Weekly Update – 25th February 2022

 

The Lawyer has created a live blog to capture important developments occurring in Ukraine, particularly how it relates to the legal world. So far, many international firms such as Baker McKenzie, Dentons, and CMS have closed their Kyiv offices, with Central and Eastern European firms like Kinstellar doing the same.

Ropes & Gray have established a pro-bono support group to provide legal assistance to individuals and families in Ukraine. The group will be led by Boston-based employment partner Jenny Rikoski; in 2019 she represented families affected on the southern border of the United States during the US government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy for controlling the country’s borders.

 

This week:

 

Moves:

Magic circle retail finance lawyer returns to Eversheds Sutherland

Joanne Owens returns to Eversheds Sutherland after being at Allen & Overy for five years.

International Arbitration specialist Alexander Slade joins Mishcon de Reya

Alexander Slade joins Mishcon de Reya from Vinson Elkin.

Kirkland antitrust partner exits for Ropes

Annie Herdman, EU & Competition Partner, joins Ropes & Gray from Kirkland & Ellis.

Akin Gump loses restructuring partner to Gleiss Lutz in London

Christian Halasz joins the Stuttgart-headquartered firm after seven years with Akin Gump.

Ince welcomes James Channo to London Corporate team as Partner

James Channo, formerly of Fox Williams, joins Ince’s corporate team.

Goodwin bolsters UK real estate platform with partner Eric Lim

Eric Lim will join Goodwin’s real estate industry practice on March 1.

Cleary Gottlieb Grows in New York, Washington, D.C., and London with Addition of Three Senior Lawyers

Elizabeth Dryer, Thomas Bednar, and Sophie Smith have joined the New York, Washington, D.C., and London offices respectively.

Expanding our Real Estate presence in Paris with a team hire

Patrick Gerry, Real Estate Partner, joins Eversheds Sutherland’s Paris office from Ashurst.

Baker McKenzie expands corporate practice in Frankfurt

Dr. Katharina Stuber is set to join Baker McKenzie from Allen & Overy in March.

 Herbert Smith Freehills has hired US securities partner Xavier Amadei

Xavier Amadei joins Herbert Smith Freehills’ Singapore office from Baker McKenzie.

Cross-Border Disputes Attorney Nanyi Kaluma Rejoins Willkie in Brussels

Nanyi Kaluma has rejoined Willkie in Brussels after 15 years at Allen & Overy.

Litigator Andrew Russell Joins McGuireWoods’ Labor & Employment Team in California

Andrew Russell, formerly of Fox Rothschild, joins McGuireWoods in their Century City office.

Davis Polk secures Ropes & Gray’s M&A leader in Menlo Park

Paul Scrivano is the latest partner to join the Wall Street firm after it ditched its pure lockstep to go on the recruiting offensive in 2020.

King & Spalding hires Hogan Lovells’ Middle East practice group leader in New York

Samaa Haridi joins the Atlanta-based firm after secen years at Hogan Lovells in New York.

Hong Kong Stock Exchange hires Kirkland partner as co-head of IPO vetting

Li-Chien Wong is set to join Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) as managing director and co-head of IPO vetting.

Hogan Lovells hires PwC’s Spanish regulatory head

Fernando Calancha Marzana will lead the Madrid office’s regulatory and energy practices.

Winston & Strawn Continues Expansion of Litigation Practice With Addition of Sharon Desh

Sharon Desh has joined Winston & Strawn from Bartlit Beck.

Mayer Brown continues West Coast expansion with financial services class action litigator Andrew Demko

Andrew Demko has joined Mayer Frown from Katten Muchin Rosenman.

Norton Rose Fulbright adds cutting-edge technology and life sciences team in San Francisco, including partners Kuan and Novak

Roger Kuan, Jason Novak, Dagim Tilahun and Noble Woo have joined the Norton Rose San Francisco offices from Haynes and Boone.

Hogan Lovells continues to expand M&A practice in New York with the addition of partner Luke Iovine

Luke Iovine has joins Hogan Lovells as the fourth corporate partner to join the New York offices this month.

Proskauer Expands Regulatory Capabilities with Addition of Private Funds Partner Robert H. Sutton

Robert H. Sutton has joined Proskauer from Kirkland & Ellis.

Top Antitrust Lawyer Joshua Soven Joins Paul, Weiss in Washington, D.C.

Joshua Soven has joined Paul Weiss in Washington, D.C. from Wilson Sonsini

Orrick Continues Growth of Life Sciences & Tech Team

Tony Chan has joined Orrick’s Washington, D.C. office from Morgan Lewis.

 

Promotions & Appointments:

Lewis Silkin appoints first woman to chair partnership

Jo Evans, Corporate partner and D&I leader is set to take over from Michael Burd in April

Bruce Dear elected Chair of Eversheds Sutherland (International)

Bruce Dear, Head of Real Estate London, has been elected as Chair, succeeding Pamela Thompson from May.

Squire Patton Boggs elevates 26 to partner in diverse promotions round

In its latest global promotions, Squire Patton Boggs has made up 26, and 17 of them (65%) are diverse according to gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Freshfields Appoints Next Italy Managing Partner | Law.com International

Francesco Lombardo, a Milan based partner will succeed Nicola Asti, who has been at the helm since September 2015.

Former Freshfields Senior Partner Edward Braham Appointed Chair of M&G

Edward Braham has been appointed the next chair of global investment manager M&G.

 

Office Openings & Closings:

Hogan Lovells to move London HQ in 2026

The new HQ, located at 21 Holborn Viaduct, will cut its floor space by more than 10%.

Allen & Overy to open in Boston after hiring five-partner IP litigation team from Goodwin Procter

The team, led by New-York based Elizabeth Holland and made up of Bill James, John Bennett, Nick Mitrokostas, and Daniel Margolis, join from Goodwin Procter.

Simmons launches in San Francisco with OC hire

Emily Jones, formerly of Osborne Clarke’s Silicon Valley offices, has moved to Simmons to oversee the launch of the new San Francisco Bay offices.

 

Mergers & Alliances:

Pinsent Masons launches real estate practice in South Africa with boutique tie-up

Pinsent Masons has joined forces with Gunn Attorneys, a boutique law firm in Johannesburg, to launch a local property practice and strengthen its ESG capabilities in South Africa.

 

Financials:

Davis Polk reignites US salary war by topping pacesetter Milbank’s associate pay scale

Davis Polk has announced it will be paying it’s associates between $215,000 and $396,000 depending on seniority.

Hogan Lovells posts record financial results as global revenue jumps by 13% to hit $2.6bn

Hogan Lovell’s global revenue has grown 12,9% to $2.6bn while PEP has soared by 25.9% to reach $2.49m

McDermott Sees Second Straight Year of PEP Growth Over 20%, Hitting $3M Mark

McDermott Will & Emery’s gross revenue grew 20.5% to $1.67bn, marking a 42% total growth over the last two years.

Freshfields LLPs Remind Partners of Firm’s ‘Considerable Discretion’ Over Distributions

In the statement accompanying its accounts, published on Companies House on Thursday, Freshfields said: “While Covid-19 has not had a significant impact on the firm to date, it remains possible that the pandemic could impact demand for our services in the short term. Liquidity pressure on our clients could also have an adverse impact on the business”.

 

Technology & Innovation:

Gunnercooke becomes first top 200 UK law firm to take cryptocurrency payments

Gunnercooke has partnered with Coinpass to make the exchanges and will accept cryptoassets such as ether and bitcoin.

 

Diversity & Inclusion:

Mishcon to Fund Training Courses For Refugee Lawyers

Mishcon de Reya has partnered with Barbri Global, a legal education provider, and Breaking Barriers to help lawyers with a refugee background retrain as solicitors in England and Wales.

Diversity scheme opens door for gifted trainees

Trainee solicitors are invited to apply for a place on the profession’s Diversity Access Scheme (DAS), the Law Society of England and Wales said as it opened recruitment for the 2022 cohort.

Jefferies lawyer slams sector for ‘moving backwards’ on diversity

David Winterfeldt QC, Jeffries top lawyer for EMEA and Asia, has sounded a scathing note about the legal professions progress on diversity.

 

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