Roger Johnson, among the first wave private equity stars to defect to Kirkland & Ellis from the Magic Circle, has left the Chicago powerhouse’s London office.
The move was quickly followed by news that Kirkland has hired the well-respected private equity partner Alvaro Membrillera from Paul Weiss in the City, where he was London managing partner. Continue reading “One in, one out: Deal star Johnson to exit Kirkland as Membrillera joins from Paul Weiss”
Leading the high-profile moves last week, Paul Hastings has expanded its energy and infrastructure practice with the hire of Alistair McKechnie after a string of recent prominent hires that include Jessamy Gallagher and Stuart Rowson. McKechnie specialises in infrastructure finance and acquisition finance.
Speaking to Legal Business about the move, McKechnie he said: ‘There is undeniable momentum at Paul Hastings right now, and it’s clear the firm is on an upward trajectory both on a global level and in London. I watched with interest the hires of Jessamy and Stuart at the start of the year: it was clear they were building something unique in the sense that they go to market as a fully integrated energy and infrastructure practice, combining specialist capability across disciplines, and, crucially, covering both M&A and finance.’ Continue reading “Revolving Doors: International and domestic firms bolster finance, infra and disputes teams”
Shearman & Sterling has lost another two partners in London, as infrastructure and projects partners Ben Shorten and Trinh Chubbock moved over to Gibson Dunn, where Shorten will head the firm’s EMEA projects team.
‘Gibson Dunn has a fantastic energy practice,’ said Shorten. ‘When the opportunity came up, it was too good to miss out on.’ Chubbock concurred: ‘The platform speaks for itself.’ Continue reading “Revolving doors: More departures from Shearman as firms focus on financial services and infrastructure hires”
Leading the high-profile moves this week, Baker McKenzie has recruited Allen & Overy partner Fernando Torrente to head up its M&A and capital markets practice in Madrid. Torrente currently leads A&O’s corporate, M&A and capital markets practice and has built a strong track record spanning three decades in takeovers, IPOs, flotations, and other equity financing structures.
Meanwhile, Clifford Chance has revealed the name of the sixth partner to join its recently opened Houston office. Partner David Sweeney joins after spending six years at Akin Gump, acting for clients on M&A, energy finance transactions and operational matters across the globe. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: More hires in Houston as London’s energy, employment and corporate sectors witness key moves”
There was a strong international slant to last week’s round of lateral partner appointments, with firms making key hires in the US, UAE, Australia, and Hong Kong.
In the US, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has hired a six-partner team of IP lawyers, led by Song Jung, alongside corporate partner Jeffrey Haidet from Dentons. Jung joins as global chair of patents, having previously founded the global intellectual property and technology group at Dentons. Standout matters for Jung include advising on the G Chem v SKI trade secrets case, which was settled for $1.8bn. Haidet was Dentons’ US chair, and advises national and multinational companies on financial structuring, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, transactions, strategic alliances, and industry consolidation. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Global 100 firms lead on international hires”
Following the recent hires of David Sewell and Damian Ridealgh to its New York office, Freshfields has announced six new partner hires across the US.
Heather Lamberg and Tina Sessions have joined the firm’s antitrust team in Washington DC and Silicon Valley. Lamberg, who previously worked at Winston & Strawn and Shearman & Sterling, advises on a range of antitrust cases, from class actions to criminal cartel investigations. Sessions, meanwhile, moves from Wilson Sonsini and advises on business-critical disputes with competitors and enforcement authorities, focusing on the technology sector. Continue reading “‘Our strategy is targeted and curated, and 100% client-centric’: Freshfields continues US hiring spree”
Amid a hectic start to June for lateral hiring, Freshfields has had a busy week, having added four new partners to both its London and New York practices. Derivatives and structured products specialist James Duncan will join the firm’s global transactions practice in London from Shearman & Sterling, following the news of its merger with A&O.
Duncan will advise the firm’s existing corporate, financial institution, financial sponsor, and private capital clients on cross-border transactions, strategic equity solutions and equity financings. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Freshfields unveils multiple hires in US amid busy week for London firms”
It’s been a busy week for US firms in London as they continue to exercise their hiring power, with several lateral moves across private equity, IP and financial services.
Reed Smith has bolstered its corporate practice with the hire of private equity partner François Feuillat, who moves from Willkie Farr & Gallagher and works across the energy, infrastructure, industrial and technology sectors. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: US firms continue hiring spree as Reed Smith and Sidley make moves on rivals in London”
During a busy week with the announcement of the A&O Shearman merger, news came that Shearman & Sterling has lost five partners to Ashurst in both the UK and Asia – around the same time the planned tie-up was made public.
London-based Shearman partners Sanja Udovicic and Julia Derrick have moved over to Ashurst to expand the firm’s global energy team along with three others based in South Korea and Singapore. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Partners exit Shearman and A&O as merger is announced”
Cooley has bolstered its London corporate and life sciences practice through its acquisition of new partner Simon Amies, ending an impressive 21-year stretch at Covington & Burling. Amies advises a variety of clients, including investors, investment banks and companies in the technology and life sciences space on M&A, IPOs and capital transactions.
Amies explained the rationale behind his move: ‘I have been really impressed with how Cooley in London has developed since its launch in 2015. The firm has built an exceptionally strong technology and life sciences platform, and my practice of supporting innovative life sciences companies through their lifecycle fits perfectly as this in the DNA of the firm.’ Continue reading “Revolving Doors: International firms bolster teams in life sciences, litigation and energy”
