National operator DWF has bolstered its services clout ahead of a touted stock exchange listing with the hire of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s well-regarded chief of business operations, Anup Kollanethu (pictured).
Kollanethu, who joined the Magic Circle firm in mid-2015 after 12 years at Aviva Investors, has been appointed chief executive of DWF managed services. Continue reading “DWF hires the brains behind Freshfields’ Manchester hub for new managed services role”
Latham & Watkins has hired former Linklaters restructuring star Yen Sum just over a year after she joined Sidley Austin in one of the quickest turnarounds in London’s senior lateral recruitment market.
Sum is joining Latham alongside fellow finance partner Jennifer Brennan, another Linklaters alumni who had also followed her from the Magic Circle firm to Sidley just last year. Continue reading “Restructuring star Sum makes quick exit from Sidley’s City practice to join Latham”
US player Morrison & Foerster emerged as the only firm to make a significant lateral hire in the City last week, while Fieldfisher bolstered its new Luxembourg office and Reed Smith made a triple hire in the Middle East at the expense of Pinsent Masons.
MoFo strengthened its London finance practice with the hire of Benoit Lavigne from Ropes & Gray where he was a partner, focusing primarily on leveraged finance, acquisition finance and special situations lending. The hire is MoFo’s third London office hire of 2018, as the firm strengthened with additions from Clifford Chance and Jones Day earlier this year. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Morrison & Foerster makes City move as Fieldfisher and Reed Smith develop international practices”
Two standout moves in June and July saw the Magic Circle and the Wall Street elite each lose and gain one in partner reversions in London.
Ward McKimm, one of thestra most upwardly mobile partners the City has seen, made good on a long-rumoured defection to Shearman & Sterling’s capital markets practice, having previously worked there for some 14 years, becoming partner in 2005 and co-head of its corporate group in 2010. Continue reading “Shearman wins McKimm from Freshfields as Penn returns to A&O from Cleary”
Mayer Brown and Reed Smith are continuing their recent expansion trajectories, this time at the expenses of Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF)’s London base and Pinsent Masons’ Middle East operations.
NRF saw the exit of one of its most senior London partners as veteran litigator Sam Eastwood headed for the door after three decades to join Mayer Brown. Continue reading “NRF loses veteran litigator Eastwood to Mayer Brown in further exit as Reed Smith scoops Pinsents’ Middle East head”
It has been another busy week on the lateral market, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer seeing other departures and a raft of international firms growing their ranks in Europe and the US.
Freshfields’ restructuring and insolvency partner Nicholas Segal will leave the Magic Circle firm after 12 years to start a new career at Erskine Chambers in September after completing the formalities to join the Bar. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Freshfields insolvency veteran heads for the Bar as BCLP and 2Birds beef up global ranks”
Kirkland & Ellis is building on the rapid growth of its Texas operations with the opening of a second office in the US state.
The Chicago-bred giant announced on Wednesday (11 July) it would open a new eight-partner base in Dallas, hiring six lawyers from US rivals including Jones Day M&A partner Michael Considine. Continue reading “‘Hungry and energetic’: Kirkland taps rivals to launch second Texas base in Dallas”
In a fresh blow for City giant Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, high-yield partner Ward McKimm is leaving after three years to re-join his old firm, Shearman & Sterling.
The move comes not seven months after buyout star David Higgins exited for Kirkland & Ellis despite the Magic Circle firm overhauling its partnership model in a bid to keep its top performers. Continue reading “Freshfields’ high-yield guru McKimm rejoins Shearman & Sterling”
It has been lively couple of weeks for lateral hires, with Allen & Overy (A&O) making a significant play in New York as a host of firms recruited across the continent.
Hot on the heels of rehiring financial services regulation head Bob Penn in June, A&O has hired M&A partner Stephen Besen in New York from Shearman & Sterling. Continue reading “Revolving doors: A&O makes New York push as DLA and Dentons add to European rosters”
