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
Paul Hastings nabs A&O Shearman Partner for High-Yield restock
Paul Hastings has recruited A&O Shearman Partner Brad Weyland in London, bolstering its High Yield and Leveraged Finance capabilities in the City.
A&O Shearman hits back at Paul Hastings with Partner hire
A&O Shearman has taken Suzanne Horne, a Paul Hastings Employment Partner in London, just days after the latter firm landed a High Yield Partner from the magic circle outfit.
Fieldfisher expands Investment Funds team with appointment of leading specialist Mark Shaw
Leading European law firm Fieldfisher has appointed Mark Shaw as a Partner in its Investment Funds team, part of the firm’s Financial Markets and Products (FMP) practice in London. Mark joins from Pinsent Masons.
Kirsty Chalkley joins Addleshaw Goddard as Partner in Manchester
Kirsty will join the Real Estate team, having previously worked in the Real Estate department at Shoosmiths.
Jonathan Kropman joins Broadfield as Partner in London
Jonathan joins from JMW Solicitors and specialises in Private Wealth.
Henry Priestley joins Taylor Wessing as Partner in London
Henry specialises in Intellectual Property and joins from Russells Solicitors.
Ashurst appoints Heidi Blomqvist as Partner in London
Heidi specialises in Corporate Law and previously worked at White & Case.
Guy Stevenson joins Gowling WLG as a Partner in London
Guy will lead the Financial Services Regulation team. He joins from Orrick.
Europe
Paul Hastings lures King & Spalding Partner for Brussels build out
Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte joins the firm’s Antitrust team from King & Spalding, where she spent just under five years as a Partner and Head of the firm’s EU and EMEA Antitrust and Competition group.
Hausfeld adds a Partner to its Amsterdam Office
Nima Lorjé (Competition Damages Litigation & Public Competition Law) has joined Hausfeld’s Amsterdam office as a Partner from Benelux independent firm Stibbe, where he was a Counsel.
Darwazeh leaves Clyde & Co for Vanguard
Nadia Darwazeh has left her role as Paris Head of Arbitration at Clyde & Co to become a Partner at Vanguard International Dispute Resolution.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer boosts Düsseldorf team with DLA Partner
From April, Philipp Cepl from DLA Piper will strengthen the Patent Litigation practice in Düsseldorf.
Charles Russell Speechlys today announces the appointment of Marguerite Brac de La Perrière as its first-ever IT, Data and AI Partner in Paris. Marguerite joins the Corporate team from Fieldfisher where she was a Tech & Data Partner and head of the Paris Digital department.
Frédéric joins the Firm from Bär & Karrer in Geneva, where he was a Senior Associate since 2023.
Middle East
Alim Khamis has joined Gateley Middle East in Dubai
Alim joins as a Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution for the firm. He previously served as Managing Partner at the Doha office at Charles Russell Speechlys.
Mishcon de Reya appoints Bushra Ahmed as Partner and Head of Disputes Middle East
Bushra has worked previously as Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at KBH. She is based in Dubai.
Harneys Appoints Sabrina Devenish as Partner in Dubai
Harneys has strengthened its Litigation & Insolvency practice with the appointment of Sabrina as Partner. She joins from Al Tamimi & Co, where she was Senior Associate.
Team
Five-lawyer Latham team decamps to Competition practice in August Debouzy in Paris
A five-lawyer competition team has left Latham & Watkins to join August Debouzy in Paris. The incoming team is led by partner Mathilde Saltiel, Latham’s former Paris Litigation Chair, and includes a Counsel and three Associates.
Promotions & Appointments
Limerick firm Dundon Callanan Solicitors has promoted Elisa McMahon to Managing Partner
Ms McMahon joined the firm as a trainee nearly 20 years ago and has progressed through the firm to Partner, specialising in Property.
Dr. Martin Heuber becomes new Managing Partner of Mayer Brown Germany
Dr. Martin Heuber will take over the role of Managing Partner of Mayer Brown’s German offices from Dr. Guido Zeppenfeld with effect from April 1, 2026. Dr. Martin Heuber has been a Partner in the Frankfurt office since 2016 and heads the Banking & Finance practice in Germany.
Gorrissen vows to champion rule of law under new Managing Partner
Gorrissen Federspiel has ushered in a new Managing Partner, with Jacob Skude Rasmussen (Dispute Resolution, Copenhagen) stepping into the role as of 1 April.
Macfarlanes promotes quartet in London
Macfarlanes has made up four lawyers to Partner this year, kickstarting promotions season across the UK heritage firms. The four new Partners are Disputes lawyer Alex Evans, Private Client specialist Hannah Kalveks, Ryan Moore in Finance and Kirti Tiwari-Mehta in Employment.
Firm and Market Activity
Office Openings & Closings
RPC set to land new City office after lengthy search
RPC is set to move into a new office in the city next year, leaving its Tower Bridge home after 20 years.
Roman Shortall launches new law firm
Solicitor and former investigative journalist Roman Shortall has established a new firm, Shortall Law.
New Venture Capital firm to be established in Berlin
Katharina Erbe (39), Dr. Luisa Rödemer (35), Dr. Max Weber (34) and Antonia Volhard (30) have founded the law firm Season5. The boutique wants to advise start-ups, VC investors and fund managers. The four previously worked at RSR Rüping Schroeder Rechtsanwälte.
World’s Largest Firm Yingke Quietly Shuts London Office Less Than 2 Years After Launch
Beijing-headquartered Yingke Law Firm, the world’s largest law firm by lawyer headcount, has quietly shut its London office less than two years after opening.
Mergers & Alliances
Cripps adds automotive sector expertise with London merger
Cripps is to merge with Radius Law, a small London firm led by former Mercedes-Benz UK general counsel Iain Larkins.
NewLaw Scotland combines with Jones Whyte
NewLaw Scotland LLP has become part of Jones Whyte, bringing around 3,000 clients and more than 30 solicitors, paralegals and support staff.
Financial Results
Covington’s Revenue Surges Nearly 18% to Surpass $2B Mark
Average PEP surged by nearly 22% to $3.2 million, as it expanded its single-tier partnership by about 2% to around 324.
Noerr Germany’s Eastward Retreat Pays Off as Revenue Hits $380M
Buoyed by cross-border M&A, regulatory, defence and infrastructure mandates, Munich-based Noerr posted revenue of €328.4 million ($380 million) for the year.
Goodwin Revenue Surges 11% to $2.7B Amid Sector-Based Strategy
The firm crossed the $4 million mark in average profits per Equity Partner for the first time, growing by 17% to hit $4.24 million and contributing to net income growth of 16.6% to $1.32 billion.
Cooley’s London revenue jumps 17 per cent
Cooley’s London office posted a revenue jump of 17 per cent in 2025, rising from $94.5m to $110.3m The news comes after the firm as a whole saw its revenue climb 10 per cent to $2.4bn, with profit per equity partner increasing by 18 per cent over the year to $4.57m.
Market Commentary
DLA to Move Away From Verein Structure and Pivots Towards Financial Integration
DLA Piper is unveiling plans to move away from its verein structure and towards closer financial integration. The firm’s Swiss Verein structure will cease on 1 May this year, assuming at least 75 per cent of partners vote in favour of the move in April.
Former Hausfeld London Managing Partner joins Bellevue Law after career break
London-based boutique Bellevue Law has hired Lianne Craig, the former Managing Partner of Specialist Disputes firm Hausfeld’s London office, as a Senior Consultant as it seeks to expand its Commercial Disputes offering.
Willkie raises NQ lawyer salaries to market-topping £180k
The London office of US firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher has raised the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers to a market-topping £180,000. The move equates to an extra £10k, or just under 6%, putting the firm’s junior lawyers on the same level as their counterparts at three fellow US firms — Davis Polk & Wardwell, Gibson Dunn and Paul Weiss.
Ropes & Gray raises London NQ pay to £170k
Ropes & Gray has bumped up its newly qualified (NQ) solicitor salaries in London to £170,000, a rise of just over 3% on the previous rate of £165,000.
Kennedys appoints Global CIO from Baker McKenzie
Kennedys has hired Milan Devani as Global Chief Information Officer from Baker McKenzie, replacing Paul Brotzel who left the firm in November.
Former Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon joins Mason Hayes & Curran in Consultant role
Ireland’s former Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has joined Mason Hayes & Curran as a Global Digital Regulatory Consultant within the firm’s Data and Technology team.
Niamh Muldoon to take reins of LSRA
Niamh has served as Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Ireland since 2019, will take up the role of Chief Executive of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority on Monday 23 March. Niamh is based in Dublin.
Lesley Wan Turns Recruiter, Launches In-House-Focused Firm
The former General Counsel and Founder of The Eagle Club has set up a recruitment firm alongside Charles Waples. The firm is called Wan & Waples.
Innovation & Culture
Technology & Innovation
Barclays picks Legora as its legal AI platform
Barclays has agreed a deal with Swedish legaltech Legora to roll out its AI platform across the lender’s global in-house legal team. As part of the deal, Legora will be made available to all legal professionals at the bank, which operates in over 40 countries.
Legora buys start-up to boost its agentic AI capabilities
Legora has acquired Canadian start-up Walter AI, marking its first acquisition since being founded in 2023.
Legora hits $5.55bn valuation in latest $550m funding round
Legora has raised an extra $550m at a $5.55bn valuation to help fuel its growth ambitions in the US. The Series D funding round was led by Accel, with participation from existing investors Benchmark, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, ICONIQ, Redpoint Ventures, and Y Combinator.
Legaltech Avvoka secures backing from Preqin founder in £14m raise
Legaltech Avvoka has raised £14m as part of a funding round led by British billionaire and Preqin founder Mark O’Hare. Avvoka, which was founded in 2016, uses AI to help draft legal documents, and is used by several major law firms including A&O Shearman, Fenwick, Fried Frank and Ropes & Gray.
Perkins Coie is using AI avatars to teach junior lawyers how to talk to partners
US firm Perkins Coie has introduced AI avatars designed to help junior lawyers practise workplace conversations with partners and senior colleagues, in an effort to boost their interpersonal skills – an area that is often less emphasised in formal education or traditional law firm training.