, as well as arbitration matters. Both Kim and the firm share some clients including Export-Import Bank of Korea, STX Corporation, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hyundai Merchant Marine.

‘As the world’s twelfth-largest economy and one of the largest in Asia, Korea is a key market for Stephenson Harwood. Michael’s appointment further strengthens our Korea practice and provides us with the opportunity to apply for a licence for an office in Korea, and in doing so, extends our Asia network,’ said Sharon White, chief executive of Stephenson Harwood.

Whatever the doubts about Asia’s medium-term prospects, it is clear that the queue of ambitious law firms looking to forge potent practices in Asia shows no sign of shortening during 2014.

david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

O Canada! DLA Piper in talks with Heenan Blaikie partners to set up in Toronto and Calgary

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Long having eyed a Canadian presence, DLA Piper confirmed today (7 February) that it is in talks with a group of partners from the Toronto and Calgary offices of top-tier local firm Heenan Blaikie, which announced earlier this week that it is to wind down its operations following a wave of partner departures.

The discussions, which come as a management re-shuffle at the top 10 LB100 firm announced this week will see current co-chief executive and managing partner Sir Nigel Knowles take over from Tony Angel as co-chair, could provide a long sought after entry to a market that has in recent years seen the arrival of firms such as Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) and Clyde & Co.

NRF announced its Canadian launch with a tie-up with local practice Ogilvy Renault in November 2010, while top 20 UK firm Clyde & Co merged with insurance specialist Nicholl Paskell-Mede the following year.

Although a ‘deal is not yet done’ with Heenan Blaikie, a DLA spokesperson told Legal Business: ‘We can confirm that we are in discussions with a group of Toronto and Calgary-based lawyers at Heenan Blaikie.’

Heenan Blaikie, which had been running for over 40 years with 500 lawyers and 600 staff across nine offices in Canada along with a branch in Paris, announced earlier this week an orderly wind-up of its operations following a wave of partner departures.

Other firms to show an interest in the departures include Dentons, which has hired around five real estate lawyers and three corporate lawyers in Toronto and Montreal.

The discussions comes as partners at DLA heard on Tuesday 4 February that DLA’s co-chief executive (CEO) Nigel Knowles will replace Tony Angel as global co-chairman in a senior management shake-up which has also seen London IP and technology partner Simon Levine proposed as global co-CEO.

Current Americas co-chair and corporate and finance practice head Roger Meltzer has been put forward to sit alongside Knowles (pictured) in the global co-chair role, while, Americas co-chair Jay Rains has been proposed as joint global CEO alongside Levine.

On the same day, the firm filed its international accounts at Companies House revealing net debt decreased by 32% while cash in the bank dropped almost 15% from £47.5m at the end of 2011/12 to £32.4m at the end of last financial year, with the 4036-lawyer firm’s cash position also down from £35m to £29.9m.

Turnover at DLA Piper International – which includes all the firm’s activities outside the US including its share of joint ventures – increased from £788m in 2011/12 to £800.4m in the last financial period, while profit available for discretionary allocation among members dropped almost 3% from £269m to £261.5m during that period.

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Updated: Management shake up for DLA Piper as Knowles takes over as global co-chair and Levine put forward for co-CEO role

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DLA Piper’s co-chief executive (CEO) Nigel Knowles is to replace Tony Angel as global co-chairman in a senior management shake-up which has also seen London IP and technology partner Simon Levine proposed as global co-CEO, partners at the firm heard this afternoon (4 February).

Current Americas co-chair and corporate and finance practice head Roger Meltzer has been put forward to sit alongside Knowles (pictured) in the global co-chair role, while, Americas co-chair Jay Rains has been proposed as joint global CEO alongside Levine.

Former Linklaters managing partner Angel will continue as senior partner until his term expires in 16 months as the international managing partner role which Knowles currently holds will be phased out.

Levine’s recommendation, which has been put forward by the executive board, needs to be approved by the international partnership and will take effect from 1 January 2015.

At a meeting today to discuss the changes Knowles said: ‘It’s about putting us in the best possible shape. Like every good global business we’re looking to innovate and evolve. After 20 years it is the right time for me to change my role. You want to go out when you feel you can do something else for the firm and I will be focussing on clients, markets and sectors, which is very much my sweet spot.’

Angel joined DLA in 2011 as the 1,300 partner firm took steps to climb up the value chain. Last year it became the largest firm in terms of revenue with income up 9% to $2.44bn, while profit per equity partner (PEP) was up by 6% to $1.3m.

He has been significant in helping to re-shape the top 10 LB100 firm – which now has nearly 80 offices worldwide – with profit per lawyer (PPL) also up 10% annually to around $150,000 as the number of lawyers decreased by 3% to 4,036 firm-wide.

DLA launched a review of its UK practice in 2012, which led to the closure this spring of its ten-partner Glasgow office and the centralisation of its UK document-production team, which is expected to lead to around 100 job losses.

The partners at today’s meeting were keen to emphasise that the management reshuffle is being put in place now to create a seamless transition. Angel said at the meeting: ‘Large global corporates plan their succession a year out to stay on track with their vision. The board made its recommendations for succession, which we feel is the right approach for us.

‘This is a collective effort and I’m pleased with what we’ve achieved. The work is never done, however.’

While it was always unlikely that Angel would stand for a further term, privately questions have been raised over the sustainability and longterm buy-in among partners of an external senior management appointment such as Angel’s.

Francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

LLP latest: DLA Piper’s net debt down 32% as RPC posts 21% increase in fee income

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DLA Piper International’s net debt decreased by 32% while cash in the bank dropped almost 15% according to its most recent limited liability partnership (LLP) filed at Companies House.

Net debt was down from £47.5m at the end of 2011/12 to £32.4m at the end of last financial year, with the 4036-lawyer firm’s cash position also down from £35m to £29.9m.

Turnover at DLA Piper International – which includes all the firm’s activities outside the US including its share of joint ventures – increased from £788m in 2011/12 to £800.4m in the last financial period, while profit available for discretionary allocation among members dropped almost 3% from £269m to £261.5m during that period.

The UK, meanwhile, saw revenue decrease by 3.4% from £287.3m to £277.5m, while operating profit also fell 7.5% from £102.9m to £95.2m at the end of 2012/13.

However, both Continental Europe and the Asia Pacific saw turnover increase by around 4% to £290.1m and £210.2m respectively. Operating profit in Continental Europe grew 2.7% from £107m to £110m but in Asia Pacific it fell by 9.4% from £65.7m to £59.5m.

The biggest boost came from activities in the Middle East, where turnover increased 15.5% from £18.8m in 2011/12 to £21.7m in 2012/13, while operating profit was up from £158,000 to £2.8m in the same period.

DLA’s move to an all-equity partnership on 1 May 2012 resulted in a boost in member’s capital of £27.6m during the year, although 29 members internationally elected to remain as non-equity partners, eight of which were in the UK.

The highest paid partner received £1.8m in 2012/13, 3.3% more than the previous year.

Elsewhere, RPC posted an above average 21% increase in fee income from £67.4m to £81.7m. Costs including non-member partner profit shares rose 27%, which, the top 50 firm said, reflect significant one-off costs associated with setting up two new offices.

Profits available to members increased during the year by 8% to £26m while staff costs increased by 21% to £36.2m from £28.5m in the 2011/12 financial year.

At 30 April, the firm’s net debt stood at just over £5m – a 123% increase compared to £2.3m the previous year, while bank loans of £4.8m (£3m in 2012) are repayable by equal monthly instalments until 2017 and a further bank loan of £833,333 (£412,905 in 2012) was due for repayment in October 2013.

The estimated profit attributable to the highest paid member stood at £928,018 compared to £789,282 the previous year. The average monthly number of fee earners rose from 196 to 252 at the firm, which has invested solidly in lateral hires over the last year, including Davenport Lyons former head of banking and finance Sukh Ahark, former SJ Berwin corporate partner Anthony Shatz, and Wragge & Co former managing partner and corporate head respectively, Richard Haywood and Maurice Dwyer.

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

DLA Piper expands Africa group across the continent

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DLA Piper’s Africa group last month announced it had expanded in north, southern and eastern Africa with the addition of three new member firms.

Algerian firm B L & Associés, Rubeya & Co Advocates of Burundi and Namibian firm Ellis Shilengudwa joined the 4,200-lawyer firm’s Africa group as of 1 October 2013. The firm now has members in 14 countries in Africa and is located in 30 countries around the world.

B L & Associés is run by Algerian-based partner Fatima Zohar Bouchemla and Paris-based partner Mohamed Lanouar. The firm also comprises eight associates, all of whom are admitted to practise in either Algeria or France.

Legal Business

Senior hires: KPMG appoints DLA partner as Manchester legal head as A&O and NRF lose partners to HogLove and Vedder Price

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As KPMG looks to expand its legal services practice the Big Four accountant has hired DLA Piper corporate partner Nick Roome to head its legal services arm in Manchester in what it says is the first of a series of hires planned over the course of this year.

Roome, who has broad corporate, private equity and commercial legal expertise with a focus on the north of England and international markets, qualified with Addleshaws in 2000 before moving to DLA Piper’s Manchester office in 2005. He will start his new role in the late Spring.

KPMG’s legal services practice is a well-established part of KPMG’s wider UK tax practice and has worked with the tax team nationwide for a number of years. The Manchester legal services team currently includes a four-strong tax litigation team, which has been in place for over ten years. In addition, KPMG has a team of advisers on corporate and employment law who help provide multi-disciplinary tax services to clients where required.

Commenting on his appointment, Roome said: ‘I am very excited to be making the move from a law firm to an accounting firm with such a diverse and varied portfolio of clients and projects. KPMG already has a well-established legal services practice and I look forward to helping it grow and develop further in the North.’

Roome is the first of around four or five legal appointments expected in KPMG’s Manchester legal services team.

His hire comes shortly after Legal Business reported in September that KPMG is considering its options under the Legal Services Act (LSA) to convert to an alternative business structure (ABS) in a bid to expand its legal services capability.

EY also said at the time that it had the position ‘under review’ and PwC is understood to be considering its position. Deloitte was the only one of the Big Four accountants to deny any plans to set up an ABS.

Meanwhile, in the City, current global head of aviation at Norton Rose Fulbright, Neil Poland, becomes the latest partner to leave the firm as he joins Chicago-headquartered Vedder Price’s global transportation finance practice in London next month.

Poland, who is rated as ‘top class’ by the Legal 500, acts on behalf of financial institutions on capital markets financings, as well as bank syndicates on the financing of European locomotives and leading passenger rolling stock operating companies (ROSCOs).

Key clients for the Norton Rose aviation team include easyJet, Emirates, Flybe, Malaysian Airline Systems Berhad, Air Tanker Services, Amentum Capital, and Orix Aviation Systems.

‘We are thrilled to have Neil join us,’ said executive committee vice chair and chair of the firm’s global transportation finance team Dean Gerber. ‘Neil has extensive experience in the aviation and rail industry on a global-scale that will deepen Vedder Price’s practice and strengthen our growing London office.’

Prior to joining Norton Rose, Poland worked for the London offices of Magic Circle firms Slaughter and May and Clifford Chance.

Other high-profile departures from Norton Rose in recent months include Michael Grenfell, who joined the senior leadership team at the newly created Competition and Markets Authority last November.

November also saw longstanding antitrust partner Mark Jones leave for Hogan Lovells followed in the same month by energy partner and former head of nuclear services Fiona Reilly, who left for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to become a director in the nuclear energy team to develop the global energy practice.

In other high profile moves, former Allen & Overy (A&O) corporate partner Don McGown is to join Hogan Lovells corporate practice in early February.

McGown, who has been with A&O since 1990, has acted for a number of high profile clients including 21st Century Fox on the US$10 billion spin-off of its publishing and print businesses, and DS Smith on its US$2 billion reverse acquisition of SCA Packaging.

He primarily advises on international M&A and corporate restructuring and has significant sector expertise in telecommunications and media, and financial services.

Commenting on McGown’s arrival Andrew Skipper, global co-head of Hogan Lovells’ corporate practice, said: ‘Continuing to strengthen our excellent London corporate practice is important for us and Don’s arrival will bring additional high quality board level experience and international perspective to our London team.

‘Don is a highly effective and skilled practitioner with the right skillset, market standing and collegiate approach. He is the perfect fit for our corporate practice with its global spread, in-depth industry knowledge and expertise in highly regulated sectors.’

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

DLA Piper expands Africa group across the continent with new member firms

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DLA Piper‘s Africa Group has expanded in north, southern and eastern Africa with the addition of three new member firms.

Algerian firm B L & Associés, Rubeya & Co Advocates of Burundi and Namibian firm Ellis Shilengudwa Inc joined the 4200-lawyer firm’s Africa Group as of 1 October 2013. The firm now has member firms in 14 countries in Africa, and is located in 30 countries around the world.

Two-partner B L & Associés is run by Algerian-based partner Fatima Zohar Bouchemla and Paris-based partner Mohamed Lanouar and is based in Algiers. The firm also comprises eight associates, all of whom are admitted to practice in either Algeria or France.

The team handles advisory matters including investment law, commercial contracts, M&A, capital markets, tax and customs law, insurance, construction and real estate as well as criminal, civil and commercial litigation matters.

Established in 2000, Rubeya & Co Advocates is run by highly regarded commercial lawyer Willy Rubeya. The firm has an eight-strong team of lawyers with particular experience in IP and competition law.

Established in 1997, Namibian corporate and commercial law firm Ellis Shilengudwa Inc currently comprises four directors and seven associates.

Federico Sutti, managing director of Europe & Africa at DLA Piper, said: ‘We are very pleased to have expanded our network into the key developing markets of Algeria, Namibia and Burundi. The new member firms are highly regarded for providing exceptional standards of work for clients locally and internationally. As we continue to build our capabilities and presence across Africa, we will maintain our commitment to carefully selecting strategic partners that will be beneficial for our Group members and will add value for our clients.’

The DLA Piper Africa Group is operational in Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Its full-service lawyers have direct experience of African transactions across all key sectors, including banking and finance, telecommunications, hospitality and leisure, mining, oil and gas, energy and projects and infrastructure.

This comes shortly after Hogan Lovells announced in November last year that it was the latest to enter the South African market as it tied up with former Eversheds ally Routledge Modise after ten months of talks. The 40-partner South African firm now operates under the Hogan Lovells banner but will not share the same profit pool, as local regulations prohibit it.

Eversheds meanwhile, which split with Routledge in October 2013, confirmed in the same month that it would be significantly expanding its Africa offering and is currently in discussions to establish offices in the key markets of Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya over the coming months.

The 1760-lawyer firm also announced the launch of the Eversheds African Law Institute (EALI), which will share knowledge, training and regional and international commercial opportunities with member firms.

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Back to basics: BLP hires DLA Piper real estate partner Karen Friebe

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More recently the subject of headlines announcing partner departures, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) today announced the appointment of Karen Friebe, a real estate partner from DLA Piper as sources indicate the traditionally real estate driven firm is taking a back to basics approach to consolidation.

Friebe (pictured), who specialises in the hotel and leisure sector and will join BLP as a partner in its global real estate practice based in London, was the global co-chair of DLA Piper’s hospitality and leisure group and led its EMEA hospitality and leisure team for a number of years.

She joins a leading real estate team focused on mergers and acquisitions, management agreements, development projects and franchising and boasting clients such as Balfour Beatty, Barclays, Marriott Hotels and the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Chris de Pury, real estate departmental managing partner, said: ‘Karen has a wealth of experience across the real estate sector as a whole and her specific knowledge of the global hotel market will prove invaluable as we look to add further to our leading hotel and leisure offering. Karen will also be a great role model for our associates.’

The arrival will be a boost to BLP, coming in the wake of a string of high profile partner departures, including global head of private equity Raymond McKeeve and fellow partner Michael Weir to Jones Day in August and September respectively, contentious tax head Liesl Fichardt to Clifford Chance and commercial and technology head Adam Rose to Mishcon de Reya.

The moves follow a poor 2012/13 financial performance from the top 20 firm, which revealed in September that its profits are down by 39% to £401,000, following a revenue drop of 5% to £233m.

However, managing partner Neville Eisenberg recently told Legal Business that this year has already seen improvement, with one ex-partner also recently suggesting that the firm is focussing much of its energies on its real estate roots, which has remained a core area for the firm despite its recent rapid expansion.

david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

High yield, high stakes – DLA Piper makes key investment in deal finance with hire of ex-CC partner

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It’s historically proved one of the hardest practice areas for City firms to break, proving often impenetrable for even elite London players, but DLA Piper is hoping its Anglo/American reach can help it make a mark in one of the most lucrative areas of deal finance.

In a major investment in its City finance team, DLA Piper has recruited former Clifford Chance (CC) high yield and leveraged finance specialist Tony Lopez, who joins the firm’s eight-partner London structured finance team today (4 November).

The US-qualified Lopez was formerly one of CC’s most prominent specialists in high yield bonds, a strategic area of leveraged finance that has gone through a boom in Europe in the last three years as sponsors turn to the capital markets in place of limited bank debt.

The growth on high yield issuance in European leveraged buyouts and corporate takeovers has seen most top London firms attempt to build credible coverage in the area. However, the market, which was developed in the US, has traditionally been dominated by advisers like Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Cahill Gordon & Reindel.

Lopez will be the first high yield specialist at DLA Piper’s London arm as the firm looks to grow its capability. Having joined CC’s New York arm in 2006 from Cahill Gordon, Lopez transferred to London in 2011.

DLA Piper head of structured finance Martin Bartlam told Legal Business: ‘We are looking to develop high yield for a mixture of reasons. Firstly, it reflects our platform, as the biggest law firm in the world. We get a lot of interest coming from various markets in developing a bond practice and there are opportunities in emerging markets and also more developed markets.

‘Also, with the banks being more constrained with the recent reforms, people are looking at alternative forms of funding and bonds are playing a more important part in that. Bringing in a US-qualified specialist is good for coordinating with high yield bond specialists in NY and elsewhere.’

Lopez, who left CC in August this year, will work under finance and projects partner Bartlam, who joined DLA Piper’s structured finance team in January 2012 having headed Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe’s London arm.

francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk