Welcome to this week’s update, where we bring you the latest moves, promotions, and strategic appointments shaping the legal industry.
Partner Moves
Individual
UK & Ireland
Morgan Lewis hires Goodwin’s former London Co-Head to lead European Private Equity
Morgan Lewis has hired Goodwin Private Equity Partner and former London office Co-Chair Gemma Roberts as it continues to add senior talent in London.
McDermott continues London litigation growth with Brown Rudnick Partner hire
McDermott Will & Schulte has added former Brown Rudnick partner Jessica Lee to its growing disputes team.
DAC Beachcroft boosts London commercial disputes practice with Signature Partner hire
DAC Beachcroft has boosted its commercial disputes practice in London with a Partner hire from Signature Litigation. Paul Brehony brings almost 30 years of experience to DACB.
DLA Piper Adds Andrew Bechtel as a Partner in London
DLA Piper is expanding its global Capital Solutions bench with the addition of Andrew Bechtel who joins from Simpson Thatcher.
Cadwalader partner exits for US firm ahead of Hogan Lovells merger
Cadwalader Private Wealth Partner, Matthew Sperry, has left the firm for Pillsbury after less than a year, as the former prepares to merge with Hogan Lovells next month.
Stewarts gains DLA Piper construction insurance pro
Stewarts has hired former Clyde & Co lawyer Alexandra Lyons as a Partner in its policyholder disputes practice.
Am Law 100 Firm Sheppard Mullin Signals London Expansion with Senior PE Hire
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton has hired Simmons & Simmons former Co-Head of Private Equity, Gideon Sharp to lead its London office, becoming the latest U.S. firm to make expansive moves in the U.K. capital.
Europe
Skadden gains new Antitrust/Competition Partner in Brussels
Rafique Bachour joins Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP as Partner in the Brussels Antitrust/Competition team. Bachour joins from Freshfields.
Kather Augenstein loses prominent patent litigator
Patent litigator Christopher Weber is founding a new litigation firm patlit.xyz based in Düsseldorf.
Team
Four Partner Private Equity team join Latham in Germany
A team of four Private Equity and M&A Partners Wessel Heukamp, Verena Nosch, Markus Paul and Carsten Haak have joined Latham & Watkins from Freshfields in Germany.
Promotions & Appointments
Newly-formed Winston Taylor names first Paris head
Grine Lahreche has been appointed managing partner of the 19-partner office, having been a partner at legacy Winston & Strawn for three years before its merger with Taylor Wessing’s UK business.
Clifford Chance unveils first formal local partner round
Clifford Chance has announced seven promotions to local partner in the first formal round for the role. The salaried role is not new, but this is the first time the firm has formally announced a dedicated round. Going forward, promotions to the role will be announced annually in June, separately from the firm’s global partner round, which takes place in April.
Simmons & Simmons appoints new GC and Chief Client Officer
Simmons & Simmons has made two major leadership appointments to the firm, hiring Emma Williams as General Counsel (GC) and Partner, and Andy Peat as Chief Client Officer (CCO) and Partner. Emma Williams joins from Simpson Thacher while Andy Peat exits DLA.
Anahita Thoms takes over leadership at Baker McKenzie Germany
Anahita Thoms was elected Country Managing Partner by the partners and will lead Baker McKenzie’s German office for the next three years in the post previously held by Alexander Wolff.
Fieldfisher appoints James Craddock as Chief Operating Officer
Fieldfisher announces the appointment of James Craddock as Chief Operating Officer (COO). James joins Fieldfisher from DLA Piper, where he held a number of senior leadership roles.
Firm and Market Activity
Office Openings & Closings
DLA Piper enhances Saudi Arabia offering with new office in King Abdullah Financial District
Global law firm DLA Piper reaffirms Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority market, with continued investment aligned to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation, marked by the opening of a new office in King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), the country’s premier financial centre.
Mergers & Alliances
Irwin Mitchell Mulls PE Backing
U.K. law firm Irwin Mitchell is considering taking private equity backing as it seeks to regain ownership of its umbrella company, which is majority-controlled by retired Partners, according to sources and media reports.
Financial Results
Kennedys revenue climbs 9% to £457m as North America and APAC drive growth
Kennedys has posted revenue of £457 million in its latest financial year, marking a 9% increase on the previous year and the firm’s twelfth consecutive year of growth. The UK remains the firm’s largest market, responsible for 47% of total revenue. Its EMEA and LATAM businesses contributed 9.2%.
Kirkland and Latham both beat $1bn in London office revenue
Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins both broke through the $1bn barrier for London office revenue for the first time ever last year, new data in this year’s The Lawyer’s US 50 report confirms.
Paul Weiss, Kirkland, Simpson Thacher and Quinn Emanuel Lead UK RPL Rankings
A quartet of U.S.-based law firms dominates the rankings of the legal institutions with the highest revenue per lawyer in the U.K., according to the latest in-depth research by Law.com.
Market Commentary
London’s Associate pay divide deepens after US firm salary hikes
Milbank kicked off the latest round of US associate salary increases last week, with McDermott following suit and Quinn Emanuel raising the stakes further in London. The firm was once again the first mover, pushing associate salaries up the “Cravath scale”, the benchmark pay structure followed by most top US firms.
Hengeler Mueller’s Leaders Bet on Diversification and Tech to Navigate in Uncertain Times
In his first interview since becoming Co-Managing Partner in April, Jens Wenzel set out how the firm is handling a market that has shifted sharply since its last leadership election in 2022, not least with the rise of AI reshaping how legal work is delivered.
Innovation & Culture
Technology & Innovation
IBA launches Artificial Intelligence Institute to focus on responsible AI governance
The International Bar Association (IBA) has launched an Artificial Intelligence Institute, a new initiative intended to advance responsible AI governance through international cooperation and interdisciplinary expertise.
Kirkland co-builds AI platform with tech firm Palantir
Kirkland & Ellis has co-developed an AI platform with Palantir to help its private equity clients raise funds from investors as part of a multi-year technology partnership. The deal with the data analysis, surveillance and AI company – whose technology has been used in the US by immigration authorities to help round up undocumented immigrants − is part of a $500m plan by the world’s largest law firm by revenue to build its own AI technology.
Legora expands European presence with Madrid, Milan and Paris office openings
Swedish legaltech firm Legora is opening three new offices in Madrid, Milan and Paris as it seeks to tap into increasing European-based demand. The offices are set to open in the third quarter of this year, with their primary focus on sales, customer success and legal engineering – a key role in assisting its customer base with AI adoption and workflow creation.
Al Tamimi & Company partners with Legora to advance Arabic-first legal AI across the Middle East
Essam Al Tamimi explains: “We worked with Legora’s competitors. We tried different systems. But it became clear that the determination and drive of the Legora team was most closely aligned with our vision and would provide clients with the best solution. We were very impressed with the system, and I received excellent feedback from our team.”