Increasing confidence in the transactional market has contributed to a rash of senior partner moves at the start of 2014, with the UK’s leading firms bolstering both their London and international practices.
In the City, upwardly mobile US practices continued to boost their capability with Weil, Gotshal & Manges hiring Hogan Lovells banking and finance partner Chris McLaughlin, who has extensive experience of cross-border private equity buyouts and European real estate acquisitions and restructuring. His hire came a week after Latham & Watkins hired Weil Gotshal funds partner Nick Benson, its fifth City hire within the past 12 months.
Elsewhere, high-profile energy partner Charles July joined Dentons’ One Fleet Place office as an energy, infrastructure and project finance partner from Watson, Farley & Williams, where he has headed the project, commodities and export finance team, having joined in May 2010.
Prior to Watson Farley, July was at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for 29 years, latterly heading the energy and infrastructure group for the Middle East and North Africa region.
The City also saw a number of litigation movers, including Herbert Smith Freehills’ hire of Maitland Chambers’ Tom Leech QC, who joins as Murray Rosen QC, one of the founders of the firm’s advocacy practice alongside Ian Gatt QC, prepares to retire from the firm.
In Europe, Olswang has strengthened its German practice with the hire of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s IP/IT head Andreas Splittgerber, in a bid to expand the firm’s European data protection and sourcing practices.
The fluid Paris market saw Allen & Overy take on an employment team led by the highly regarded Claire Toumieux together with three associates from Flichy Grangé Avocats. The hire comes after Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer also in January strengthened its Paris M&A capability with the hire of Bredin Prat partner Olivier Rogivue, who was formerly with Slaughter and May.
Freshfields’ global head of corporate Edward Braham said: ‘As the French market becomes increasingly international, we are seeing an increasing demand for top-quality lawyers with valuable international experience.’