The beginning of autumn has seen the lateral hiring merry-go-round intensify after the more muted summer months, as UK and international firms secured substantive reinforcements in corporate, funds, tax and infrastructure.
The headline City arrival came as Kirkland & Ellis brought in Allen & Overy (A&O)’s global co-head of infrastructure Sara Pickersgill. Ranked in The Legal 500’s Hall of Fame, Pickersgill is an established market leader in infrastructure, energy and renewables corporate transactions, having been with the Magic Circle firm for more than 20 years. Pickersgill was swiftly followed to Kirkland by infrastructure funds partners James Boswell and Paul Sampson, who arrived from Clifford Chance and A&O respectively. Then in October they were joined by infrastructure M&A partner Toby Parkinson, who had been co-head of CC’s infrastructure sector.
Kirkland also saw a departure, as Proskauer Rose continued to grow its tax practice, recruiting Frazer Money. A partner for more than five years, Money adds to Proskauer’s expertise in the tax aspects of private fund formation and management.
Mary Kuusisto, Proskauer’s London managing partner, told Legal Business that the appointment was a long time coming: ‘We have found the perfect fit for what we’ve been looking for in Frazer. It was a long time that we were looking for somebody to fill this role. When we found Frazer we looked at each other and said: ‘Yeah, he’s the one. Let’s try to get him.
‘Frazer has lots of talents in different areas, but primarily he works on the UK and European side of putting those funds and partnerships together, representing the buyers and sellers in those fund interests.’ Mary Kuusisto, Proskauer Rose
‘We have one of the largest private investment and fund formation practices on the London market. Frazer has lots of talents in different areas, but primarily he works on the UK and European side of putting those funds and partnerships together, representing the buyers and sellers in those fund interests. He has a specialty as well in representing a particular subset of secondary transactions that have become very, very hot right now, which are GP led secondaries, where the sponsor actually facilitates the buying and selling of interests in portfolio companies in their funds.’
Continuing the theme of US giants recruiting from London stalwarts, Fried Frank has welcomed senior private equity partner James Renahan from Travers Smith. Experienced in leveraged buyouts, consortium deals, bolt-on acquisitions and carve-outs, Renahan is the latest of Travers’ corporate leading lights to depart for a US rival. Private equity talisman Paul Dolman caused widespread shock when he departed the London staple to join Latham & Watkins in January 2021.
Meanwhile in the US, A&O announced the next move in its US expansion project, as Zee Ahmedani joined the Los Angeles office from Goodwin. A partner in investment funds, Ahmedani specialises in assisting investment managers and sponsors with the organisation and establishment of private funds.
Speaking with Legal Business, A&O US lead Tim House, noted: ‘The development of our alternative investment management clients continues to be a strategic priority for the firm and global fund formation and investment capabilities is a pretty critical component of that objective. One of the commitments that we made to other partners that have joined us in the US on the transactional side was to continue to build out our financial strength in the US, particularly to support our private capital plans here, but also globally. As well as the demand from our existing partners, the partners who’ve joined us in the last 18 months in New York, DC and California have brought with them some fund manager clients who need this service.’
On the hire of Ahmedani, House said: ‘Going back pre-Goodwin, Zee was a partner in the investment funds group of White & Case in California, London and Abu Dhabi for a decade. In that role he was co-head of the corporate department in Abu Dhabi and head of the investment funds practice in London. He’d spent a fair bit of time in those roles in Asia before he relocated to Los Angeles. Two things out of that. One is he was actually very well known to a number of our technology partners who have joined us in the US but he’s also got deep international experience which plays to our network.’
On the continent, Madrid has been the key battleground for global heavyweights in recent weeks. The flurry of activity began at Latham & Watkins, which hired Linklaters senior partner and Legal 500 Hall of Famer Alejandro Ortiz into its M&A practice. The Magic Circle stalwart responded a week later by bringing in Latham’s Sebastián Albella, a former chairman of the Spanish Securities and Exchange Commission.
White & Case has also been targeting the city, launching its commercial litigation practice with the hire of Francisco Málaga from Linklaters. Málaga’s addition follows the recruitment of debt finance partner Jaime Rossi from Herbert Smith Freehills in September.
‘One of the commitments that we made to partners that have joined us in the US on the transactional side was to continue to build out our financial strength in the US, particularly to support our private capital plans here, but also globally.’ Tim House, Allen & Overy
White & Case executive committee member Oliver Brettle told Legal Business: ‘We have been looking at Madrid for a while. The office has been doing very well, but we’d had some client feedback that we weren’t significant enough in the market to be able to generate self-standing instructions. So, we decided to build out on the M&A front and you have seen announcements about that. We decided to build out on the litigation front and you have seen this week that we were joined by a partner from Linklaters in Madrid, a very senior litigator with a standout reputation in the market. We’re confident that that will enable us to win the sorts of mandates which will play to the strengths of the global firm.’
Finally, King & Spalding continued its European expansion expedition in recent weeks with a flurry of lateral arrivals. Project finance specialist Fernand Arsanios and employment lawyer Alice Mony Decroix joined as partners in Paris in September from Reed Smith and Bredin Prat respectively. The firm then strengthened its London team in October with the addition of private equity partners Amit Kataria from Morrison & Foerster and Paul Barron, a rare departure from Scottish corporate firm Dickson Minto.
Speaking to Legal Business, King & Spalding’s head of corporate, finance and investments Todd Holleman, said: ‘This is an ongoing strategy, so we expect more quality hires to come. We’re keen on further investment in areas such as private equity, finance and tax, among others. Likewise, the focus often goes on the partners but we’re also bringing on board counsel and associates. We’re keen to have strong growth across the ranks.’