Moves
UK & Ireland
Milbank hires Paul Hastings duo for real estate finance launch
Milbank hires Paul Hastings duo Miles Flynn and Rehan Hanif to kickstart a real estate finance offering in the City.
Skadden hires Goodwin tax partner
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has appointed a Goodwin partner Katie Leah to its tax practice in London.
Ashurst invests in disputes with London partner hire from Norton Rose Fulbright
Ashurst has hired employed barrister Harriet Jones-Fenleigh as a partner in its litigation and investigations team from Norton Rose Fulbright in London.
Pinsents boosts City corporate bench with Partners from Ashurst and HSF Kramer
Pinsent Masons has strengthened its London corporate team by hiring two new partners: Nicholas Holmes, formerly head of the equity capital markets team at Ashurst, and Dinesh Banani, of HSF Kramer. At Pinsent’s, Holmes will head up the ECM practice and Banani will lead the firm’s US securities practice.
Mayer Brown turns to Goodwin for PE partner
Mayer Brown has hired private equity partner Tessa Agar from Goodwin Procter in London.
A&L Goodbody welcomes tax partner Trevor Glavey
A&L Goodbody LLP has appointed Trevor Glavey as a partner in the firm’s tax practice, joining from local competitor Matherson in Dublin.
Americas
Weil continues US litigation build-out with Cooley partner hire in Boston
Weil Gotshal & Manges has hired first-chair trial lawyer Adam Gershenson from Cooley to bolster its litigation department in Boston. He becomes Weil’s 14th litigation partner hire since the start of 2025.
Former California Solicitor General Michael Mongan Joins WilmerHale
One of the nation’s top appellate litigators Michael Mongan, will join WilmerHale’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Group as a Partner later this year.
White & Case Expands Global Energy M&A Team, Adds Akin Partner in Houston
White & Case hired Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld project development and finance partner Ian Goldberg in Houston.
Cooley Adds 3 Life Sciences Lawyers in Boston, San Francisco
Partners Sarah Hogan and Jenna Ventorino join the firm from Wilmer Hale, while partner Stephen Abreu was recruited from Sidley Austin.
EMEA
Wolfgang A. Maschek Joins Covington as Head of the European Public Policy Practice
Wolfgang A. Maschek has joined Covington in Brussels from Squire Patton Boggs to spearhead the firm’s Public Policy Practice in Europe.
Hoffmann Eitle welcomes new Partner Dr Thomas Gniadek from Simmons & Simmons
Dr Thomas Gniadek joins HOFFMANN EITLE as a partner and co-chair of the firm’s patent litigation group in Munich.
APAC
Australia’s Gilbert + Tobin takes Second Disputes Partner from Jones Day
Australian law firm Gilbert + Tobin has hired another partner from Jones Day as it seeks to expand its disputes practice. Sydney-based Holly Sara is soon to join the firm.
Bird & Bird strengthens hospitality offering with new co-head
Bird & Bird has hired Andrew MacGeoch as partner and Asia-Pacific co-head of hotels, hospitality and leisure to boost its real estate and hospitality offering in Singapore. MacGeoch joins after eight years as a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) in Hong Kong.
In house
Tesco hires BT lawyer as GC of its UK and Ireland business
UK supermarket giant Tesco has hired Jeff Langlands as general counsel of its UK and Republic of Ireland business, working alongside group GC Kay Majid. Langlands joins from BT Group, where most recently he was GC for its corporate, digital and networks division.
Gibson Dunn Partner Exits for Disney Deputy GC Role
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher partner Rosemarie Ring—who has represented top technology companies, including Meta—is joining The Walt Disney Co. as a deputy General Counsel.
Team Moves
Weil adds six PE lawyers in Germany from Latham & Watkins
Weil has hired six private equity lawyers from Latham & Watkins in Germany over the past week, as it moves to build a leading pan-European private equity team. Following the appointment of Sebastian Pauls and Susanne Decker last week, Andreas Holzgreve and Julia Schöfer have also joined the firm as a partner and counsel, with two further associates also making the move.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer hires Partner-Led Banking Team at BonelliErede
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has snapped up BonelliErede’s Rome-based banking and finance partner Emanuela Da Rin along with her team of four lawyers. Meanwhile, BonelliErede strikes back with three-partner hire from Gatti Pavesi with Maria Cristina (Corporate/M&A), Andrea Novarese and Francesco Pirisi (Restructuring & Insolvency) making the move.
Greenberg Traurig adds five shareholders in Singapore from trio of firms
Greenberg Traurig (GT) has added five shareholders in Singapore, including Simmons & Simmons’ former Asia head of funds Jek Aun Long. He is joined by fellow funds lawyers Benedict Tan and Joshua Heng, with Greenburg also securing White & Case M&A specialist Kyle Oh and Ashurst energy and natural resources lawyer Stella Bae, both of whom are relocating from Seoul.
Seyfarth Adds Structured Finance Co-Chair With Group Hire From Arnold & Porter
Seyfarth Shaw hires Henry Morriello from Arnold & Portner who will become co-chair of Seyfarth’s structured finance group. He will be joined by Karsten Giesecke and Michael Karol will work as Counsels in the group.
Sports Law Boutique Northridge hires team from Bird & Bird
Bird & Bird partner Claire Barker has joined Northridge, along with managing associate Toby Cooper in London.
Promotions & Appointments
Seward & Kissel Names First New Chair in 11 Years
New York law firm Seward & Kissel has elected a new firm chair, investment management partner Daniel Bresler, who will succeed James Cofer in February 2026
SDNY Alum Mónica Folch Joins Free and Fair Litigation Group
New York’s Southern District Attorney Monica Folch served as a prosecutor for more than a decade, during which she worked on some of the biggest civil enforcement cases in the country. She moves to Free and Fair, a a not-for-profit founded in 2023 with the goal of combating authoritarianism in the United States.
Wasserman appoints Christa D’Alimonte as chief legal officer from Paramount
Mike Pickles, Wasserman’s current chief legal officer, will be retiring from the company and will assist with D’Alimonte’s transition into the role through the end of the year.
Ashurst’s Financial Regulation Partner Timothy Cant appointed to FCA’s Markets Practitioner Panel
The Panel is an independent statutory body, set up to provide advice and challenge from the point of view of financial market participants.
Kirkland elevates 23 lawyers in the City
Kirkland & Ellis has made up 23 lawyers to partner in the City, with the firm deciding not to publicly announce its promotion round this year. Those promoted this year include:
Adrian Kilercioglu, William Taylor, Philipp Engel, Arran Kandola, Sebastien Clisson, Richard Hughes, Shaun Chung, George Rawlinson, Carmella Crinnion, Bonian Wu, Toshi Mahaptra, Jelani Okoruwa, James Whybrow, Mai Huynh, Ken Au, Lynette Janssen, Krista Sirola, Christian Elliott, Cosmos Fung, Beatriz Capeloa Gil, Frankie Beetham, Jenni Polson, Corina Demeter-Olive.
Covington promotes 14 lawyers to Partner
Covington has promoted 14 lawyers to partnership, based in Brussels, Los Angeles, London, New York, and Washington. Antonio Michaelides was the sole partner promoted in London.
Office Openings, Closings and Expansions
Freshfields strengthens regional presence with partner relocation to Riyadh
Freshfields has strengthened its regional presence with the relocation of a partner Olivier Rogivue from Paris to Riyadh.
Mayer Brown relocates leading Finance Partner to Dubai Office
Finance partner Ashley McDermott has relocated to Mayer Brown’s Dubai office, bringing almost 20 years of syndicated loan financing experience to the region.
Mergers & Alliances
Inside A&O Shearman’s partner exits: the practices and offices most impacted
Since the Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merger was announced in May 2023, over 170 partners have departed, with more than a third of these exits occurring in the US. Legal Business research shows that 130 partners have left since the merger officially went live in May 2024, equating to about one in six partners leaving the firm.
Financials
Another UK200 firm secures private equity investment
South East firm Greenwoods has secured equity investment from Gresham House Ventures.
Technology & Innovation
Hengeler Launches Harvey Legal AI Firm-Wide
Hengeler Mueller is rolling out AI legal tool Harvey firm wide, marking a shift from experimentation to adoption at the European M&A powerhouse. Harvey has raised €50 million from Swedish investment firm EQT, marking major backing from a European investor.
Cooley invests in AI law firm Crosby
US firm Cooley has invested in hybrid AI legal outfit Crosby as part of its latest funding round. Crosby specialises in reviewing contracts, “combining the speed and intelligence of AI with the safety of lawyers-in-the-loop to review contracts in under an hour.”
Opus 2 doubles down on AI with Dutch start-up acquisition
Opus 2 has acquired legaltech company Uncover in a bid to expand artificial intelligence within its litigation and arbitration platform. Applying generative AI to litigation workflows, Uncover’s software uses large language models to organise and summarise case documents, and to support search and analysis across case files.
Market Commentary
DLA has made partnership meaningless
Recent analysis highlights a significant shift in partnership structures at major law firms including DLA Piper, Norton Rose Fulbright, and Hogan Lovells. These firms are increasingly expanding their ranks of salary partners while reducing the number of equity partners, reflecting a broader view within the legal industry to adjust partnership models, potentially impacting firm culture, profit distribution, and career progression for lawyers.
Decision time for Ashurst and Taylor Wessing
Analysis from The Lawyer investigating the expansion of UK heritage firms across the Atlantic.
Magic circle trio among 25 firms appointed to Government roster
The Government Legal Department (GLD) has named the 25 firms that have won places on its refreshed panel, previously valued at £820m. The roster will bring together three existing Government panels under one consolidated group.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Law Society president outlines lawyer welfare and inclusion priorities in inauguration speech
Property lawyer and university lecturer Mark Evans commits to supporting the next generation of solicitors, emphasizing inclusivity and opportunity for all backgrounds in his commencement speech as the 181st president of the Law Society of England and Wales.
LawCare’s Life in the Law 2025 report found that nearly 60% of respondents reported poor mental wellbeing, while almost 79% regularly worked beyond their contracted hours. Some 56% said they could see themselves leaving their current workplace within the next five years, with 32% reporting they could leave the sector entirely.
UK law firms lead responsible business index as US firms slide – study
UK law firms are outperforming their transatlantic peers on responsible business activity according to a report published by Lamp House and Chambers and Partners. Clyde & Co, DWF, Pinsent Masons, Simmons & Simmons and Taylor Wessing topped the index, with UK top 100 firm scores rising 12% on 2024 levels, compared to a 30% drop for top 50 US firms. UK-headquartered firms’ average score was double that of their US counterparts, with firms ranked on their responsible business activity related to people, planet and governance.