DLA Piper made the most notable hire of the past week, announcing the addition of veteran Jonathan Earle to add further strength to its expanding London corporate practice.
Earle, who joined Gibson Dunn & Crutcher after 16 years at Ashurst in 2014, was part of a major push by the LA-based powerhouse into UK M&A that was fronted by Earle’s colleague Charlie Geffen. Continue reading “Revolving doors: DLA continues corporate march with trophy hire as Keystone makes Middle East move”
The first week of August saw the lateral recruitment market resume in earnest, with a bumper spate of partner hires unveiled.
Unsurprisingly the majority of acquisitions were made in corporate, with the deal market showing real signs of improvement . Herbert Smith Freehills led the way in the City with the addition of Kirkland & Ellis partner David D’Souza, a well-known private equity specialist who has regularly advised sponsors such as BC Partners, Blackstone and Permira. Continue reading “Revolving doors: lateral hire season back with gusto as raft of senior moves announced”
The past week has seen some senior hands move to and from large international law firms, not least DWF Group refreshing its c-suite with experience to help CEO Sir Nigel Knowles at a critical time for the business.
DWF has, following a ‘recruitment process’, appointed the current chair of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer, as its new chairman with effect from 1 August. Meanwhile, Chris Sullivan, who stepped up to become interim chairman, when former chairman Knowles took over from outgoing CEO Andrew Leaitherland in May, will now become deputy chairman. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: DWF appoints senior hand in critical management refresh as experienced players move to and from G100 firms”
As the lateral recruitment market in the UK and Europe begins to reawaken, it is clear US firms have picked up where they left off, going in hard with key hires from Global 100 rivals.
New York banking heavyweight Cahill Gordon & Reindel has made the standout move of late, strengthening its nascent London finance practice with the hires of Jonathan Brownson and Jake Keaveny from Allen & Overy, who will be joining in September. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: US firms take lead as lateral hire market emerges from hibernation”
Law firm leaders are getting restless. They are beginning to look past Covid-19 to what comes next. Even if finances remain a concern, there are fewer ‘unknown unknowns’. The process for getting people back to the office is mapped out. Huge uncertainties and challenges remain, but a way forward is emerging. The question now is: how to regain momentum and rally the troops?
A key part of any proactive strategy will likely include lateral hiring. It’s striking that a steady trickle of strategic hires has continued during the coronavirus crisis. Expect that trickle to become a gush by early 2021. And whether your firm is calling potential partners, other firms are calling yours. Continue reading “Comment: A triumph of hope over experience – Lateral hiring needs an upgrade for the post-Covid era”
Kirkland & Ellis topped M&A rankings for Europe last year, bringing in a total of $224.2bn in deals, while Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer came in second at $221.7bn. Little wonder then that rival Latham & Watkins has targeted Freshfields for its most significant London lateral hire in some time, bringing in public M&A rising star Sam Newhouse.
It is inevitable that public M&A work in London – long-considered the preserve of the Magic Circle – has become the latest hunting ground for ambitious US players as an alternative to private equity and funds-driven corporate work. White & Case is well-established in the area and Weil, Gotshal & Manges has made no secret of its desire to find talented company for veteran Mike Francies, as it did with the hire of David Avery-Gee from Linklaters last year. Continue reading “Corporate losses continue for Freshfields as Latham makes public M&A play in London”
Ashurst has launched a consulting business with the hire of a senior Deloitte partner in Australia to deal with growing client demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The firm said today (31 March) it had hired Philip Hardy, a partner at the Big Four consultancy since 2008 and head of its Australian governance, regulation and conduct advisory business. The resulting Ashurst Consulting will initially be offered in Australia and will advise clients on minimising risk, manage change and bolstering business performance. Continue reading “Ashurst launches consulting arm to handle Covid-19 demand with Deloitte partner hire”
Allen & Overy has not let market turmoil wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic get in the way of its US recruitment ambitions, having re-hired IP litigation partner Paul Keller from Norton Rose Fulbright in New York.
The move, announced today (30 March), comes as part of its strategy to accelerate investment into its US business after its failure to merge with O’Melveny & Myers last year. It is the third US hire announced in a week after adding Billy Jacobson and Jonathan Lopez, both veterans of the fraud section of the US Department of Justice, from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in Washington DC. Continue reading “A&O defies coronavirus turbulence to lure back New York litigation partner”
City recruitment clearly slowed down last week but Alston & Bird managed to add to its relatively new City branch while Signature Litigation partner Simon Bushell leaves the firm after three years.
Atlanta-based Alston & Bird has hired structured finance partner James Fisher from Reed Smith to its finance practice in London. He has experience advising corporate trust and agency clients on the full gamut of deals, including securitisations and CDOs. He also focuses on post-closing matters such as restructurings, defaults, remediations and exercises of discretion. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Alston & Bird adds London structured finance partner as Signature’s Bushell departs”
