Welcome to this week’s update, where we bring you the latest moves, promotions, and strategic appointments shaping the legal industry
Partner Moves
UK & Ireland
Sullivan & Cromwell continues London buildout with A&O Shearman finance hire
Patrick Clancy reunites with former A&O Shearman Partner Barney Reynolds as Sullivan & Cromwell continues to expand rapidly in the City.
Willkie hires restructuring Partner from Simpson, Thatcher & Bartlett
Marc Hecht joins the London office of Willkie, Farr and Gallagher.
Quinn Emanuel boosts London litigation bench with Milbank partner hire
Commercial litigation and regulatory investigations Partner William Charles joins Quinn Emanuel in London.
Humphries Kerstetter boosts ranks with partner hire from Clifford Chance
Commercial litigator Matthew Scully brings 25 years of experience to the London disputes boutique.
Travers’s former pensions head joins Pinsent Masons
Trustee advisory and pensions risk transfer expert Susie Daykin departs Travers Smith after 22 years.
Tech/IP Partner departs TLT for Druces
Digital regulation, commercial transactions and consumer law specialist Daniel Lloyd relocates to Druces in London.
EMEA
Simmons welcomes the new year with 10 lateral partner hires
Alison Fagan (Dispute Resolution) and Mark Chivers (Corporate) join from DLA in London, Ermine Bolot-Massé (Corporate) join’s the firms Paris office from Dechert, whilst Stefan Nerinckx (Employment) exits Fieldfisher Brussels. Elsewhere in continental Europe, funds specialist Emmanuel-Frédéric Henrion joined the firm from Clifford Chance Luxembourg.
Clifford Chance welcomes Investment Funds Partner from Dechert
Matthais Kerbusch returns to Clifford Chance after a 3-year partnership stint at Dechert
Ropes adds fourth partner to Milan office
Alessandro Capogrosso, a capital markets, private equity and M&A partner, joins the Boston-founded firm from PedersoliGattai.
Arnecke Sibeth launches new Real Estate fund practice with hire from King & Spalding
Real Estate Fund Partner Achim Döser spearheads the new practice at Arnecke Sibeth.
HFW hires former Orrick Geneva head
Leading Arbitration lawyer Vanessa Liborio has joined the partnership at HFW after a decade leading the Geneva office at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Ashurst hires BCLP partner to build Middle East real estate practice in Abu Dhabi
Ashurst has appointed Chris Beaumont-McQuillan as a partner in Abu Dhabi to build its real estate practice, it’s first hire in the region.
Akin Gump hires Disputes Partner from Ashurst in Dubai
Shane Dury joins the team at Atkin Gump as co-lead of the Middle East Disputes Practice
Simmons hires EY Partner to lead Middle East Tax Practice in Dubai
Business tax advisory services Partner Hannah Shipley makes the move to private practice.
Team moves
Latham adds trio of real estate finance partners from A&O Shearman in London
Global real estate finance head David Oppenheimer makes the move alongside David Varne and structured finance partner Lucy Oddy
Johnson Law Group picks up five lawyers from Pogust Goodhead
Peter Gallagher – former lead solicitor on the Dieselgate trial – assumes the role of managing partner at JLG’s London office, joining alongside colleagues Sarah Bingham, Matthew Hunt, Michael Burke and Priyanka Gladson.
Bird & Bird expands M&A team in Frankfurt
Clemens Maschke and Lieor Koblenz join the team from Dentons
In house
Former Luxembourg FS Regulatory Office Head establishes executive search boutique
Formerly of Norton Rose Fulbright, Nam Nguyen-Groza launches executive search and advisory firm Amrop based in Luxembourg
Firm & Market Activity
Office Openings & Closings
Taylor Wessing’s Benelux operations opt out of joining firm merger with Winston & Strawn
Taylor Wessing’s offices in the Netherlands and Belgium are set to exit the firm’s existing verein and will not join the merger with Winston & Strawn, but will enter into a cooperation agreement with the newly combined entity and operate under the same brand.
International arbitration firm Three Crowns announces Dubai opening
Arbitration specialist Three Crowns is launching an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) as part of its continued global expansion, led by managing partner Manish Aggarwa
Simmons & Simmons officially relaunches in Abu Dhabi
Simmons & Simmons has officially relaunched its office in Abu Dhabi, focusing on asset management, investment funds, technology, and artificial intelligence
Mergers & Alliances
Danish duo Horten and DAHL merge to create €100m firm
The merger of two of Denmark’s top law firms, Horten and DAHL, has officially gone live with the new firm spanning Aarhus, Viborg, Esbjerg, Herning and Copenhagen.
European network of four firms disbands
Germany’s Gleiss Lutz, Italy’s Chiomenti, Spain’s Cuatrecasas and France’s Gide Loyrette Nouel have formally dismantled their long-running ‘best friends’ network, a non-exclusive referral and relationship platform in place for over a decade.
Promotions and Appointments
In the latest round of leadership and partnership moves across the legal sector, Pogust Goodhead has appointed Lynn Wong as its new General Counsel, while Norton Rose Fulbright has named Karsten Kühnle as Head of Corporate Germany. Milkbank announced eight new partners in a reduced promotions round, whilst Hogan Lovells elevated 28 lawyers to partnership ahead of its upcoming merger with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Meanwhile, disputes specialist Hausfeld has promoted five lawyers to partner in its 2026 round.
Market Commentary
BigLaw’s $4.6 Trillion Year Sees Kirkland & Top Firms Dominate
M&A Market Soars to Record $4.6 Trillion, with Kirkland & Ellis Latham & Watkins, Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, and Skadden Arps leading the way on transaction value.