Moves
UK & Ireland
Prominent London M&A partner swaps Latham for Gibson Dunn
Energy specialist Simon Tysoe joins after a decade at Latham
White & Case makes double partner hire from Paul Hastings to boost London tax practice
Arun Birla, who was Paul Hastings’ second managing partner and previously led its London office, and Jiten Tank bring decades of Tax experience to White & Case.
Milbank adds Paul Hastings partner duo for European real estate finance launch
Milbank has hired Paul Hastings partners Miles Flynn and Rehan Hanif in London to launch a European real estate practice. The duo’s hire comes amid a wider infrastructure push by the firm in London that also saw it pick up a three-partner infrastructure team from White & Case earlier this year.
Americas
Winston & Strawn Banking Regulatory Partner Hops to King & Spalding
Kim Prior joined King & Spalding from Winston & Strawn in New York.
Gordon Rees Hires Former DOJ Counsel as Partner in Sacramento
Nancy Canter spent nearly five years with the Department of Justice before returning to private practice.
Ogletree Lands New COO From BCLP, Seeking to Continue Streak of Revenue Increases
Polly Snyder joined Ogletree as its firmwide COO Monday after three years working with BCLP.
Orrick Hires Wilson Sonsini Partner as Fund Formation Practice Lead
Jim Jensen joins the firm alongside counsel Margaret He in Orrick’s Silicon Valley office.
Skadden Veteran Finance and Private Equity Partner moves to Paul Hastings
Tracey Chenoweth, a finance partner and 17-year veteran of Skadden, is moving to Paul Hastings.
EMEA
Veronica Aroutiunian Joins Debevoise’s Luxembourg Office as Funds Partner
Recognized as one of Luxembourg’s leading investment fund advisors, with particular expertise in retail and evergreen vehicles, she joins from Loyens & Loeff.
Real Estate specialist Matthias Rüdt von Collenberg rejoins Ashurst in Frankfurt
Matthias moves from Goodwin where he was a Counsel
APAC
Bakers principal joins Greenberg Traurig as latest Singapore hire
U.S. law firm Greenberg Traurig has added one more partner to its growing Singapore office, welcoming M&A specialist Azlan Mohamed Noh as a shareholder from Baker McKenzie, where he was a local principal.
PRC’s Zhong Lun grows HK office with partners from Clifford Chance and Sidley
Zhong Lun Law Firm has further bolstered its Hong Kong office with the hire of Wu Hao and Renee Xiong as partners from Clifford Chance and Sidley Austin, respectively.
Tian Yuan bolsters lit practice in Hong Kong with hire from OLN
The PRC’s Tian Yuan Law Firm has hired litigation expert Dantes Leung as a partner in its Hong Kong office from local outfit Oldham Li & Nie (OLN).
PDLegal grows Bangkok office with two new partners
Singapore-headquartered law firm PDLegal has bolstered its dispute resolution and tax advisory capabilities at its Bangkok office with the addition of Ravipat Mullijarupongs and Supagorn “Pop” Jittimaporn as partners.
Team Moves
Clifford Chance hires 15-strong class actions team from White & Case in Frankfurt
The team led by Alexandra Diehl will strengthen the magic circle firm’s class actions group. She is joined by White & Case local partners Priscilla Tatschner and Lisa Becker.
Simmons hires five strong pensions team from DLA Piper
Amrit Mclean joins Simmons as its head of pensions de-risking in London
Orrick’s ‘game-changing’ Cadwalader raid hits 37 lawyers across London and the US
Orrick’s CLO and structured finance raid on Cadwalader comes to 37 lawyers, including ten partners, from Cadwalader across London, New York, Charlotte and Washington DC. The group significantly expands Orrick’s structured finance capabilities on both sides of the Atlantic and marks the US firm’s launch in Charlotte, North Carolina. As first reported last month, the London contingent includes David Quirolo, Claire Puddicombe, Alex Collins and Daniel Tobias, that helped build Cadwalader’s London structured finance business into one of the market’s leading offerings.
Baker & Hostetler Brings Aboard 4-Partner M&A Team in New York
All four partners come to Baker & Hostetler from Loeb & Loeb, where they worked for less than two years after arriving from Morrison Cohen. Andrew Arsiotis, Joshua Saidlower and Henry Zangara join BakerHostetler’s New York office as partners in the M&A team, where Steve Rockoff joins the Debt Finance Team.
Promotions & Appointments
Gowling WLG has appointed Chris Towle as its new chief executive officer for its UK LLP, succeeding David Fennell who will step down after 12 years in the role.
Starbucks ends hunt for new legal chief with TelevisaUnivision hire
Global coffee shop chain Starbucks has hired Pilar Ramos as its next chief legal officer, replacing Brad Lerman whose retirement was announced earlier this year. Ramos joins from Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision, where she was general counsel.
Littler hires Brookdale Senior Living legal VP as firm’s first GC and CLO
Employment law specialist Littler has hired Maralee (Marti) Downey as its inaugural chief legal officer and general counsel in Nashville. She joins from retirement home operator Brookdale Senior Living, where she was legal VP for labour and employment.
Lisa Maxwell appointed as Chief Legal Counsel at FE fundinfo, a leading financial data company
She steps up from her role as General Counsel which she has held since 2021.
White & Case promotes 45 to partner as intake rises
Top 10 US firm White & Case has elevated 45 lawyers to partner in its latest promotions round, its largest since 2022. The firm’s London office saw the most promotions with nine promoted in this round, including: Nick Crawford, Joshua Crawley, Victoria Delacey, Irina Fogarty, James Hart, Anna Lilley, Benjamin Morrison, David Murray, Paul Oumade-Singh
Trio of firms win spots on new nuclear waste panel
Burges Salmon, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Pinsents have all secured roles under a framework agreement to advise Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) on planning, consenting and regulatory matters tied to the Geological Disposal Facility programme and the Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria.
Addleshaws, Eversheds and HSF among 18 firms picked for TfL roster
Transport for London (TFL) has revealed which firms have won places on its legal panel to carry out complex and high-volume legal work over the next four years.
Office Openings & Closing
Reed Smith expands to Saudi Arabia with Riyadh office launch
The office will be led initially by Gregor Pryor, the firm’s Europe and Middle East managing partner, who has been seconded from London to oversee the new office in Riyadh. The opening gives the firm its third Middle Eastern outpost, adding to its existing offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Trowers to relaunch in Riyadh with new office next month
The international law firm has received a licence to open its fifth office in the Middle East.
Marcus Rashford’s lawyer sets up new sports firm
Simon Leaf, who has been a partner at Mishcon since 2017, has launched Three Points Law alongside Mishcon legal director Tom Murray. The firm, which will practice across the sport, technology and commercial sectors, aims to embrace AI and avoid traditional billing models to adapt to changing client demands.
King & Spalding launches in Sydney with five-partner team
US firm cites ‘extensive’ Australian relationships as it opens office in Sydney focused on commercial litigation, energy and tech transactions and global workforce matters. It will be led by Darren Gardner, who heads K&S’s global human capital and compliance practice.
Jones Walker Expands to Chicago in Second Move in Three Months Into Midwest
The firm opened its third new office this year after its expansion to Minneapolis in July and Lexington, Kentucky, in April.
Mergers & Alliances
Singapore’s CNP merges with local boutique Union Law
Singapore law firm CNPLaw has merged with dispute resolution boutique Union Law, with the latter’s managing partner Raymond Lye joining CNP as a partner.
Financials
Cost of buying Shoosmiths’ injury practice revealed as Fletchers posts record revenue
Overall, Fletchers posted a 32 per cent increase in turnover, from £58.1m to £76.9m in 2024/25, while profit decreased from £9.1m to £8.1m, after purchasing the team from Shoosmiths in August this year, gaining three new offices and 80 new lawyers, including eight partners, in the process.
Technology & Innovation
Gen AI adoption more than doubles among US in-house counsel, ACC study shows
Generative AI adoption among in-house legal professionals in the US has more than doubled over the past year, from 23% to 52%, according to a survey by The Association of Corporate Counsel.
AI tools are beating lawyers on legal research, study finds
The research – conducted by independent benchmarking firm Vals AI – revealed that machine learning tools produced higher quality results than lawyers in most cases, with the AI systems recorded scores between 74 and 78 points out of 100, while the lawyer group averaged 69.
Legora hits 50-client milestone in UK as firms ramp up AI investment
Legaltech company Legora has signed up a total of 50 UK clients, The Lawyer can reveal, amid a wave of AI investment sweeping the legal sector. Legora’s AI tool aims to speed up repetitive legal tasks, such as reviewing legal documents and drafting contracts.
Market Commentary
Carmakers defend dieselgate litigation as High Court case begins
A decade after the ‘dieselgate’ scandal emerged, a lawsuit against five leading carmakers potentially worth up to £6bn has opened in London’s High Court.
Fieldfisher’s Birmingham build-out is secretly a European play
The long-standing debate regarding the largest legal sector outside London frequently centres on Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester. However, looking beyond simple headcounts and office numbers, airport connectivity offers a more revealing measure: connectivity to the rest of the world. On this front, Manchester and Birmingham clearly lead the way.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Life in the law 2025: A wake-up call
Law firm leaders have a critical role to play in supporting lawyer wellbeing and ensuring a career in the law remains a sustainable option, according to LawCare’s Life in the Law 2025 Report. Nearly 60% of respondents said their mental wellbeing was poor, more than half are thinking about leaving their current workplace within five years and almost a third might leave the sector entirely.