Moves:
UK & Ireland
Proskauer hits White & Case for leveraged finance partner in London
Proskauer Rose has added leveraged finance partner Peter Mason in London from White & Case.
Addleshaw Goddard appoints Jack Kennedy as construction and engineering partner
International law firm Addleshaw Goddard has appointed Jack Kennedy as partner in its construction and engineering practice in Ireland. He joins from A&L Goodbody.
New partner strengthens Womble Bond Dickinson’s international arbitration team
International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has appointed Adrian Jones as partner in the firm’s commercial disputes team. He joins from Hill Dickinson.
Perkins Coie adds new Partner to lead on Privacy, data protection, and digital regulation
Arnav Joshi has joined the Partnership at Perkins Coie having previously served as Counsel at Clifford Chance.
The Americas
Weil taps Latham for two more IP litigators
Chris Henry and Gaby LaHatte have joined Weil’s new IP, technology and science litigation practice. Henry has joined the firm in Boston after nearly three years as a partner at Latham, while LaHatte has made partner on joining Weil’s San Francisco office, having been a counsel at Latham.
Kirkland & Ellis Adds Nationally Recognized Antitrust Attorney Maria Raptis
Kirkland & Ellis announced today that leading antitrust lawyer Maria Raptis has joined the Firm as a partner in New York. She joins from Skadden.
Proskauer has welcomes partner Richard Westling to its Litigation Department and Health Care Group in the Los Angeles and Washington D.C. offices. He joins from Epstein, Becker and Green.
Troutman Pepper Locke Brings on 2 Charlotte Partners
Michael Cecka, David Fialkow, and Melissa Kato have joined Troutman Pepper Locke as partners and members of the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) special servicer team within the firm’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice. Cecka, Fialkow, and Kato join Troutman Pepper Locke from K&L Gates, where their practices focused on real estate finance and loan servicing.
Cadwalader Corporate Leader, 40-Year Vet Exits for McDermott
Ira Schacter, a longtime Cadwalader lawyer who leads the firm’s corporate practice, is leaving for the newly formed McDermott Will & Schulte in New York.
Kirkland Expands Product Liability and Mass Tort Litigation Practice with Addition of Burt Snell
Kirkland & Ellis has announced that product liability and mass tort litigator Nils B. (Burt) Snell has joined the Firm as a partner in Philadelphia. He joins from Butler Snow.
Baker McKenzie Adds Dealmaker Jenny Liu, Further Strengthening Private Equity, M&A Teams
Baker McKenzie has announced that transactional lawyer Jenny Liu has joined the Firm as a Partner in its Transactional Practice. Jenny will work from the Firm’s New York and Palo Alto offices.
Dentons welcomes corporate partner Myron Mallia-Dare in Toronto
Dentons has announced the addition of Myron A. Mallia-Dare – who is experienced in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, and venture financing – as a partner in the multinational law firm’s corporate group in Toronto. Her joins from Miller Thompson.
Seyfarth Shaw adds new Partner to Litigation Department
We are thrilled to welcome Cory Davis to our Litigation department as a partner based out of our Atlanta office. Cory joins from Baker & Hostetler.
EMEA
A&0 have announced the double hire of partners Kristof Meynaerts and Severina Käppeli.
Kristof and Severina join from Clifford Chance, bringing respectively 17 and 12 years of experience and deep expertise across regulated and unregulated investment funds.
JBV welcomes new hire to the Partnership in Luxembourg
Bart Vermatt has joined JBV as Partner in Luxembourg, after serving as partner at Bonn & Schmitt for just over a year.
Latham & Watkins capital markets partner to join Gibson Dunn in Riyadh
Latham & Watkins capital markets partner Najla Al-Gadi is due to join Gibson Dunn in Riyadh,
APAC
A&O Shearman adds new Partner in Perth
A&O have expanded their litigation practice with the addition of partner Catherine Pedler, who joins today in our Perth office. She joins from Ashurst.
GXS Bank founding counsel joins Focus Law Asia as corporate head
Singapore-based boutique firm Focus Law Asia has strengthened its corporate practice with the appointment of Elizabeth Fong as director and head of corporate. Fong joins FLA from her role as founding general counsel and company secretary of GXS Bank, the Grab-Singtel digital bank.
Thailand’s Chandler Mori Hamada builds tax heft with Law Alliance trio
Leading Thai law firm Chandler Mori Hamada has bolstered its tax capabilities with the addition of three lawyers from boutique firm Law Alliance led by Piphob Veraphong. Joining him are Rachanee Prasongprasit as partner and Theeravuth Temsiriwattanakul as associates.
Simmons hires fund finance expert from Mayer Brown as partner
International law firm Simmons & Simmons has hired Ester Chow as a partner in its Hong Kong financial markets practice from Mayer Brown, where she was a counsel.
In-House
GC Veers into Higher Ed After Quarter-Century with Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Association
Georgia College & State University has named Charles Norton Jr., a veteran Georgia attorney with extensive in-house legal experience, as associate vice president and general counsel. He is joining the school from the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Association.
TOPLAND Group hires new General Counsel
Simon Levene has joined TOPLAND Group as General Counsel from SitusAMC.
Paint-maker PPG to promote deputy GC to top lawyer role
Global paint and speciality materials company PPG has lined up Joe Gette as its next general counsel, replacing Anne Foulkes when she steps down at the start of next year. Gette is currently the company’s deputy GC and secretary, a role he has held since 2022.
Shopify has hired a new Associate General Counsel
Sinead Finnerty has joined the Shopify team as their new Associate General Counsel after serving as Counsel as Fastly.
Team Moves
Simmons hires Real Estate Team in Frankfurt
Marc Bohne, Dr. Moritz Vettermann, Felix Krüger and Jochen Schnepper have joined Simmons & Simmons in Frankfurt. They all join from Goodwin.
Seyfarth Shaw hires 3-Lawyer Team to bolster their Real Estate and Construction Practice
Seyfrth law welcomes the addition of a three-lawyer team to their Downtown Los Angeles office: partner Brenda Kosma Radmacher, counsel Heather Frisch, and associate Christopher Bouquet. They join from Goodwin.
Promotions & Appointments:
Reed Smith appoints Benjamin Fliegel as new office managing partner in Los Angeles
Global law firm Reed Smith has appointed Benjamin Fliegel as the new office managing partner of its Los Angeles office. He succeeds Jennifer Terry.
GRSM Names Mollie Burks and Alyson Cabrera to Lead Northern California Region
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has announced that Mollie Burks and Alyson Cabrera have been named Co-Managing Partners of Northern California, effective February 1, 2026. This leadership role oversees a broad and strategically significant region that includes the firm’s offices in San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Monterey, and Fresno.
Mergers & Alliances:
Morris, Manning & Martin to merge with fast-growing Am Law 100 firm
Taft Stettinius & Hollister (Taft) and Morris, Manning & Martin has announced their plan to combine effective Dec. 31, 2025. The Morris Manning combination is Taft’s latest move in becoming one of the leading middle-market firms in the United States and reflects Morris Manning’s evolution in partnering with a national Am Law 100 firm.
Office Openings & Closing:
Freshfields launches Saudi office
Freshfields has announced the launch of a standalone office in Saudi Arabia and a strategic alliance with the Law Firm of Salah Al-Hejailan (LFSH), its long-standing associated firm in the Kingdom.
Chinese Law Firms Expand in Hong Kong as Western Competitors Retreat from Legal Market
Zhong Yin Law Firm, a prominent Chinese legal practice, has recently launched a new office in Hong Kong, marking a significant step in its international growth strategy. This move reflects a broader trend among China’s leading law firms, often referred to as the “red circle,” which are capitalizing on the retreat of U.S. and European firms from the region.
Law firm Saxton & Stump to open permanent office in downtown Pittsburgh
A law firm that has quietly had boots on the ground in Pittsburgh since 2023 and revved up hiring in 2025 confirmed to the Business Times that it expects to establish a permanent office downtown this fall. Saxton & Stump has been operating in shared space at 1 PPG Place, according to its website. It did not disclose where the new office will be located but said it is taking more than 12,000 square feet.
Financials:
Eversheds PEP jumps 8% to £1.4m in eighth straight year of growth
Eversheds Sutherland’s international arm has posted its eighth consecutive year of revenue and profit growth, with turnover for 2024/25 up 3% to £769 million and PEP climbing 8% to £1.4 million.
TLT sustains long term growth with revenue rise
UK law firm TLT continues its strong record of growth posting a seven per cent rise in turnover from £82m in 2017/18 to £87.6m this year, representing a near 50% increase in revenues over the last five years.
Fieldfisher revenue increases to €446m
European law firm Fieldfisher has reported firmwide revenue of around €446 million. The firm’s headline firmwide revenue figure of £385m represents a one per cent increase on an annualised basis.
Pinsent Masons turnover rises to €810m
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has reported a 7.2 per cent increase in revenue to €809.6 million in its most recent fiscal year. Profit per equity partner rose by 2.93 per cent to reach €949,000 in the year ending 30 April 2025, according to the firm’s unaudited financial results.
Lewis Silkin’s profits soar as firm hails IP ‘growth mode’
The firm said revenue from its ‘refreshed and expanded’ IP team increased by 4% in FY25.
Technology & Innovation:
Inside the Gen AI Tools Freshfields Built from its Google Partnership
In April, Freshfields announced its partnership with Google Cloud in hopes of bolstering artificial intelligence-focused innovation and product development at the firm. Since then, the firm has built a number of proprietary tools using Google’s AI offerings. Both George and Perez said that, although they are evaluating the use cases and accuracy of gen AI from tech vendors, they have not yet figured out how to measure return on investment for their products.
Latham & Watkins Embraces Harvey AI, Setting a New Standard in Legal Tech Innovation
Latham & Watkins, one of the world’s leading law firms, has recently adopted Harvey, a promising AI tool, signalling a competitive edge in the legal technology landscape. This development highlights the growing reliance on artificial intelligence in the legal industry, as firms increasingly look to technology to enhance efficiency and accuracy in legal work. Harvey has been noted for its advanced capabilities in automating complex legal processes, a feature that has attracted Latham & Watkins amidst intense competition from other AI offerings such as Legora.
Fieldfisher launches free AI training resources
Fieldfisher has announced its support for the launch of a new suite of free online resources under the AI, Law, and Legal Training project. This initiative aims to promote the ethical and responsible use of generative AI (GenAI) within legal contexts. Led by The Open University in collaboration with the University of Lincoln and Citizens Advice, the project addresses both the risks and opportunities that GenAI presents in the legal and access to justice sectors.
New research shows in-house legal tech adoption surging as Gen AI gains ground
A new survey of more than 150 GCs has highlighted the extent to which technology is transforming in-house legal teams. GC Pulse 2025, which was conducted by Legal Business in association with Thomson Reuters, has revealed that 44% of corporate legal departments are now using legal technology frequently or all the time — a sharp rise from 34% in 2024.
Legal startup Legarly debuts to digitise legal practice
A new player named Legarly.com has entered Africa’s growing legal technology market, with the Lagos-based startup officially launching with a mission to digitise and streamline legal practice across the continent. The all-in-one, cloud-based platform is designed specifically for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel, providing a suite of tools to manage core processes, from matter tracking and client onboarding to invoicing, document sharing, and automated reminders.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Law Firms Not Required to Answer EEOC Letters; ‘Most’ Didn’t Provide Diversity Info, DOJ Says
Law firms were not required to submit information on their diversity hiring practices, despite 20 law firms in March receiving threatening letters from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Justice Department said in a court filing.
Market Commentary:
Willkie Farr & Gallagher Adapts to Market Shifts with San Francisco Staff Cuts and Retention Bonuses
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has proceeded with staff reductions in its San Francisco office. While details on the exact number of cuts remain undisclosed, the firm also announced initiatives aimed at fostering retention and morale among its existing workforce. This dual approach emerges as part of a larger trend within the legal industry, where firms are balancing cost-cutting measures with efforts to retain talented professionals.
A Double-Edged Sword: How Law Firms Can Make Their Bonus Systems Work for Them
Used properly, a well-structured bonus system can function as a vital tool to attract and retain talent. On the ‘carrot’ side of the equation, one-off payments under the bonus scheme can function as an especially useful way to soften the blow for lateral hires who are leaving a significant amount of money on the table at their previous firms. For individual lawyers who record a knockout year of billing but whose compensation does not necessarily reflect it, irregular bonuses can be used to make sure they feel adequately paid for their achievements. So long as this is communicated clearly to the rest of the partnership, this is usually uncontroversial.
People and persuasion techniques for in-house lawyers
Solicitor and business owner Robyn Sandilands shares some techniques for in-house lawyers to help you to communicate effectively with the wider business, ensure healthy working relationships, and persuade those with little-to-no legal background of legal’s role in business decision-making.