Legal Business

Revolving Doors: Norton Rose Fulbright takes Hogan Lovells partner as Squires builds in Germany and BLM makes a senior hire

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Strategic recruitment BLMNorton Rose FulbrightSquire Patton Boggs
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Despite the summer break being upon us, law firms have continued to invest in their recruitment strategies. Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) continued to build its Hong Kong offering by hiring a partner from Hogan Lovells, while Squire Patton Boggs turned in-house and BLM scored a ‘major coup’.

NRF has made several additions to its Hong Kong offering of late with David Johnson joining in March from K&L Gates having previously been a partner at Allen & Overy, and the promotions of James Parker and Allan Yee in May. But, the firm took has now taken its partner headcount in the city to 23 with the addition of Hogan Lovells’ Terence Lau.

Lau, who joins as a corporate and equity capital markets partner, was made up to partner in 2008 and has worked on a variety of matters including equity offerings, initial public offerings, M&A, private equity, share repurchases and regulatory and compliance. He has also worked on joint ventures and schemes of arrangement.

Squires also made an international appointment, recruiting Rouven Schwab, general counsel of global fertilizer and specialty chemicals enterprise ICL Group in Frankfurt. Schwab joins as a partner in the firm’s chemicals industry group having been responsible for managing legal activities of over 40 business subsidiaries across Europe and Asia-Pacific.

‘We are delighted to welcome Dr Schwab to the firm’s global chemicals team. His hands-on experience working in-house at a global manufacturer will be valuable asset to our international clients,’ said Carolyn Buller, Squires’ chemicals group chief.

Meanwhile, BLM bolstered its presence in the UK by hiring the head of DAC Beachcroft’s national disease unit Paula Jefferson. She joins BLM’s specialist abuse claims team alongside DAC lawyer Catherine Davey, and employee Sarah Wright.

Jefferson has worked various public sector bodies including faith groups, the ministry of defence, schools and charities on abuse claims as well as on international injury claims such as those following the Mumbai terrorist attack.

Michael Pether, head of BLM’s public sector group, said: ‘The addition of Paula to the team is a major coup for the business and one that will only serve to improve our depth of experience and customer offering  across the many sectors where historic and, all too sadly, more recent abuse arises. Her long track record of sensitively advising in high profile matters, including representing the BBC in connection with the Jimmy Savile claims, speaks for itself and we look forward to sharing the benefits of Paula’s experience with our customers.’

Finally, Balfour Beatty revealed its new group General Counsel (GC) after Chris Vaughan stepped away from the position. David Mercer takes on the role having been GC for the group’s UK construction and services businesses since 2011. Mercer previously worked in-house at BP and as a partner at Upstream Law.

michael.west@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Clydes expands Manchester base with new office and partner duo as revenues reach £26m in 2014/15

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Strategic recruitment Clyde & CoSquire Patton Boggs
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As Clyde & Co’s Manchester office revenues look to hit £26m for 2014/15, the firm is expanding the presence it gained in the city through its 2011 tie-up with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert with a move into new premises and the hire of two partners from Squire Patton Boggs.

The firm has shifted 18% of its Manchester headcount to the new premises at The Royal Exchange including four equity partners, 39 fee-earning staff and 24 support staff and will also house planned lateral hires over the next few months. As part of the firm’s growth plans for the office, real estate partner duo Liam Buckley, who covers commercial property finance, and renewable energy specialist Stelios Coutsavlis joined this week (8 June) from Squire Patton Boggs.

The transfer comes as the office expanded its headcount by 22% and is set to post a £26m revenue figure across the 2014/15 financial year, up 13% from last year’s £23m. Clyde & Co took on the £18m revenue generating Manchester office in 2011 as part of its merger with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, and now contributes around 10% of Clyde & Co’s UK turnover. Overall revenue has increased 44% in the last five years.

The firm said the move of the 67 Clydes employees to the central location was a bid to ‘reflect the firm’s commitment to its UK regional operations and its continued plans for expansion’.

James Dadge, partner and head of Clydes’ Manchester office told Legal Business: ‘Clydes has a big international focus but needed more of a client regional focus. It’s Manchester office has grown significantly in the last two years – we now have a marine and pensions offering in addition to a professional indemnity team.’

Some of the office’s key corporate and insurer clients include AIG Insurance, AXA, NFU Mutual – for who the firm recently secured a panel position in March 2015 – and Aviva.

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

‘A real privilege’: Squire Patton Boggs’ Leeds office acts for Poundworld on TPG investment

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Corporate Squire Patton Boggs
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Squire Patton Boggs lined up opposite Ropes & Gray as both won key roles on TPG’s £150m investment into value retailer Poundworld last month.

The US private equity (PE) house acquired a majority stake in the UK’s second-largest single-price retailer as part of a bid for accelerated expansion nationwide, with 150 stores planned over the next three years.

Legal Business

US revenues 2014: Kirkland’s partner profits top $3.5m as Squires reveals first post-merger results

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US firms Kirkland & EllisSquire Patton Boggs
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US firm revenues continue to come through with Kirkland & Ellis posting a 6.6% increase in global revenues to $2.15bn in 2014, an increase from the previous year when turnover rose 4% to $2.02bn. Meanwhile, Squire Patton Boggs posted its first post-merger global revenues, coming in at $870.5m with $163m of this generated in the UK.

Kirkland’s partner profits were equally strong, surpassing the $3.5m mark, and rising 7% to $3.51m – this comes after an only 1% increase in 2013 to $3.28m. Revenue per lawyer increased 5.4% to $1.37m from $1.3m, while net income rose 8% to $1.18bn.

These increases come as the firm’s lawyer headcount grew only slightly with total number of lawyers increasing by 22 to 1,576. Equity partner heads rose from 334 to 337 at the firm while non-equity partner numbers remained at 395 for the second year running.

The Chicago-based firm has shaken up the lateral hiring market with a series of big hires this last year, including recruiting Linklaters’ head of real estate M&A Matthew Elliott, who left Magic Circle firm in the City after 17 years; Stephen Lucas from Weil, Gotshal & Manges where he was the head of the London banking group; and Chicago litigator James Hurst who left Winston & Strawn for Kirkland in December 2014.

The firm did however, lose its de facto City head Graham White who quit to join Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, and debt finance expert Stephen Gillespie who joined Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, both in London.

After its merger last year and off of $870.5m in revenues, Squire Patton Boggs posted net profits of $129.5m, with average profit per equity partner standing at $841,000 in 2014. Squire Sanders and Washington-headquartered firm Patton Boggs officially merged in June 2014, to create a firm with 1,600 lawyers  – of which 1,223 were legacy Squires Sanders and 334 came from Patton Boggs – based across 44 offices.

However, the legacy Squire Sanders practice in the Middle East which consisted of a team of 23 lawyers that included five partners, did exit Squire Patton Boggs following the firm’s merger, leaving it with Patton Boggs’ legacy affiliate The Khalid Al-Thebity Law Firm, in August.

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Revolving doors: Clydes and Hunton & Williams make local hires while Squire Patton Boggs brings a team into its Paris office

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Strategic recruitment Clyde & CoHunton & WilliamsSquire Patton Boggs
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Last week saw Clyde & Co expand its employment and personal injury practices with hires from DWF and Hill Dickinson, while Hunton & Williams grew its City energy and infrastructure practice. In Paris, Squire Patton Boggs expanded its international disputes practice with a double partner hire as well as a team of associates.

In the insurance space, Clyde & Co expanded its employment and personal injury team in Manchester. The firm recruited personal injury partner Jason Bleasdale from Hill Dickinson where he led the casualty litigation and disease claims team, in a bid to broaden the firm’s offering to personal injury clients. Bleasdale brings with him over 20 years’ experience in defending employer’s liability and disease claims, and is ranked as a leading individual in The Legal 500 for his expertise in industrial disease, professional disciplinary, and regulatory and environmental cases.

Bleasdale trained at Hill Dickinson, qualifying in 1993, becoming partner in 1998 and an equity member 2001. He said: ‘Disease is increasingly complex area of law so legal teams in this area and related fields need to have real depth and technical experience to meet clients’ needs.’

Clydes also hired Mark Hammerton, who joins from DWF, to develop its north-west practice and work closely with the firm’s City partners to advise large national and regional employers. Hammerton leaves DWF’s employment practice after nearly three years having previously been a partner at Eversheds. He specialises in TUPE, HR aspects of outsourcing/insourcing and M&A.

In London, Hunton & Williams has grown its energy and infrastructure practice with the hire of finance partner Stuart Hills from Fasken Martineau. Hills will focus on banking and finance, primarily project finance and acquisition finance, across Africa and Eastern Europe.

He has worked at Fasken Martineau for the past five years, before which he was partner at US firms Weil, Gotshal & Manges from 2008 to 2010, and O’Melveny & Myers from 2004 to 2008. Prior to this, he worked at Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for eleven years after qualifying in 1995. Hills has advised oil and gas, mining and metal, and publicly listed companies across issues covering acquisitions, developments, company sales and financing projects.

Hills joins fellow project finance partner Andrew Thomas – also from Fasken Martineau – who joined Hunton & Williams in October 2014. He said: ‘I am really pleased to join such a successful and well-respected team at Hunton & Williams. The energy and infrastructure sector in Africa and Eastern Europe is growing rapidly providing lots of opportunities.’

London energy partner, Ryan Ketchum, added: ‘As foreign-sourced private sector investments into Africa approach the $100bn per year mark, an ever-increasing number of companies are recognising the significance of the investment opportunities in these markets. Stuart’s extensive experience in debt and equity finance in West Africa and other emerging markets makes him a perfect fit for the team.’

Over in Paris, Squire Patton Boggs expanded its international disputes practice with a double partner hire. Partners Carole Sportes and Valérie Ravit join the firm along with three associates.

Litigator Sportes has particular expertise in insurance, product liability – particularly pharmaceuticals – and transport including aviation. She returns to Squire Patton Boggs’ Paris office where she was formerly an associate. Ravit has experience in insurance, re-insurance, industrial risks and environmental litigation. She also has advised in international arbitration, particularly in the field of re-insurance.

The arrival of Sportes and Ravit takes the total number of lawyers based in the Paris office to 40, 12 of which are partners. In the past year, Squire Patton Boggs has added 30 lawyers to its international disputes practice, following Ben Holland, who joined from Covington & Burling in October 2014.

Christopher Wilde, office managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Paris, said: ‘We are excited to see Carole return and to welcome Valérie and these highly-experienced associates to the firm. Their arrival significantly boosts our depth of resource and know-how from a dispute resolution perspective in Paris and also offers significant synergies across the firm globally, in key industry sectors such as insurance, pharmaceuticals and aviation.’

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

One up, one out: Simmons promotes finance partner as it loses another to Squire Patton Boggs

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Strategic recruitment Simmons & SimmonsSquire Patton Boggs
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Squire Patton Boggs has hired Simmons & Simmons‘ acquisition finance partner John Hayward as it sets out to expand its roster of banking and private equity clients. Meanwhile, Simmons made a New Year promotion to its partnership.

Hayward, who took a five-partner banking team to Simmons & Simmons from Berwin Leighton Paisner in 2011, has been tasked with securing bank loan mandates as liquidity in the European finance market picks up. Hayward was head of leveraged finance at BLP for the eight years leading up to his exit and held client relationships with Barclays Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland.

Since 2008, Hayward has taken on an increasing amount of real estate finance. An influx of investment in the London real estate market, with Middle Eastern and Asian investment groups spending billions of pounds to acquire prime property, means he can expect to pick up work from Squire Patton Boggs’ eight-partner real estate team in London. The firm believes one of the benefits of its merger last year will come from legacy Squire Sanders’ European real estate team and Patton Boggs’ strong funds group in the Middle East.

Jim Barresi, global head of Squire Patton Boggs’ financial services group, said: ‘Financial Services is an area of strategic investment and expansion for our firm globally as we build our capabilities to meet the needs of a sophisticated, much valued and ever-increasing client-base. With John Hayward in London we are opening up valuable new opportunities in the UK domestic market and also for our clients located in the Middle East and elsewhere.’

Squire Patton Boggs hired three finance partners in London last year, hiring asset finance specialist Paula Laird from Wragge & Co, structured finance partner Mark Thomas from Addleshaw Goddard, and debt capital market specialist Tom Cerdan from White & Case, where he was a senior associate.

Andrew Knight, EMEA chief, added: ‘John’s appointment is the latest in an ongoing programme of growth and lateral hiring for our practice.’

It is a case of one in, one out for Simmons & Simmons, which made a surprise promotion earlier this month with the election of finance lawyer Matthew Pitman to the partnership in London. He specialises in investment funds, in particular private funds.

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Revolving Doors: Arnold & Porter and Squire Patton Boggs make moves in the City while Bird & Bird brings in a new head of corporate in Poland

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Strategic recruitment Arnold & Porter Kaye ScholerBird & BirdSquire Patton Boggs
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Squire Patton Boggs has recruited a London projects team from Nabarro spearheaded by partner Robin Baillie, as Arnold & Porter bolsters its life sciences group and Bird & Bird brings in Gide Loyrette Nouel partner Rafał Dziedzic to head its corporate practice in Poland.

Baillie, who specialises in advising governments on infrastructure projects and has 15 years’ experience under his belt, is joined by Nabarro associates Stefanie Atchinson and Anna Le Jehan.

Partner Philippa Chadwick, who leads Squire Patton Boggs’ global projects group, said: ‘The arrival of Robin and his team gives a significant boost to the development of our international projects and Public Private Partnership (PPP) capability. Robin, Stefanie and Anna give us additional resources and know-how here in London to handle a growing number of projects both in the UK, Ireland and Western Europe but also further afield, particularly the Middle East.’

Baillie added: ‘Squire Patton Boggs has a great track record of PFI/PPP in the UK, Europe and Asia and is now developing that capability in North America. It’s great to join such a strong projects team in the UK that also has such a powerful global platform.’

Squire Patton Boggs was not the only US-based firm to make a London play, with Arnold & Porter picking up corporate partner Blaine Templeman from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton. Templeman will split his time between London and New York and his hire is a direct response to the increased link between Europe and the US in the pharma sector following recent mergers.   

Tim Frazer, head of Arnold & Porter’s London office, said: ‘Blaine’s skills and experience on the European side of commercial life sciences transactions expands our depth in this critical and ever-changing sector, and will be of great benefit to our clients in the UK.’

 ‘Arnold & Porter has a large number of lawyers with deep experience in the industry, which will enable me to broaden my service to clients and allow for collaboration with my new colleagues both nationally and overseas,’ said Templeman.

Meanwhile in Europe, Bird & Bird appointed Rafał Dziedzic as head of its corporate and M&A practice in Warsaw. Dziedzic joins from Gide Loyrette Nouel where he was head of the M&A and corporate department for the country.

Maciej Gawroński, head of Bird & Bird’s Warsaw office, said: ‘Our clients who have worked with Rafał before congratulated us on winning him for our firm. He is well-known for his in-depth experience, knowledge and market understanding, which combined with the know-how and reputation of the whole Bird & Bird team will allow us to build a strong and stable corporate practice in Poland, focusing in particular on M&A transactions.’

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Revolving doors: Squires lures London partner from Covington in energy disputes push

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Strategic recruitment Squire Patton Boggs
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Squire Patton Boggs has made its first lateral hire in London since its merger in May, hiring arbitration partner Ben Holland from Covington & Burling.

Holland becomes Squire Patton Boggs’ most senior arbitration recruit in London, having made partner at CMS Cameron McKenna in 2007 before moving to Covington 15 months ago.

He will also be Squire Patton Boggs’ eighth arbitration lawyer in London and its second partner. His arrival follows that of counsel James Barratt, who arrived from O’Melveny & Myers in September, and senior associate Alexis Martinez, who joined from Allen & Overy at the end of last year.

This latest strategic move fills a void in London, linking Holland up with fellow energy pricing specialists Stephen Anway in New York and the firm’s head of international dispute resolution, George von Mehren.

Holland specialises in energy pricing disputes, which has been fertile ground for arbitration lawyers in Europe over the last five years due to fluctuating prices, with BP, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Gazprom having all been involved in arbitration over long-term contracts no longer in line with current energy values.

Holland also had a short-lived union with energy specialist Gaëtan Verhoosel at Covington before the Dutchman’s exit to launch arbitration boutique Three Crowns with Freshfields partners Jan Paulsson and Constantine Partasides in April.

‘We have a market-leading team for gas pricing disputes and Ben’s background and experience are highly synergistic with the work that we already do in this area,’ said von Mehren. ‘Ben’s arrival will add to the strength of this team, enhance our offering to clients, and help us achieve our goal to be a dominant firm in the international energy dispute resolution market.’

Peter Crossley, European and Middle East managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs, added: ‘London continues to be a very significant centre for handling international disputes and we are seeing increasing demand for IDR experts in London, particularly resulting from the expansion of our Middle East practice through our combination with Patton Boggs earlier this year.’

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

For more on the City disputes market, see Disputes Yearbook 2014

Legal Business

Squire Patton Boggs takes Sidley Austin’s last German partner as Taylor Wessing builds private client practice

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Strategic recruitment Squire Patton BoggsTaylor Wessing
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Eight years after founding Sidley Austin’s office in Frankfurt, Jens Rinze, the firm’s last remaining partner in the country after a spate of exits, has departed for Squire Patton Boggs.

The exits brings an end to Sidley Austin’s German adventure, which began with the arrival of Rinze and Oliver Kessler as partners from Hogan Lovells in the country’s financial hub. The firm had long sought a German presence, having acted for a number of European financial institutions in the US including Deutsche Bank, but the wheels began to come off in 2012 when Kessler, who was the regional managing partner of the law firm, left to join local firm Oppenhoff & Partner. He was later joined by Sidley Austin’s corporate partner Jerome Friedrich. A review of the Frankfurt office was started after tax partner Werner Geisselmeier left for Pinsent Masons’ Munich office in December 2013.

For Squire Patton Boggs, Rinze becomes the firm’s twentieth lawyer in Frankfurt, some of whom also operate in Berlin. His practice has developed to focus on property and property development finance, securitizations, restructuring, loan origination and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

With the firm looking to increase its share of the legal work emanating from a financial services sector caught by a wave of new regulation, Kai Mertens, managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Germany, said Rinze will ‘develop our presence in the German real estate institutional investment market and our work with state banks and financial institutions active in Germany and Eastern Europe’.

The firm hired Addleshaw Goddard’s head of structured finance, Mark Thomas, in London last year and is looking to expand in continental Europe now it has strengthened its US base with bank regulatory lawyers Bob Barnett, Jim Sivon and Ray Natter in Washington, DC.

Rinze added: ‘I’m pleased to be joining such a dynamic global financial services practice. I’ve also been impressed by Squire Patton Boggs’ strong and diverse real estate practice in Germany, which is of great benefit to the work I do for a number of clients, and the extensive offices the firm has, especially in Eastern Europe, where there is enormous potential to add yet more value to client service.’

Meanwhile, in the UK, Taylor Wessing has become the latest firm to bolster its capabilities with the addition of two partners to its private client practice as the firm focuses on expanding the group as part of its core strategy. Elaine Dobson joins as head of residential property from Bircham Dyson Bell, while tax partner Antoaneta Proctor joins from Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co.

Dobson replaces Taylor Wessing’s former residential property head Joanna Ward who is retiring after 12 years at the firm. Previously, Dobson led the residential real estate group Bircham, after joining the firm in 2007 as a partner. Dobson specialises in transactional, landlord and tenant issues, and more complex enfranchisement work.

Proctor specialises in international tax and trusts, multi-jurisdictional wealth planning, family governance and business succession, with a particular interest in creating tax-efficient structures. She also has expertise in providing advice in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe.

Taylor Wessing head of private client Andrew Hine said: ‘The addition of Elaine and Antoaneta to the team reflects the firm’s commitment to expanding our leading private client practice, which is an integral and central part of the firm’s overall strategy. With both Elaine and Antoaneta having practices with a significant international dimension, these appointments also reflect the increasingly global nature of our client base. With 26 offices across the globe, we are well placed to service our high net worth clients across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.’

Tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

News in brief – September 2014

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Litigation Clyde & CoDentonsSquire Patton Boggs
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Squire Patton Boggs loses 23-strong team in Middle East

Squire Patton Boggs saw the departure of five partners and 18 supporting lawyers from its Middle East offices after tensions arose as the recently merged firm integrated its regional affiliates. The exits came as legacy Patton Boggs’ Khalid Al-Thebity was appointed managing partner of the Riyadh office.

Clydes settles whistleblower case

Clyde & Co has settled its dispute with former partner Krista Bates van Winkelhof out of court after she alleged she was forced to leave after blowing the whistle on the managing partner of its Tanzanian associate firm and announcing her pregnancy. The case involved a landmark Supreme Court decision which held that members of an LLP could be considered workers.