Moves:
UK & Ireland
Senior arbitration talent departs Matrix Chambers for 3 Verulam Buildings in London
International arbitration specialist Professor Zachary Douglas KC has joined 3 Verulam Buildings (3VB) in London from Matrix Chambers, marking the latter’s second major silk exit since the start of last month.
A&O and CMS hire in-house talent as gunnercooke launches stateside
In the City, Anneliese Foster has re-joined Allen & Overy from Goldman Sachs, where she spent eight years as a managing director. CMS has also looked in-house for its most recent hire. The firm bolstered its financial services regulatory practice with the addition of Chris Glennie from the Bank of England, where he was senior legal counsel.
DLA Piper adds Africa-focused projects partner in London from Fasken
DLA Piper has added an Africa-focused projects partner in London from Canadian law firm Fasken. Karim Maalioun specialises in the energy and natural resources sector and brings more than 20 years of experience in projects across the Middle East and Africa. Before joining Fasken in 2018 he was a partner at Squire Patton Boggs in Paris and London and earlier was general counsel for EMEA at US oil and gas company ContourGlobal.
Reed Smith Strengthens London Office With Kirkland Partner
Reed Smith has bolstered its London base with addition of Kirkland & Ellis partner Romin Dabir. Dabir has spent the last four years as a partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ City outpost, according to his LinkedIn profile. He previously spent time as a lawyer at Macfarlanes and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as well as a management consultant at EY.
Bank of England Lawyer Joins CMS As Partner
CMS has added a lawyer from the Bank of England. Chris Glennie has joined the firm as a partner in its financial services regulatory team. He was senior legal counsel & manager at the Bank of England. He has joined CMS as a partner having spent previous years at Travers Smith.
EMEA
McDermott hires corporate partner duo from Reed Smith in Frankfurt
McDermott Will & Emery has hired a senior duo from Reed Smith to strengthen its German corporate coverage. Rolf Hünermann and Philip Schmidt both join the firm’s transactions practice group in Frankfurt as partners. They bring with them around three decades of combined experience advising clients on domestic and cross-border M&A, as well as matters related to corporate law, compliance and environmental, social and governance considerations such as supply chain issues.
King & Spalding Hires Tax Trio in Paris
The three-lawyer, partner-led team is part of a strategy to build out the firm’s M&A and private equity capabilities in the French capital.
APAC
White & Case Hires Norton Rose Antitrust Partner in Sydney
Global law firm White & Case LLP has expanded its Global Antitrust Practice with the addition of Belinda Harvey as a partner in Sydney.
Jingtian & Gongcheng Continues Domestic Expansion with Five New Partners
Jingtian & Gongcheng has added five new partners to its Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou offices.
Shihui Partners Adds Beijing IP Team of 30 including King & Wood Partner
Chinese law firm Shihui Partners has hired a team of over 30 intellectual property (IP) practitioners, including patent lawyers, and patent agents and process managers.
Clyde & Co Adds Singapore Duo from Addleshaw Goddard and RPC
Clyde & Co Adds Singapore Duo from Addleshaw Goddard and RPC Clyde & Co has added two lawyers in Singapore. It’s Singapore office now count 13 partners. Ton van den Bosch, who was a partner and head of Singapore at Addleshaw Goddard, will be joining Clyde & Co’s energy, marine and natural resources practice.
The Americas
Proskauer Rose announces record promotions in New York-dominated round
US firm Proskauer Rose has promoted 33 lawyers in its largest ever round, with 25 making partnership and eight elevated to senior counsel roles. The promotions are spread across more than a dozen practices and include members from nine of the firm’s offices, mainly in the US.
Allen & Overy continues West Coast growth with private equity partner hire from Winston & Strawn
UK magic circle firm Allen & Overy has added a private equity partner in Los Angeles from Winston & Strawn as it continues its eye-catching push into the US market. Joshua Birenbaum advises clients on complex matters related to both public and private companies and across M&A, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, strategic acquisitions and equity financings. His experience covers industries including technology, consumer products and services, manufacturing and healthcare.
Partner Moves in Salt Lake, Seattle Show ‘Massive’ Rise, While Nashville Fell Off
Partner moves in Salt Lake, Seattle show ‘massive’ rise, while Nashville fell off appetite for laterals in smaller U.S. cities has grown this year, including Salt Lake, where partner moves rose 234% in the first three quarters of the year.
Greenberg Traurig Swoops on McDermott For Corporate Partner Team
Greenberg Traurig has hired four corporate partners from U.S. rival McDermott Will & Emery bolstering its Israeli and New York operations.
In-House
Ex-Slaughters lawyer joins infrastructure PE firm as GC
Tom O’Neill has joined infrastructure investment firm Basalt Infrastructure Partners as its new general counsel. O’Neill trained as a solicitor at Slaughter and May, qualifying into corporate and M&A. He spent over six years at the firm before moving in-house to private equity business Pollen Street Capital, where he worked his way up to legal director over a further six-year period. Basalt Infrastructure Partners is an infrastructure equity investment firm focused on mid-market deals.
Promotions & Appointments:
Clifford Chance names new UK COO
UK magic circle law firm Clifford Chance (CC) has named the ex-chief of staff to former global managing partner Matthew Layton as its new UK COO, marking the latest in a series of leadership changes.
‘People are our biggest asset’: Linklaters’ incoming Paris head Maigrot outlines strategy
Linklaters has elected its head of real estate in France, Françoise Maigrot, as its new managing partner in Paris. Taking over from banking, energy and infrastructure head Bertrand Andriani, Maigrot will begin her four-year term on 1 January 2023.
Baker McKenzie names new Asia Pacific chair
Baker McKenzie has appointed Hong Kong-based IP partner Shih Yann Loo as its new Asia Pacific chair. Loo took up the new position on 21 October and succeeded Michael Wong, who has returned to his corporate and tax practice in the firm’s Taipei office at the conclusion of his two-year term.
Freshfields Refreshes International Arbitration Leaders
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has refreshed the leadership of its international arbitration group. Noiana Marigo has been at Freshfields for over 20 years.
Mergers & Alliances:
Child & Child acquired by ex-Ince CEO in pre-pack deal
The former chief of The Ince Group has bought London firm Child & Child. It was revealed in late July that Adrian Biles would be stepping down as Ince’s CEO, having led on the reverse takeover of Ince & Co by Gordon Dadds in 2018. Since his departure in September, Biles has now set his sights on a new venture, buying Child & Child in a pre-pack deal funded from his own resources. Biles took control of the firm yesterday, with the announcement being made to the firm in the morning. It is understood that his father John Biles, the former finance head of Ince, and brother Robert, an ex-Ince partner, will also be joining.
Perkins Coie acquires New York start-up advisory boutique Kluk Farber Law
US firm Perkins Coie has acquired start-up-focused New York boutique Kluk Farber Law as it seeks to expand its emerging companies practice. The deal adds 12 lawyers and six business professionals, including partners Agatha Kluk, Sonia Farber and Eitan Hoenig. They will lead Perkins Coie’s emerging companies and venture capital practice and will be based in the firm’s new start-up and emerging companies centre in New York’s Flatiron District. The Kluk Farber team regularly advise start-up and high-growth companies on corporate strategy, venture capital investments and exits.
DWF Acquires Leading Canadian Firm
Billed as the ‘next step’ in the firm’s North America strategy, the acquisition will give the firm offices in Vancouver and Calgary, as well as 16 partners and more than 200 people in total.
Office Openings & Closing:
WFW kickstarts search for new City premises
Watson Farley & Williams, which has been based in its London home for three decades, is the latest firm to have secured the services of a real estate consultancy to help it find new space. The firm, based on Appold Street behind Liverpool Street station, has sought out the advice of Squarebrook. WFW occupies 80,119 sq ft in its London HQ at a cost of £5.8m over 2021/22
Kennedys shuts up shop in Bangkok after reviewing Thai business
UK law firm Kennedys has shuttered its Bangkok office following a review into its Thailand business, leaving it with two offices in the Southeast Asia region.
Charles Russell Speechlys Aiming For 2023 Singapore Office Launch
Charles Russell Speechlys is set to join the throngs of international outfits opening offices in Singapore. Singapore continues to attract law firms with a private wealth focus.
Financials:
City associates offered partner-style pay in Boies recruitment drive
Boies Schiller is giving UK associates the option of either partner-style “formula compensation” or standard salaries to recruit and retain new talent, The Lawyer can reveal. Each City associate at Boies Schiller can now choose whether to receive a standard market competitive annual salary or instead be paid a percentage of the number hours they have worked that year.
Dentons Aims to Double Revenue in Australia Within 5 Years
The Australia arm of global law firm Dentons is planning to double its revenue within the next five years, largely through aggressive lateral partner hiring, hiring, according to Doug Stipanicev, the firm’s Australia chair and Australasia region CEO.
Technology & Innovation:
Louisiana Judge Schlegel, Founder of an ‘Online Court,’ Explains Why Zoom Doesn’t Cut It
Already experienced in creating virtual court processes, with the assistance of the LASC Tech Commission & IT Louisiana Judge Scott U. Schlegel’s latest program seeks to improve upon Zoom.
Work Better: What happened when Cornerstone asked Osborne Clarke for tech help
Mobile infrastructure company Cornerstone tasked Osborne Clarke (OC) to create a bespoke system to support their business with managing and reporting on legal instructions. The firm had senior sponsorship of the project from both sides, with head of legal and compliance Phil Warren leading at Cornerstone, and property disputes partner Leona Briggs and property partner Dolf Darnton sponsoring the project at OC.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Baker McKenzie breaks up UAE alliance following homophobic tweets
Baker McKenzie in September announced that it is ‘parting ways’ with Dr Habib Al Mulla, name partner of member firm Habib Al Mulla & Partners, following a series of anti-gay Twitter comments. Confirming that the ‘separation process is underway’, the firm said in a statement that it ‘strongly believes that however much we may disagree with the beliefs and personal views of others, we must find ways to disagree respectfully, encourage inclusive dialogue and to ensure an inclusive work environment for all.’
Pro Bono Work Dipped at Largest Law Firms in UK Amid Transactional Boom
The number of pro bono hours undertaken by the largest firms in the U.K. dipped in the last financial year.
Governments in Latin America, Europe and Asia are implementing formal FDI policies or informally blocking deals for politically motivated reasons.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson urges men to step up in gender equality push
Harry Potter actress Emma Watson added a touch of stardom to the IBA Diversity and Inclusion Council’s session on gender diversity in the legal profession at the IBA conference in Miami on Tuesday. Addressing a standing-room-only audience, Watson – together with her father CMS Cameron McKenna partner Chris Watson, the council’s co-chair – was part of a distinguished panel including IBA president-elect Almudena Arpón de Mendí of Madrid firm Gomez Acebo & Pompo Abogados and chaired by the IBA’s Sara Carnegie.
Associates – a clever move can lead to promotion
Last year, a key talking point about Latham & Watkins’ promotions was that members of the London cohort were the first to progress from trainee to partner since the establishment of its City graduate programme in 2007. This year, however, the takeaway is different. While over half of the nine-strong intake in 2021 were homegrown, there were just two lawyers, or 20 per cent, made up this year who were born and bred Latham (Katie Peek in M&A and Ben Wright in banking).
Diversity Lab certifies more than 40 in-house teams for D&I efforts
More than 40 in-house legal departments including HP, Ford, PayPal and Pfizer have earned the Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Certification, underscoring their commitment to the Lab’s NFL-inspired diversity rule.
Reed Smith Offers Solicitor Qualification Route in Middle East
The new academy, which offers a route to qualifying as a solicitor in England & Wales, comes amid the rise of major institutions such as the DIFC, which often use English law.
COP 27: Your Net Zero Strategy Says a Lot About You as a Firm
Clients and job seekers are starting to interrogate firms as they become more familiar with the ins and outs of target-setting. When advising clients on climate-related issues, there’s an unfortunate void when it comes to having clear industry standards on setting net zero and other “green” targets. This is a problem for many reasons, not least the risk that companies will either inadvertently or knowingly make bold claims that fall short of what scientists and global authorities deem sufficient.
Ukrainian Legal Developments:
Ukraine Prosecutor General and US Ambassador Weigh Possible Civil Damages Against Russia
“Now what we can be doing is making a registry of claims, so that those claims are preserved, they’re documented and they’re available for when there is a pot of money that can go to recognizing and executing upon those claims,” said Dr. Beth Van Schaack, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice.