Moves:
UK & Ireland
Cleary Gottlieb has added more partners to its London office
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has continued a recent push to grow its London office, hitting Dechert for its most recent lateral additions.
CMS Expands Financial Services Practice with Partner Hire
CMS has expanded its financial services practice with a partner hire from King & Spalding.
Linklaters Hit Again in London as Infrastructure Leaders Quit For Paul Hastings
Linklaters has taken another blow in London with the departure of a pair of partners to a U.S. rival.
Deloitte Legal secures Shoosmiths team to build new UK real estate business
Deloitte Legal has hired a four-partner team from UK law firm Shoosmiths to establish a new real estate legal business in the UK.
Cleary Gottlieb raids Travers Smith and Dechert in London for partner trio
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has boosted its London arm with the hire of a senior private equity partner from Travers Smith and two insolvency partners from Dechert.
Goodwin recruits fourth BCLP lateral since merger
Goodwin has hired a new London partner from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s (BCLP) litigation team.
Ropes makes first hire for fledgling Dublin office
Law firms are continuing to expand with offices in the Republic of Ireland, as Ropes & Gray hires from the country’s competition regulator to launch its operations.
EMEA
Norton Rose Fulbright Establishes Africa Leadership Group
The new group, designed to enable partners from around the world to co-ordinate on opportunities in Africa, consists of leaders from across the firm’s London, Paris and South Africa bases.
Law firm Allen & Overy has hired a partner from leading Benelux firm De Brauw
Allen & Overy has hired a long-time partner from leading Benelux firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek for its investigations practice group.
DLA Piper Lawyer Joins Apple In Germany
Tech giant Apple has appointed a DLA Piper lawyer as a senior legal counsel for IP litigation in Europe.
Clyde & Co adds litigation and insurance partner from Simmons & Simmons for Italy debut
UK insurance giant Clyde & Co has added a partner from Simmons & Simmons’ litigation and insurance team to launch an office in Milan, Italy.
APAC
Linklaters, Kennedys, Ashurst and Atsumi Sakai Kick Off 2023 With Hires Across Asia
A number of local and international law firms have kicked off the year with new lateral hires in Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia.
Withers Launches Japan Desk in Singapore with Partner Hire
Over 40% of Japan’s outbound annual investment is focused on Southeast Asia, and Japan is the region’s largest investor.
Law firm King & Spalding Adds Another Shearman & Sterling Partner Leaver
King & Spalding has hired another partner who recently left Shearman & Sterling, bolstering its Abu Dhabi office with the addition.
Law Firm Allen & Overy Names Perth Managing Partner
Allen & Overy has announced the appointment of David Jenaway as its office managing partner for Perth.
Gibson Dunn adds seven-strong team from Shearman & Sterling for Abu Dhabi launch
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has added a seven-strong team from Shearman & Sterling including a trio of partners to launch in Abu Dhabi.
Spanish heavyweight Pérez-Llorca has bolstered its corporate and finance teams in Madrid and Barcelona with the hire of partners from Allen & Overy and KPMG España, a counsel from Clifford Chance and two internal partner promotions.
Pinsents ends GC search with Dentons hire
Pinsent Masons has hired its inaugural general counsel, with ex-Dentons partner Andrew Cheung taking the role.
The Americas
Goodwin’s Layoffs Spotlight Challenge in Balancing Partner and Associate Preferences
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett is strengthening its environmental, social and governance expertise, adding three lawyers with a focus in the area, including partner Leah Malone, who comes from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Withers adds life sciences partner duo in Boston from Brown Rudnick
Top 30 UK firm Withers has added a senior life sciences intellectual property partner in Boston from US rival Brown Rudnick.
Cuatrecasas bolsters LatAm presence with Mexico City boutique bolt-on
Top two Spanish law firm Cuatrecasas has absorbed Mexico City transactions and disputes boutique Rico Robley y Libenson (RRL), in a move that sees the firm’s headcount in Mexico top 50.
In Big Law Moves, Holland & Knight, Akerman, Add Kirkland Partners
Arthur Lotz joined Holland & Knight as a partner in the financial services and private equity practice in Dallas, and David Thompson joined Akerman as an M&A and private equity partner in Houston.
Fenwick Hires National Security Partner as Trade Regulations Hit the Tech Sector
Fenwick & West hired Kelley Drye & Warren trade and national security partner Robert Slack, as the Silicon Valley-founded firm continues to make inroads in Washington, D.C.
In-House
Aviva cuts defendant legal roster down to four
Aviva has reduced its defendant legal panel from nine firms to a modest four, in its first comprehensive review in ten years.
Laid-Off In-House Lawyers Still Finding Jobs, But Could Face Stiffer Competition
In-house attorneys have been largely spared in the barrage of layoffs pummeling the tech industry. And while there are still jobs aplenty for those seeking reemployment, legal recruiters warn that that tide could be turning.
Former Boeing Attorney Lands in Tyson’s General Counsel Seat
Arkansas-based Tyson Foods appointed Adam Deckinger as general counsel. He replaces Chief Legal Officer Amy Tu, who the company promoted to chief administrative officer and international division president last September.
CVS Doubles Down on Health Care With GC Hire
Rhode Island-based CVS Health announced Thursday that Sam Khichi will join the company next month as chief policy officer and general counsel.
Promotions & Appointments:
Norton Rose Shifts Focus Away From London With Next Global Practice Head Appointments
Norton Rose Fulbright has handed two global practice leadership roles to partners based in Continental Europe, in a shift of focus away from its London base.
Norton Rose makes up five City lawyers in promos round
Norton Rose Fulbright has promoted five of its UK lawyers to partner, alongside 31 other elevations globally.
Reed Smith unveils 37-strong promotions round
A total of eight lawyers in London have been promoted to partner at Reed Smith this year.
Office Openings & Closing:
Law Firm Clyde & Co Set To Open In Milan
The office is set to open in the coming months and will achieve a “long term ambition” for the firm.
Financials:
Value of UK Competition Group Actions Increased 550% in 2022
The value of U.K. competition-related group actions soared by 550% last year, according to research from Thomson Reuters highlighting the rapid advancement of such cases.
Allen & Overy Americas Revenue Leaped 56%, LLPs Show, After Expansive Push in Region
Greenberg Traurig’s U.K. accounts have also been published, revealing that the firm spent £4 million on U.K. marketing in the last financial year.
Quinn Emanuel’s London arm records 5% increase in revenue
Quinn Emanuel’s London office has posted a 5% increase in revenue for the 2022 financial year.
Skadden increases its NQ pay by 5 per cent
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has become the latest firm to increase its newly-qualified lawyer salaries.
Technology & Innovation:
Slaughter and May Makes ‘Bring your Dog to Work Day’ a Permanent Fixture
Slaughter and May has made its ‘bring your dog to work day’ a permanent monthly fixture, following the success of its initial trial-run in 2022.
Three reasons why tech will reduce your litigation spend
The next recession is knocking at the door and unfortunately for in-house lawyers, there’s no punchline. Instead, legal teams face tighter budgets and increased pressure to manage costs as businesses become increasingly vulnerable to disputes spurred by the downturn.
Court Reviews Fair Use Protection for Publishers Embedding Social Media Posts
The early internet was created to facilitate the robust sharing of information among the research institutions and military facilities that were its first nodes. As the network grew, it retained that character and became the foundation for new ways to access and share information—including what we now know as the Web and various social media services. Almost all these services were designed around an ethos of making content as widely and easily accessible as possible, and in the social media world, an entire sharing economy arose, with its own “currency”—engagement (itself based on sharing and reposting).
Diversity & Inclusion:
A combination of bias, exclusion and lack of recognition of their contributions is affecting women in Hong Kong’s legal sector at every stage of their careers and could explain why leadership in the profession is still male dominated, according to a new report.
International Bar Association welcomes first woman president in twenty years
Spanish lawyer Almudena Arpón de Mendívil y Aldama has assumed the presidency of the International Bar Association, becoming the first woman in 20 years to hold the role.
Women and Diversity in Law Awards unveil 150-strong shortlist
More than 150 individuals working across the UK legal profession in a wide array of capacities are today unveiled as contenders for the Women and Diversity in Law Awards.
NALP Report Shows Small Gains of Diversity in Law Firms
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) released its annual Report on Diversity at U.S. Law Firms on Thursday, which indicates that overall gains—though not substantial—continued to be made in the representation of women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals in the associate and summer associate ranks at major U.S. law firms in 2022, as compared to 2021.