Moves
UK & Ireland
Ropes & Gray PE partner duo exit in London
Senior private equity partners Dan Oates and Angela Becker have exited Ropes & Gray’s London office and are set to join Akin.
Freshfields makes Paul Weiss AI hire as Latham and Simpson Thacher boost corporate and finance
Anna Gressel will co-chair the firm’s AI practice out of New York along with Giles Pratt, based in London.
McDermott recruits financial disputes partner in London from Arnold & Porter
McDermott Will & Schulte has hired senior litigation lawyer Hilton Mervis, who has joined the firm’s London office as a partner from Arnold & Porter.
Lord Goldsmith departs Debevoise for Fountain Court Chambers
Lord Goldsmith will return to his home chambers in 2026, following the return of Sir Nicolas Underhill. Fountain Court Chambers has announced the return of two former members today (6 November). The London set confirmed the arrival of Sir Nicholas Underhill, with Lord Goldsmith set to return to his old chambers on 1 January 2026, after 18 years at Debevoise & Plimpton.
McDermott disputes heavyweight joins Quinn, takes aim at ‘inhibiting’ conflicts
Quinn Emanuel has hired senior disputes partner Andrew Savage from US rival McDermott in London, in a move he linked to growing frustration with big firm conflicts.
Cooley Nabs Taylor Wessing Fintech Lawyer Witherington in London
Charlotte Witherington joined Cooley as a partner in its London financial services enforcement and regulatory group, the firm announced Tuesday.
Harper Macleod appoints Liana Di Ciacca as partner
Harper Macleod has grown its banking and finance team and appointed a new partner. New partner Liana Di Ciacca joins with more than 15 years’ experience on a wide range of complex and high-value debt finance transactions. She advises both funders and borrowers on high profile Scots law matters as well as cross-border and international transactions. She joins from DWF.
Americas
White & Case adds Joshua Teahen as a partner in Houston
Global law firm White & Case LLP has expanded its Global Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Practice, Global Energy Industry Group and Global Private Capital Industry Group with the addition of Joshua Teahen as a partner in Houston. He joins from Kirkland and Ellis.
Husch Blackwell Continues Expansion in Southeast with Addition of Partner Ryan Burke
Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce the addition of litigation partner Ryan Burke, continuing the firm’s growth in the Southeast. Burke is based in Atlanta and joins the firm’s virtual office.
Vinson & Elkins Adds Kirkland and Weil Partners in Houston
Weil, Gotshal & Manges energy and infrastructure partner Chris Bennett returned to Vinson & Elkins, and investment funds partner Samara Shepherd joined from Kirkland & Ellis.
Baker Botts Continues California Expansion with Return of VC and Growth Capital Partner Brian Lee
Baker Botts L.L.P., a leading international energy, technology, and life sciences law firm, has added veteran corporate partner Brian Lee to its Palo Alto office. He joins from BRV.
Weil Bolsters West Coast Transactional Team with Addition of Tax Partner Josh McLane
International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP today announced the arrival of transactional tax attorney Josh McLane, who joins the Firm as a partner in Los Angeles. He joins from Sheppard Mullin.
The national law firm of Baker Donelson has expanded its Government Enforcement and Investigations Group with the addition of former United States Attorney Robert J. “Bobby” Higdon Jr. and former Assistant United States Attorney John David “J.D.” Koesters. Both join as shareholders in the Firm’s Raleigh office, adding to Baker Donelson’s growing presence in the Carolinas.
Former Prosecutor Thomas S. Kearney Joins HDRB&B’s Criminal Defense and Litigation Departments
HDRB&B is excited to announce that Thomas (“Tom”) S. Kearney has joined the firm as a Partner in the firm’s Criminal Defense and Litigation Departments.
Latham & Watkins Expands M&A and Private Equity Practice in Houston
Max Klupchak has joined the firm’s Houston office as a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice. He joins from the Sterling Group.
Boies Schiller Flexner Adds Pair of Lateral Partners
Boies Schiller Flexner announced the addition of two lateral partners to our New York office this week: Robert Gordon and Frederick Lee. Robert. They join from Herrick and The Walt Disney Company, respectively.
EMEA
Baker Botts Grows Saudi Footprint with Energy Deals Partner Duo
The energy-focused law firm Baker Botts is the latest to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia after the country changed its rules to allow firms to operate more independently in the Kingdom. Baker Botts hired two new partners in its Riyadh office, Joza Al Rasheed and Alexander Currie, the firm said Thursday. The pair come to Baker Botts from HSF Kramer, which completed its transatlantic merger in June.
APAC
Jingtian & Gongcheng Bolsters Ranks with Key Partner Hires from Han Kun and AllBright
To strengthen its dispute resolution, private equity, and M&A practices, Jingtian & Gongcheng recently hired partners Pengcheng Sun and Huan Wang. This addition of experienced personnel comes following the departure of the firm’s Hong Kong-based corporate partner Justin Ma who joined Stephenson Harwood.
Broadfield is pleased to announce the addition of Grace Zhu as a partner in the Dispute Resolution and Investigations practice of Liu, Patrick Ling & Co. LLP in Hong Kong. She joins from Akin.
Trilegal adds ELP partner to strengthen tax, disputes practices
Trilegal has expanded its tax and disputes practices with the addition of Jitendra Motwani as a partner in Mumbai from Economic Laws Practice (ELP).
CAM strengthens disputes team with former SEBI lawyer
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has expanded its dispute resolution practice with the addition of Vanya Singh as partner in Mumbai, bolstering its securities and regulatory disputes capability. Singh joins the firm after 18 years at the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Paul Hastings replenishes HK cap markets practice with hire from Freshies
U.S. law firm Paul Hastings has hired capital markets expert Zhou Quan as a partner in its Hong Kong office from Freshfields, where he was a counsel.
Rajah & Tann hires former prosecutor as partner
Rajah & Tann Singapore has appointed David Menon, a former deputy director at the city-state’s Attorney-General’s Chambers, as a partner in its dispute resolution practice.
Stephenson Harwood boosts HK shipping practice with Reed Smith lifer
UK law firm Stephenson Harwood has hired Peter Lee as a partner in its Hong Kong office, bolstering its Greater China maritime practice with a shipping specialist who spent the entirety of his 22-year legal career at Reed Smith.
Edmund Burke to head Moray & Agnew’s Queensland workplace practice
Moray & Agnew has announced the appointment of Edmund Burke – who has garnered experience in all areas of employment law and workplace health and safety – as a Brisbane-based partner and leader of its Queensland workplace practice. He joins from Dentons.
Baker Botts Strengthens Global Digital Infrastructure Practice with Partner Josh Cole
Baker Botts has strengthened the firm’s global digital infrastructure practice with the addition of Corporate Partner Josh Cole. Cole arrives from Ashurst and will be based in Singapore.
In House
Akin’s veteran London chief exits for GC role
Sebastian Rice leaves Akin after 24 years for top legal role at Dubai-based telecoms multinational Veon.
Team Moves
The team, led by its former Head of its Paris practice, Benjamine Fiedler, along with partner Chris Ivey, and including principal associate Caroline Mouriquand, senior associate Eugenie Choay, and associates Sofia Merlet, Adrien Paquet and Henri Mayeur, will bring extensive experience in the full lifecycle of employment relations management including within the context of reorganisations, litigation, outsourcing and business transformation. They join from Bird & Bird.
Susan Natland, Jessica Sganga and Katherine McMorrow join BakerHostetler as partners in the Intellectual Property Practice Group and as members of the Global Trademark and Brand Protection team in the Orange County Office.
Hillary Booth and Joshua Levine join as partners, Paul Rasmussen and Benjamin Caplan join as of counsel, and Ludmilla Hovsepian and Cheyenne Yousefia join as associates.
Barry Nilsson’s principal numbers swell with six from DLA Piper
Barry Nilsson has added six new principals to its ranks after six insurance litigation partners made the jump from DLA Piper. The new principals are Cameron Maclean, Jock Campbell, Carmen Elder, James Berg, James Morse and Sophie Devitt. They will bring their team members with them to Barry Nilsson once the transition has been finalised.
Promotions & Appointments
International law firm BCLP announced today the appointment of new leadership in its Paris, San Francisco, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) offices. The firm has named Jean-Patrice Labautière and Merrit Jones as Office Managing Partners (OMP) in Paris and San Francisco, respectively, and Charles Lilley as Country Managing Partner in UAE, leading the firm’s Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices.
Linklaters appoints new Middle East managing partner
Linklaters has announced the appointment of Kieron Zaman as managing partner for the Middle East. The appointment is effective from December 1.
Office Openings & Closing
Mishcon de Reya opens two UAE offices, obtains licence for Hong Kong
Mishcon de Reya has opened two new offices in the Middle East and been granted a licence to practise as a firm of solicitors by the Law Society of Hong Kong, in a major expansion of its international operations. The firm said the new offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were launched in response to growing client demand as well as the increasing capital, business and family interests and opportunities in the region.
Mergers & Alliances
Conn. law firm takes on 17 attorneys from Boston firm to establish first local office
Shipman & Goodwin LLP has taken on 17 of the 20 attorneys at Tarlow Breed — all of whom will continue working from their current office at 101 Huntington Ave. at the Prudential Centre. The office will be rebranded as Shipman & Goodwin over the next several weeks and includes 15 professional staff members in addition to the attorneys.
Cadwalader Talks Merger with Alston & Bird
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft is discussing a merger with Alston & Bird and has hired Davis Polk & Wardwell to advise on a deal. Alston & Bird is among firms Cadwalader has approached to discuss a merger, according to three people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because the talks are private. Cadwalader engaged Davis Polk to work on the legal aspects of a tie-up, according to two of the people.
Fieldfisher and Regan Wall merge to build leading Irish corporate law team
Fieldfisher, a leading European law firm, today announced a significant expansion of its Irish operations through a merger with Regan Wall LLP, one of Ireland’s most active boutique corporate law firms.
Powderly Solicitors merges with Dublin firm Taylor & Buchalter
Kildare-based Powderly Solicitors has expanded into Dublin through a merger with long-standing practice Taylor & Buchalter.
Cozen O’Connor grows in Midwest through merger with 50-lawyer Minneapolis firm
Philadelphia-headquartered law firm Cozen O’Connor is set to gain more than 50 lawyers in the US Midwest through a merger with Minneapolis-based Moss & Barnett.
Technology & Innovation
English ruling ‘most impactful legal decision yet’ on AI and IP
The English court ruling in a dispute between Getty Images and Stability AI is “the most impactful legal decision yet on the nature of artificial intelligence and copyright law.”
Chinese Lawyers Rapidly Embrace AI, But Firm-Level Adoption Lags, Survey Finds
Institutional adoption of artificial intelligence at Chinese law firms remains uneven, even as individual lawyers move swiftly to integrate the technology into their daily work, according to a new survey by Thornhill Academy, a non-profit initiative dedicated to promoting the internationalization of Chinese legal practitioners, launched earlier this year by U.K. boutique firm Thornhill Legal. The survey, conducted in August and September, gathered responses from 100 legal professionals across China. It posed 34 questions exploring the state of AI adoption, common use cases, preferred generative AI platforms, and the impact on firm operations.
Market Commentary
4-Day Attendance Requirements Gain Momentum, but Partner Objections Persist
Three Am Law 50 firms recently announced four-day attendance mandates for 2026.
One-third of the Am Law 50 now requires four or more days of attendance, although such mandates are concentrated in the top half. Law firms want more attendance, but do not want to push out valuable partners who object.
Latham, Cleary, Linklaters Among Big Law Firms Giving Back to Africa Through Pro Bono
Beyond billion-dollar corporate deals and mandates, global law firms are investing in pro bono initiatives in Africa through public interest litigation, humanitarian projects, and legal training.
CMS to hold business partnering events for in-house lawyers
CMS will stage events across their Scottish offices throughout November designed to support in-house legal teams enhance their role as strategic business partners.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Mason Hayes & Curran: Modest diversity gains in Irish aviation sector
Ireland’s aviation sector has made modest gains in leadership diversity, though inclusion and career progression challenges persist, according to Mason Hayes & Curran.
Law Society unveils equality and diversity blueprint
A new equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy launched by the Law Society yesterday aims to build a more diverse, open, and inclusive profession. Announcing the strategy, Society president Mark Evans said despite progress, ‘inequality and bias continue to shape career paths. Women, minority ethnic, LGBTQ+ and disabled solicitors still face barriers to senior roles, he said, while disabled solicitors remain underrepresented. ‘And too often, workplace cultures leave people feeling like they can’t bring their best selves to work.’ The Society’s three-year member-facing EDI strategy aims to: Strengthen diversity in senior leadership; Support disabled solicitors; and Build more inclusive workplace cultures.