US firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has enhanced its private equity practice in London with the hire of partner Daniel Oates from O’Melveny & Myers.
Oates advises private equity and corporate clients on a range of multi-jurisdictional transactions, including acquisitions and leveraged buyouts, disposals, public-to-private transactions and initial public offerings.
Prior to his stint at O’Melveny, Oates was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and has previously represented major houses including Accel KKR, Apollo Group, Apax Partners, Audax Group, Avis Budget, Bain Capital.
London managing partner Graham White, who recently joined Fried Frank from Kirkland & Ellis, said: ‘I am thrilled to have Dan join me as we work with others to expand our private equity practice in London and Europe.’
Fried Frank has simultaneously strengthened its private equity offering in its New York office, hiring Mark Lucas, formerly vice president and associate general counsel at Goldman Sachs. He served in the lender’s merchant banking division focusing on private equity transactions, including M&A and capital raisings as well as other principal investments made by Goldman, and was also previously an associate at Fried Frank 2004 to 2010.
For O’Melveny, the departure of Oates follows the exit of a six-partner team to Latham & Watkins in November, including high profile London-based partner Libby Savill, who was tasked with launching the firm’s UK media practice. The firm, however, has pledged to grow its City base, and speaking to Legal Business, Solomon Wifa, head of O’Melveny’s London office and a member of the investment funds practice, says: ‘We certainly need to bulk up in London and we’d like to increase our transactions capability. Restructuring and finance are also areas we’re looking at. We’re haven’t been on the same trajectory as a lot of firms but we are still interested in growing London.’
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk