Revolving doors news, updates and analysis | Page 4 of 39

Kirkland & Ellis was at the centre of not one but two of the biggest stories in the London lateral hiring market last week . First, the news broke that former Linklaters private equity star Roger Johnson was set to leave. Then, the firm announced its hire of Paul Weiss London managing partner Alvaro Membrillera.

Membrillera’s departure leaves Paul Weiss with only three partners in London, according to the firm’s website: David Carmona and Adam Wollstein, who made partner in December 2018 and January 2021, respectively, and David Lakhdhir, who cofounded the office in 2001 with Mark Bergman, of counsel in Washington DC since 2021. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Shake-ups at Kirkland and Paul Weiss, as Fieldfisher picks up competition team hire”

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”

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”

 The energy sector was the focus again for a number of London firms amid a busy round of hires last week, as were the Middle East and Africa regions. 

International dispute resolution partner and chartered arbitrator Philip Norman has left Clyde & Co for CMS, where he will join the firm’s infrastructure, construction and energy (ICE) disputes team. He will work from the London office, and will maintain his focus on the Middle East and Africa.   Continue reading “Revolving Doors: Africa and Middle East focus for international firms as energy dominates agenda again “