Davis Polk has hired an A&O Shearman corporate real estate partner in London, while Milbank and Kirkland pick off talent from Latham.
Davis Polk expanded in London with its hire of A&O Shearman PE partner Gordon Milne. The move brings Davis Polk’s London partner headcount to 11, based on numbers reported on the firm’s website.
Though Davis Polk opened in London in 1973, it has maintained only a small presence in the city. This year, however, it has signalled its intention to build, with Milne’s hire coming just months after the firm announced it was bringing in Paul Hastings global finance cohead and Legal 500 acquisition finance leading partner Luke McDougall in April.
‘We have identified our London office as an area ripe for growth’, said managing partner Neil Barr in a statement. ‘Gordon is highly respected in the market and represents an important step in the execution of our strategy to build out our UK private equity capabilities.’
Europe practice head Will Pearce added: ‘Gordon is one of the preeminent private equity practitioners in London, with an impressive portfolio of longstanding fund clients. We are absolutely delighted to have him on board.’
Milne’s departure comes after 24 years at legacy Allen & Overy and A&O Shearman. His practice covers a range of cross-border M&A and corporate finance transactions, with highlights including advising the consortium on the sale of New Scientist Group to Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) and advising Exponent Private Equity on a number of multimillion-pound transactions including its sales of BBI Group and BBI Healthcare and its acquisition of TRS Group.
Meanwhile, Milbank has announced the hire of a six-strong team of finance lawyers from Latham & Watkins, headed by collateralized loan obligation (CLO) partner Alex Martin.
The move was announced on the same day that it was reported that Sidley Austin had tapped Latham for a team of five leveraged finance partners led by Jayanthi Sadanandan and Sam Hamilton. The dual exits mean that Latham’s finance platform has lost 11 lawyers in quick succession, six of them partners.
Martin’s team includes Kristine Kozicki, who joins as special counsel, and four more associates. The six will join Milbank’s alternative investment practice. Milbank Chairman Scott Edelman said in a statement: ‘Alex’s extensive experience with CLO matters is highly compatible with our global Alternative Investments practice, and his unique focus will both complement and enhance the team’s work across all of our offices.’
Elsewhere in the City, Fried Frank has hired Freshfields corporate real estate partner Roger Schofield, who will switch offices in September. Specialising in real estate joint ventures, capital solutions, acquisitions and dispositions, Schofield joins after a 16-year stint at Freshfields, five of those as a partner.
Head of Fried Frank’s corporate real estate practice Fiona Kelly said in a statement: ‘His experience in guiding clients through complex structured real estate transactions and capital solutions is a perfect complement to our dynamic team.’
On mainland Europe, senior M&A lawyer Tobias Larisch is set to join Kirkland & Ellis to launch the firm’s new Frankfurt office. The new site is Kirkland’s first in Europe since it launched in Brussels in 2021 and will be the firm’s second office in Germany, almost 20 years after it opened in Munich in early 2005.
Larisch will join from Latham, where he serves as regional chair of the firm’s corporate department. He advises on M&A, public takeovers, joint ventures and carve-outs and has a focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors.
In a statement, chairman of Kirkland’s executive committee Jon Ballis said: ‘As one of Germany’s leading M&A lawyers, Tobias’ expertise and deal experience fit very well within the areas where we see increasing demand for our services.’ Ballis continued, ‘opening a Frankfurt office will make available to us a new pool of leading legal talent looking to work on some of the most complex transactions in Germany.’
Also in Frankfurt, McDermott Will & Emery has strengthened its global transactions practice with the hire of Alexander Klein as a partner from Gibson Dunn. He brings with him expertise advising on acquisition financing, corporate finance and syndicated lending for both domestic and international transactions.
Matthias Kampshoff, managing partner of McDermott’s Germany offices said in a statement: ‘Alexander’s appointment supports our strategy of creating a leading German private equity and finance service for our clients. Alexander’s arrival is very welcome, as our finance team in Germany has been exceptionally busy this year.’