Legal Business

‘Setting ourselves up for the future’ – McDermott ups London trainee pay to £70k

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Salaries McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery has followed Davis Polk’s lead, raising its London trainee pay to match the highest market rates. 

Effective from 1 January, the Chicago-headquartered firm will offer a salary of £65,000 in year one, rising to £70,000 in year two. The rates previously sat at £53,000 and £58,300 respectively.

Just last month, Davis Polk announced its updated pay scale for trainees, with recruiters at the time forecasting that other US firms would follow suit, establishing a new benchmark for entry-level salaries. 

London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud (pictured) told LB: ‘It’s no secret that our focus has been on growth but that means lateral and organic growth.’

‘We are really setting ourselves up for the future here by ensuring that our existing offering of top tier culture and focus on our clients is also matched by our ability to attract the very best legal talent at all levels to ensure that long-term organic growth.’

Back in July, LB revealed that McDermott had increased pay for its newly-qualified (NQ) to $225,000 (a little over £170,000 at current exchange rates), matching the Cravath scale for associate compensation all the way to eight years PQE.  

Cravath Swaine & Moore’s latest rates, announced in November 2023, set NQ pay at $225,000, with $235,000 for second-year associates and $260,000 for third years, rising to $420,000 and $435,000 for seventh and eighth years respectively. 

McDermott will also match Cravath’s bonuses, but with adjustments that give associates the potential to earn even more. 

The intense competition for top talent has driven ongoing pay increases for trainees and newly qualified lawyers, raising eyebrows across the broader market. 

David von Dadelszen, director at Jameson Legal comments: ‘There must be a hint of an incoming upturn in work to spark a war for talent but doesn’t sound as imminent if firms are competing for trainees.’

McDermott’s London office has experienced a wave of change in recent months, prompting some market peers to question if the firm is moving too rapidly. Alongside Mahmoud’s promotion to managing partner, private equity veteran Graham White has assumed the role of London senior partner.  

In the last eight months, on top of White, the firm has made nine partner hires, including debt finance heavyweight Chris Kandel from Morrison Foerster in May and private equity partner Fatema Orjela from Sidley in April. Earlier this week, LB revealed that the firm had hired CMS international private equity co-head Jason Zemmel – its third hire this autumn following Sebastien Bonneau from Eversheds and Candice Nichol from KPMG.

elisha.juttla@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

McDermott snaps up CMS international private equity co-head in London

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Strategic recruitment McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery has announced today (28 October) that Jason Zemmel (pictured) has joined the firm’s transactions group as a partner. 

Recognised as a Legal 500 leading partner for mid-market private equity deals, Zemmel previously co-headed the international PE group at CMS. He brings with him experience in M&A and PE matters, particularly in the healthcare sector. 

His clients include private equity firms, corporates, investors, and advisers on PE, M&A, corporate finance, and other commercial transactions. 

Harris Siskind, global head of McDermott’s transaction group, emphasised that Zemmel’s hire is part of the firm’s ambition to ‘supercharge’ its London private equity bench. 

 ‘There are many similarities between our clients and Jason’s, which makes him an exceptional fit for both the firm and the transactions practice,’ he said. 

Zemmel added that McDermott is ‘an appealing option to [his] clients because of its strong international platform and service offering, which includes PE, M&A, healthcare, restructuring, real estate, and finance in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, and Milan.’ 

Zemmel’s recruitment comes shortly after the recent additions of partners Sebastian Bonneau and Candice Nichol, who joined the firm in September and October respectively. Nichol joined McDermott’s tax practice in London following a three-year stint at KPMG. Bonneau, who specialises in M&A, private equity, and joint venture transactions, with a particular emphasis on the data centre sector, moved from Eversheds. 

When asked if he expected lateral hiring to continue, London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud said: ‘Very much so, our discussions with potential laterals tells us that there is a lot of excitement around what we are building’. 

In a May interview with Legal Business, Mahmoud said that the firm is committed to ongoing strategic expansion in London.  

Other recent hires include Chris Kandel, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer in acquistion finance who joined from Morrison Foerster in May, and Fatema Orjela, a Legal 500 leading partner for mid-market private equity deals who joined from Sidley Austin in April. The transactions team has also recently been boosted by Michal Berkner from Cooley in February, Adrian Cohen from Proskauer in May, and real estate duo Darren Rogers and Devina Rana from Fried Frank in June. 

Former partners have suggested that there has been a push from the US to drive up the profitability of the London office. The firm’s commitment to London is evident in the recent salary hike for its London associates to $225,000, putting it on par with leading US firms such as Cravath, Milbank and Paul Weiss, as revealed by LB. 

elisha.juttla@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

McDermott sets sights on big-hitters in London as private client team moves on

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Strategic recruitment McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery is pushing forward with ambitious plans to prioritise its ‘power alley’ transactional practices in London, following the departure of its last remaining private client partners in London.

The firm has been one of the last major US players in London with a private client practice, but following the recent departures of co-heads Nick Holland and Simon Gibb to Maples and Trowers & Hamlins respectively, the firm now no longer has any dedicated private client partners left in London.

The departures are the latest in a series of partner-level exits from the team in London over the last two years. Amira Shaker-Bortman joined Charles Russell Speechlys in April 2024, joining former practice head Ziva Robertson, who moved over in March 2023. Simon Goldring also left that same month, joining Excello before taking up a role at Ogier in Dubai, while Andrew Vergunst – who led McDermott’s London office between 2016 to 2019 – joined Gibraltar-based firm Amcari Limited in January 2023.

Holland, a Legal 500 leading individual for contentious trusts and probate, is joining Maples as head of the offshore firm’s trusts and private client team in London before relocating to the Cayman Islands later this year. He joined McDermott in 2014, before which he led the contentious trust practice at legacy Bircham Dyson Bell. Fellow co-head Gibb, meanwhile, has joined the London private wealth team at Trowers.

McDermott – notably one of the only US firms with a highly ranked private client practice in London – is the latest in a number of major law firms to scale back their focus on private client in London. Allen & Overy spun off its private client team to Maurice Turnor Gardner in 2009, while a Linklaters private client team left to join Fieldfisher in 2019.

In conversation with Legal Business, McDermott chair Ira Coleman (pictured) said: ‘In every healthy organisation, there is a natural flow of talent—that’s just business. The key indicators we prioritise are our growth trajectory and the calibre of talent we’re attracting in the market.’ 

Given the longstanding strength of McDermott’s private client practice in the US, Coleman added the firm has not ruled out rebuilding its London practice in the future, if the right candidates became available.

‘New opportunities arise all the time,’ he said. ‘For us to maintain a private client practice in London, it has to be exceptional and fully integrated with our other offerings. If an opportunity arises that aligns with our vision, we’d consider it.’ 

Former partners have suggested that there has been a push from the US to drive up the profitability of the London office. This is evident in the recent salary hike for London associates to $225,000, putting it on par with leading US firms such as Cravath, Milbank and Paul Weiss. 

The firm has also been focusing on expanding its transactions team in London in recent months. This move aligns with leveraged finance partner Aymen Mahmoud’s promotion to London managing partner and private equity veteran Graham White joining in March as senior partner. 

Drawing on a baseball analogy which refers to the area on the field where home runs are most likely to be hit, Coleman added: ‘We will continue to focus on growing our major ‘power alley’ practices which include, private equity, finance, M&A, controversy, investigations, tax, health and others.’

New hires include Chris Kandel, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer in acquisition finance who joined from MoFo, and Fatema Orjela, a Legal 500 leading partner for mid-market private equity deals who joined from Sidley Austin. The transactions team has also recently been boosted by Michal Berkner from Cooley, Adrian Cohen from Proskauer Rose, and real estate duo Darren Rogers and Devina Rana from Fried Frank. 

Mahmoud told LB: ‘It is not a coincidence that many of the recent hires who have chosen to join us are very successful operators in the private capital space: the corporate, financing and asset management spaces which are coveted by every other global elite firm.’ 

‘It is obvious from our recent hires in London and beyond that our commitment to make strategic hires is greater than ever. That commitment applies across all practice areas and all geographies that make strategic sense for our business today but we are also looking to tomorrow. As our clients’ needs evolve, so will we,’ he continued. 

In a May interview with Legal Business, Mahmoud said that the firm is committed to ongoing expansion in London. He also pointed to the addition of White, who previously helped build London PE practices at both Kirkland & Ellis and Linklaters.

Globally, McDermott has seen five-year growth of 96%, with only Kirkland & Ellis surpassing it at 106%. Only four other firms in the 2023 Global 100 have achieved growth of more than 75% – King & Spalding (77%), Willkie Farr & Gallagher (79%), Holland & Knight (82%) and Cooley (87%).

Deals by the team in London this summer include advising asset managers Antares Capital and Blackstone Credit & Insurance on unitranche financing for Five Arrows’ acquisition of Rimes Technologies from EQT. Orjela also advised H.I.G. Capital on the equity arrangements related to its sale of a majority stake in Italian discount retail brand Acqua & Sapone to TDR Capital.

Coleman concluded: ‘As everyone knows, London is one of the best markets for sophisticated legal work but is also one of the toughest nuts to crack. We are keenly focused on matching our service offerings with client needs.’ 

elisha.juttla@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

‘At the top of UK associate compensation’ – McDermott hikes London NQ pay to $225k

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Salaries McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery has become the latest firm to increase pay for London associates, raising salaries for newly qualified (NQ) associates to $225,000 as competition for talent among firms in the City intensifies. 

Effective from 1 January, the Chicago-headquartered firm will raise London associate pay from the current rate of £147,500 ($190,000), matching the so-called ‘Cravath scale’ for associate compensation, named after the elite US firm known for establishing salary benchmarks. 

Cravath Swaine & Moore’s latest rates, announced in November 2023, set NQ pay at $225,000, with $235,000 for second-years and $260,000 for third-years, rising to $420,000 and $435,000 for seventh- and eighth-years respectively. 

London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud (pictured) told Legal Business: ‘Our focus is on being the very best, and to do that we need to recruit and retain the very best. With this change, we think we are now at the top of UK associate compensation.’ 

McDermott will also match Cravath’s bonuses, but with adjustments that give associates the potential to earn even more.  

Mahmoud continued: ‘We already know our culture to be a key differentiator; now we have yet another. We are very excited about the future for our talented group of associates and seeing the greatness that they can achieve.’ 

While the conversion rate into British pounds varies from firm to firm, McDermott will now stand alongside other leading US firms such as Milbank, which offers an NQ salary of $225,000. Paul Weiss, Gibson Dunn, and Quinn Emanuel are also in this salary bracket, with starting salaries for newly qualified associates at £180,000 in London. 

While competition for top talent is fierce, the sustained pay increases for NQ lawyers have prompted much eyebrow-raising among the wider market. Hannah Benger, business director at Montresor Legal told LB: ‘The continual upward trend of premium US firm salaries invites the inevitable question – how long is it until the first firm announces a £200,000 salary for NQs? One assumes it will be soon.’ 

‘It’s important for the mid-market to really differentiate themselves in what they can offer their lawyers,’ Benger adds. ‘Vastly improved working hours, less intense expectations and highly flexible working policies are just a few options that would make them genuinely attractive to a lot of lawyers who might otherwise be tempted by the “big money” option.’

Salaries at leading US-headquartered firms continue to outstrip those on offer at the top of the UK market, with the biggest four Magic Circle firms recently increasing NQ pay to £150,000. David von Dadelszen, director at James Legal comments: ‘Big US firms seem to be able to reflect high NQ salaries up the bandings, but most UK firms can’t.’

‘Associates aren’t mugs – they read the press and speak with each other/recruiters,’ he added. 

In recent months, McDermott’s London office has experienced a wave of change. Alongside Mahmoud’s promotion to managing partner, private equity veteran Graham White has stepped in as London senior partner. The firm has also bolstered its ranks with notable laterals including debt finance heavyweight Chris Kandel from MoFo and private equity partner Fatema Orjela from Sidley. 

elisha.juttla@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

McDermott hires Fried Frank real estate duo in London

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Strategic recruitment McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott Will & Emery has built its London real estate bench today with a dual hire from Fried Frank, including the firm’s former head of European real estate.

McDermott has announced today (26 June) that Darren Rogers and Devina Rana have joined the firm’s transactions practice group as partners.

Rogers (pictured) previously led the European real estate practice at Fried Frank, where he spent nearly seven years with Rana, who was special counsel. The pair also moved together to Fried Frank from Ashurst in 2017.

Harris Siskind, the global head of McDermott’s transaction group, emphasised that strengthening the firm’s real estate practice has been a ‘long-standing goal’ in London. ‘We are thrilled that Darren and Devina are joining the team as they complement and enhance our global real estate offering and will support our strategic outlook,’ he said.

Rogers’ focus is on equity-related investment matters, including real estate capital markets transactions, major London leasing joint ventures, and mixed-use development projects, while Rana brings experience in handling high-value investment transactions for UK, US, and broader global clients, along with real estate finance expertise.

The duo’s expertise complements real estate finance partner Usman Khan, who joined the firm last year from Kirkland & Ellis.

Commenting on the hires, newly appointed London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud said: ‘Darren and Devina are excellent real estate lawyers and will further enhance our real estate capabilities in London and beyond, dovetailing neatly with our wider global practice to offer our clients a solution across-geographies.’

Mahmoud highlighted that the new hires complement the firm’s cross-border growth strategy, citing recent additions like White, Chris Kandel from MoFo, and Fatema Oreja from Sidley, and indicated plans for further strategic hires in the near future in an interview with LB last month.

Less than two weeks ago, the firm also saw leadership changes with Matthias Kampshoff appointed as its new Germany managing partner, succeeding real estate partner Jens Ortmanns.

elisha.juttla@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

‘Ultra-focused on culture and hungry to build’ – McDermott’s new London head sets out stall

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Strategic recruitment McDermott Will & Emery

Earlier this month McDermott Will & Emery announced that leveraged finance partner Aymen Mahmoud will take the reins from Hamid Yunis as managing partner of the US firm’s London office.

Mahmoud (pictured), who has been at the firm since 2020 after joining from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, will take the helm on 1 June, while also continuing as co-head of the firm’s London transactions group and the finance, restructuring, and special situations group.

Yunis, who served as London managing partner since 2019, has steered the firm through five years of growth, during which lawyer headcount has risen by around 30%. He will now transition back to a full-time fee-earning role.

In a conversation with Legal Business, Mahmoud explained that the firm reviews its leadership regularly, typically reassessing every three years. ‘I was asked to step into the role as part of the usual leadership change to drive the next period of growth, and am honoured to be trusted with it,’ he said.

The leadership refresh has also seen private equity veteran Graham White take on the mantle of London senior partner, having joined the firm in March after a seven-year hiatus. He was most recently London managing partner at Fried Frank, and has a history of building City practices, notably at both Kirkland & Ellis and Linklaters.

Mahmoud said that talks with White began around a year ago. ‘I brought Graham into the firm because he has a really complementary skill set with our existing bench; with what we want to have going forward,’ he said. ‘He is a really fantastic person – giving us a nice cultural fit’.

The pair are behind much of the recent recruitment at the firm, including the hire of Fatema Orjela, who joined the transactions practice from Sidley last month, and also featured as a deal star in LB’s ‘Alphas Revisited’ feature last year.

Mahmoud said: ‘It’s a lot less risky to hire people that you know and who have a successful track record. But we are not limiting ourselves. We want to bring in and develop the best talent in the market who are hungry to continue to build with us just as we are extremely hungry to build, and we have huge capacity to do so.’

‘We are ultra-focused on culture, as an office and as a firm, and every person we bring in needs to fit into that culture,’ he continued.

As of May 2024, the firm’s London office houses 103 fee-earners, including 30 partners, and has welcomed 15 new partners since 2021. The latest addition to the roster is Adrian Cohen, who has joined as a senior consultant from Proskauer Rose where he was a partner, following a thirty-year stint at Clifford Chance. Last week the firm also announced that Chris Kandel – who was featured in LB’s Banking and Finance perspectives last year – is joining from Morrison Foerster alongside finance colleague John Burge.

There have been losses though, with Tom Whelan, the former head of the private equity and corporate transactions group, departing to join Reed Smith in February.

Globally, McDermott has seen five-year growth of 96%, with only Kirkland & Ellis surpassing it at 106%. Only four other firms in the 2023 Global 100 have achieved growth of more than 75% – King & Spalding (77%), Willkie Farr & Gallagher (79%), Holland & Knight (82%) and Cooley (87%).

Mahmoud – who describes his leadership style as ‘authentic, energetic, and strategic’ – said that the firm is committed to ongoing expansion in London, with further hires anticipated in the coming months, but stressed that these will be strategic. ‘If we double or triple the size of the London office, that’s great, but what we will not do is grow for the sake of growth,’ he said.

‘There is a strategic focus on where we want to grow in line with our power alleys, in line with our existing client relationships, and in line with clients we want to target that we think have great adjacencies with our existing business.’

When asked about his vision for the firm in the next few years, Mahmoud said the firm does pay undue attention to revenue, profitability and headcount projections. ‘We care more about sustainable and strategic growth – we want to increase all those metrics, but without putting an external target on it as such. We’ve been beating internal targets year on year for some time.’

Recent mandates for the the firm have included advising data analytics platform Kpler on annual recurring revenue (ARR) financing from global PE houses Bain Capital Credit and Apax Credit, led by Mahmoud in London alongside teams in the US and France. The firm’s London arbitration team also recently advised UAE-based oil and gas company Crescent Petroleum and Crescent Gas Corporation in enforcing a $2.4bn arbitration award against the National Iranian Oil Company.

On juggling his new position with his client work, Mahmoud said: ‘Our firm’s priority is always our clients and that will be where my focus is, but management of the firm in London exists alongside that, just as for each of our other office managing partners.’

elisha.juttla@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

McDermott hires London M&A partner from Cooley as global revenue nears $2bn mark

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Strategic recruitment McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott has announced today (28 February) that Michal Berkner has joined the firm as a partner, bolstering its transactions practice in London.

She joins from Cooley, where she led the cross-border M&A practice, including negotiated and unsolicited transactions and joint ventures. Her clients include strategic and private equity buyers and sellers in public and private transactions.

Recommended in The Legal 500 for her work on mid-market deals, Berkner’s experience sits within the life sciences, healthcare and technology sectors.

Her recent mandates include advising clinical-stage biotech company VectivBio on its acquisition by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at around $1bn. She also advised Redx Pharma, another clinical-stage biotech company, on its all share merger with Jounce Therapeutics in a $425m contingent value right transaction.

Hamid Yunis, London managing partner, commented: ‘She is an accomplished partner with an impressive reputation. Additionally, her practice provides tremendous synergies with our M&A, private equity and life sciences groups both in the UK and across our international network. She will also be instrumental in helping to grow our global M&A practice.’

Berkner is dual qualified in New York and England & Wales.

The hire coincides with McDermott’s release of its firmwide financial performance for the calendar year 2023 last week. It revealed a 6% increase in revenue to $1.9bn, just shy of reaching the $2bn mark and slightly slower than the previous year’s 9% revenue growth. Meanwhile, profit per equity partner experienced a double-digit surge of 13% to $3.8m, surpassing last year’s 9% rise.

Chair Ira Coleman expressed optimism for the year ahead: ‘McDermott delivered strong financial results and our multi-year, cross-border growth continued in 2023. With our innovative management model, we’re focused on making industry-leading, strategic investments in our business from talent to technology, AI and infrastructure. These investments allow us to meet our client’s demands for excellence with focused teams and creative, business-first solutions.’

In London, the firm suffered a setback last week as Tom Whelan, the head of its private equity and corporate transactions group, departed to join Reed Smith. However, towards the end of last year, McDermott made a strategic hire by bringing in Rob Marshall from King & Spalding to lead its executive compensation and benefits group.

Elisha.Juttla@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Rising stars: David Gibson – ‘There are so many great new technologies and medicines with potential to make a difference to populations and treatment pathways but key challenges remain in regulating them’

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Profile McDermott Will & Emery

David Gibson, senior associate at McDermott Will & Emery

Why did you decide to specialise in life sciences law, and what’s the best thing about being a life sciences lawyer?

I find the subject matter fascinating, and I am genuinely curious about new technologies and medicines and how they can be used, shared and applied to improve healthcare for patients across the world. We are often involved in helping our clients with strategic projects and transactions, partnering with other organisations and bringing products to market and to scale – often across different jurisdictions. As a transactional and projects lawyer, I enjoy working with clients to bring the commercial, financing, regulatory and other legal elements together: it is an area of law that has a bit of everything!

Legal Business

Legal Business Awards 2020 – Private Client Team of the Year

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Legal Business Awards 2020 Baker McKenzieMcDermott Will & Emery

We are delighted to announce the winner of Private Client Team of the Year for the 2020 Legal Business Awards.

This award recognises the top private client teams in the country, either offshore or onshore, handling high-value work in the areas of estates, charities, family, contentious and non-contentious trusts and probate, as well as personal tax, particularly to high-net-worth individuals and families.

 

 

 

Sponsored by

Winner – Baker McKenzie

Bakers claims that it is ’unmatched in the market in terms of our international coverage and ability to serve the world’s wealthiest families’ and, on the evidence, such claims are justified, according to our judges. The global firm’s offering comprises lawyers (litigators and tax experts), accountants, transfer pricing specialists, economists and VAT/customs experts, to provide a one-stop shop for clients with complex structuring needs.

Recent work includes acting for a well-known and successful ultra high-net-worth individual in global litigation that has been running since 2010. The client is seeking to recover more than $15bn in assets that belonged to his father, the deceased founder of an Asian conglomerate, and are now held by various trustees, individuals and companies. Two separate claims are underway in Bermuda (and are believed to be the largest trust dispute ever in that jurisdiction) in addition to similar US proceedings. The firm successfully obtained summary judgment in 2019 (Wong v Grand View Private Trust Company Limited), which is currently being appealed. The Bermuda claims raise novel, Privy-Council-worthy questions of trust law, particularly involving non-purpose trust structures.

The team also advises a selection of the wealthiest clients in the Middle East including advice on fund and other structures for very high value commercial and private projects and continued advice on disclosure, including under the common reporting standard, beneficial ownership registers and the new European Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC 6) now needing consideration in relation to any structure put in place. The firm is coordinating all transactions, including a particular project representing the highest value transaction in the careers of the team, for these clients globally. A worthy winner.

Highly commended – McDermott Will & Emery

McDermott acted for the beneficiary of a Bahamian trustee and her adult children in the landmark UK Court of Appeal case of Dawson-Damer v Taylor Wessing. This case, which has garnered ongoing media attention, transformed the right of trust beneficiaries to documents and personal data held by trustees and their lawyers.

Led by London co-head of private client Ziva Robertson, the McDermott team secured a momentous victory for Dawson-Damer, seeking the release of personal data held by their trustee’s law firm, Taylor Wessing.

Other nominations

Forsters

A major highlight for this private wealth-focused firm was its coordination of a global succession plan for the second generation of an Asian family, which involved the development of a family constitution and a structuring exercise involving the reorganisation of 100 companies worldwide.

Gherson Solicitors

Throughout 2019 this firm represented Zamira Hajiyeva, the woman at the centre of the so-called McMafia ‘dirty money’ investigation, including successfully defending an extradition request from the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Macfarlanes

This respected team acts in a general legal capacity to a major family office as an outsourced legal adviser on a range of issues, including the restructuring of a series of trusts holding a majority stake in a major non-UK listed business.

Taylor Wessing

Representing Equity Trust (Jersey), the appellant, in the Z Trust litigation, running proceedings in the Jersey and English courts in which it successfully argued and established new principles of trust law.

Legal Business

Revolving doors: McDermott hires Hogan Lovells private equity head as Dechert loses partners in London and Paris

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Addleshaw GoddardAlston & BirdBurges SalmonFieldfisherHogan LovellsMcDermott Will & EmeryPaul Hastings

The lateral market maintained momentum last week as McDermott Will & Emery hired from Hogan Lovells with both Addleshaw Goddard and Paul Hastings targeting Dechert.

McDermott added Hogan Lovells’ global private equity head Tom Whelan. Whelan, who is experienced in private equity life cycle, has worked with private equity sponsors, multi strategy funds and corporates. His work includes advising on buyouts, M&A, bolt-ons, restructurings and refinancings through to exits.

Hamid Yunis, McDermott’s London managing partner told Legal Business: ‘We are always looking to build upon the strong practices which we have in London and to add top quality lawyers who are equally focused on providing world class client service.’

Addleshaws has hired restructuring partner Paul Fleming who joins the London business support and restructuring insolvency practice from Dechert.

Fleming has been involved in cross-border work, both in restructuring and contentious insolvency matters and advises creditors including institutional lenders and bondholders, stakeholders, insolvency practitioners and directors.

Partner and head of business support and restructuring, Ged Barnes commented: ‘This is the start of an ambitious strategy for the team which will help us to capitalise on our international offices.  Paul’s expertise in cross border insolvencies, funds recovery work and complex, high value insolvency litigation is a great fit with our existing practice.’

Meanwhile, Burges Salmon hired partner Stuart McMillan to its banking team from DLA Piper. He has worked in energy and infrastructure finance and advised banks and borrowers on project finance, acquisition finance and real estate finance deals involving cross-border financing. He will help develop the general Scottish banking practice as well as the firm’s infrastructure, real estate and energy offering.

Burges Salmon managing partner, Roger Bull told Legal Business: ‘Stuart is extremely high quality with a great reputation in the market. From our perspective, he’s got great experience in relation to finance and projects along with some of the other sectors that we’ve been focusing on like energy and renewables. He has those particular skills that will assist and drive our client offer forward in Edinburgh.

‘Banking is performing well. We’re having strong performance across the firm so far this financial year. The banking team are ever expanding their remit, expertise and focus which is very much aligned with Stuart’s appointment,’ added Bull.

Elsewhere, Fieldfisher has hired Paul Stockley as its new co-head of oil and gas. He joins the energy and natural resources group in London from Womble Bond Dickinson where he was head of oil and gas.

Stockley said: ‘The firm’s reputation for all forms of energy and natural resources work is already well-established across the industry and I am encouraged by its ambitious plans for future growth. I look forward to being a part of those plans, leveraging off a tremendous brand and platform.’

Paul Hastings has added to its Paris office with the hire of corporate partner Charles Cardon from Dechert. He has a focus on takeovers, M&A, private equity, and capital markets transactions.

Cardon advises public companies in their takeover bids, issuance of securities, governance matters, disclosure requirements and relationship with shareholders, as well as corporate law matters.

Meanwhile, in Brussels, Alston & Bird has added senior privacy and cybersecurity partner Wim Nauwelaerts from Sidley Austin.

Privacy and cybersecurity co-chair Jim Harvey commented: ‘Privacy and cybersecurity continue to be increasingly critical issues for CEOs and boards, especially among US-based multinationals that view data protection as a global issue.

‘Wim is an internationally recognised attorney in the EU privacy and cybersecurity arena with a well-earned reputation as a trusted voice in advising senior executives in the US, Europe, and elsewhere on strategic business decisions and initiatives involving their companies’ most valuable data assets,’ Harvey added.

muna.abdi@legalease.co.uk