Clyde & Co, CMS and DAC Beachcroft pick up partners from an ailing Sedgwick

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As US firm Sedgwick heads towards closure in the New Year, UK-based outfits Clyde & Co,  CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang and DAC Beachcroft have profited by picking up a number of partners.

DAC has hired a team comprising two partners and four associates from Sedgwick that will join its London office in January. This includes Mark Kendall, who led Sedgwick’s London international property and casualty team since 2010 and has also headed the firm’s Latin American group since 2014. Kendall’s practice has a strong focus on product recall and liability in sectors including food and pharmaceuticals. DAC confirmed that Kendall ‘shares a number of key clients’ with the firm. Continue reading “Clyde & Co, CMS and DAC Beachcroft pick up partners from an ailing Sedgwick”

Double City disputes hire for Bracewell as energy specialist responds to client demand

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Double City disputes hire for Bracewell as energy specialist responds to client demand

US energy firm Bracewell has hired a brace of arbitration partners to lead the launch of its London disputes practice.

Litigation and arbitration specialist Damian Watkin has joined the Houston-headquartered firm, best known for energy advisory, on Monday (4 December) from McDermott Will & Emery. He had only been a partner at McDermott since February 2017, before which he was a barrister in Jones Day’s global disputes practice for four years in Sydney and Dubai. Continue reading “Double City disputes hire for Bracewell as energy specialist responds to client demand”

Watson Farley hires disputes partner from Ropes to widen finance coverage

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Watson Farley hires disputes partner from Ropes to widen finance coverage

Expansive City player Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has bolstered its disputes practice with the hire of regulatory specialist Thomas Ross from Ropes & Gray.

Andrew Savage, head of litigation and arbitration at WFW, told Legal Business that Ross will start in his new role on Monday (4 December). Continue reading “Watson Farley hires disputes partner from Ropes to widen finance coverage”

‘Opportunistic’: Sidley Austin taps Simpson Thacher for brace of London private equity lawyers

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‘Opportunistic’: Sidley Austin taps Simpson Thacher for brace of London private equity lawyers

With demand for City-based buyout specialists greater than ever, Sidley Austin is making good on its strategy of bolstering its European private equity practice with the hire of two lawyers from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s highly-rated practice in London.

Wim De Vlieger had been counsel since 2007 and Till Lefranc an associate at Simpson Thacher since 2008. The pair will become partners and will start at Sidley’s London office within the next two months. Continue reading “‘Opportunistic’: Sidley Austin taps Simpson Thacher for brace of London private equity lawyers”

Cleary Gottlieb makes London disputes play as Herbert Smith Freehills loses seasoned partner

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The continued dominance of US firms in the City lateral market shows no sign of slowing, with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton yesterday (20 November) bringing in experienced disputes partner James Norris-Jones from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) to its office in the capital.

Norris-Jones, who was made a partner at HSF in 2012, has a broad practice that encompasses High Court litigation as well as arbitration. His arrival will boost Cleary’s already well-established London disputes team, comprising partners Sunil Gadhia, Jonathan Kelly, Christopher Moore, David Sabel and Romano Subiotto QC. Continue reading “Cleary Gottlieb makes London disputes play as Herbert Smith Freehills loses seasoned partner”

Second Ashurst partner exit this week as disputes specialist Giaretta joins Mishcon de Reya

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Second Ashurst partner exit this week as disputes specialist Giaretta joins Mishcon de Reya

Ashurst has seen its partner bench further diminished with the departure of disputes stalwart Ben Giaretta to Mishcon de Reya.

Giaretta – who joined Ashurst in 1999 – was made up to partner in 2009 and headed its Asian arbitration team out of Singapore for seven years. He moved back to the firm’s London office last year. Continue reading “Second Ashurst partner exit this week as disputes specialist Giaretta joins Mishcon de Reya”

Revolving doors: Gibson Dunn & Crutcher continues City push as Bird & Bird hires in Europe

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The push by leading US firms in London has continued in the past week, with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher the latest to strengthen its City cohort with a senior hire from a regulator, while Bird & Bird strengthened its international ranks with a lateral hire in Denmark.

Gibson Dunn bolstered its UK disputes and white-collar crime capabilities with the hire of Sacha Harber-Kelly. He joins from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), where he worked for 10 years, most recently as a prosecutor in the anti-corruption and bribery division. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Gibson Dunn & Crutcher continues City push as Bird & Bird hires in Europe”

Revolving doors: Shepherd and Wedderburn taps Scottish rival for London partner as Mayer Brown loses two to Gibson Dunn

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In a busy week of lateral recruitment in the UK, Shepherd and Wedderburn has made a key hire in London while Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Kingsley Napley, and Keystone Law have expanded their teams.

Scottish stalwart Shepherd has tapped local rival Maclay Murray & Spens for London disputes partner Philip Sewell in the same week as Maclays merger with global giant Dentons went live. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Shepherd and Wedderburn taps Scottish rival for London partner as Mayer Brown loses two to Gibson Dunn”

The Departed

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The Departed

Why would a partner quit an elite London law firm with decades of history, Rolls-Royce support and a superb client base for the uncertain prospects of the City arm of a US rival?

Money is the obvious answer and in a sector in which laterals regularly increase their compensation by 50-100%, that is obviously a big part of the equation. One Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer rainmaker is currently reported to be sitting on a $10m a year standing offer. Continue reading “The Departed”

Keeping home fires burning – DLA Piper chief Picón to join Latham & Watkins in Spain

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Keeping home fires burning – DLA Piper chief Picón to join Latham & Watkins in Spain

Moving to the highest-grossing firm in the world from one that used to hold that position, DLA Piper senior partner and global co-chair Juan Picón has left for Latham & Watkins less than two years into his term to spend more time in his native Spain.

He will take over the role of Latham’s managing partner in Spain following the retirement of predecessor José Luis Blanco. He joins from DLA’s own office in Madrid, alongside fellow DLA corporate partners Ignacio Gómez-Sancha and José Antonio Sánchez-Dafos. Continue reading “Keeping home fires burning – DLA Piper chief Picón to join Latham & Watkins in Spain”