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
CMS strengthens London IP practice with McCarthy Denning Partner
CMS has hired Patent Litigator Tom Carver as a Partner in its London IP practice.
Hengeler Mueller strengthens in London with Disputes Partner relocation
Arbitration Partner Carsten van de Sande will move to the UK from the firm’s Frankfurt office.
Proskauer continues London build-out with McDermott Finance Partner
Proskauer has continued its steady London expansion with the hire of Real Estate Finance Partner Usman Khan from McDermott.
Will Wallace joins Aberdein Considine in Edinburgh
Aberdein Considine LLP has appointed Residential Property Partner Will Wallace to head up its expanding residential property team in Edinburgh. Will joins from Balfour and Manson.
Maples Group makes four senior appointments
The Irish firm welcomes two experienced Partners, Gillian Beechinor and Andrew Ion, in addition to Of Counsel David McClelland and Associate Killian Breen. Beechinor and Ion join from Arthur Cox and A&L Goodbody, where they worked within the Real Estate practice.
Europe
Weil adds German Antitrust duo from White & Case and Latham
Weil has hired Ingo Brinker from White & Case, where he was a Partner, and Latham & Watkins’ Counsel Niklas Brueggemann. Both will join in Munich.
Dr. Niclas von Woedtke joins HEUKING’s Hamburg office as Equity Partner
Niclas is a member of the M&A and Venture Capital practice. He joins from Taylor Wessing.
Dr. Andrea Pomana joins the Antitrust & Competition practice at FPS
She will be based in the Frankfurt office of FPS. Andrea joins from Simmons & Simmons.
Baker McKenzie has rehired M&A partner Anna Orlander in Stockholm
Orlander rejoins the firm after five years as in-house Head of M&A at one of Baker McKenzie’s clients, Embracer Group.
Offshore Firm Continues Jersey Build-Out With Hire of Corporate Head
Harneys has appointed former Ogier partner Alexander Curry to lead its Corporate practice in Jersey.
Middle East
Shyamal Jeewoolall joins Addleshaw Goddard’s Dubai Office
Shyamal specialises in Banking & Finance. He joins from Holman Fenwick Willan.
Clyde & Co expands Middle East Aviation practice in Dubai with Partner hire from Al Tamimi
Bushra Abu-Tayeh has joined the region’s largest global law firm from Al Tamimi & Company, where she led the Aviation practice in the Transport and Insurance department. Bushra is based in Dubai.
Team
Baker McKenzie bolsters ECM capability with two senior Partner hires in London
Leading global law firm, Baker McKenzie, is pleased to welcome Simon Bullock and Stuart Rubin as Capital Markets Partners in its Corporate Finance team in London. The pair join from Ashurst.
Promotions & Appointments
HSF Kramer promotes 25 partners in first post-merger round
HSF Kramer has promoted 25 to Partner, in its first promotions round since the merger that created the firm last June. Core London office dominates with seven new Partners.
Taylor Wessing’s UK and Benelux arms announce partner promotions ahead of Winston & Strawn merger
Four lawyers are elevated to Partner in London, Eindhoven and Dubai.
Osborne Clarke announces leaner UK Partner promotions round
Six-strong round includes promotions in Disputes, Corporate and Banking and Finance teams.
Addleshaw Goddard makes up 17 Partners
Cohort spans the UK, Europe and the Middle East, including two in newly added Warsaw office.
William Fry Announces Three New Partners
William Fry is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Partners. These Partners are from the Litigation and Corporate/M&A practices.
Freshfields names two new Partners in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh
Freshfields has elevated James Visick and Ibrahim Attar to Partner in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, part of a record 47 promotions that signal strategic growth in global transactions.
Leaner Partner round at Ashurst ahead of US tie-up
Ashurst has promoted 18 lawyers to Partner globally, trimming its intake slightly as it prepares for a transatlantic merger with US firm Perkins Coie. The latest round is down from 20 promotions last year.
Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan appoints new Partners
Kilkenny-based Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan Solicitors LLP has welcomed two new Partners, Aileen Gittens (Surrogacy, pathways to Parenthood and Immigration) and Cathy Power (Property).
Matheson announces new appointments
David Fitzgibbon has been appointed as Head of the firm’s Corporate Department. Caroline Kearns and Joe Beashel have been appointed as Co-Heads of the Financial Institutions group, which also welcomes new Partner Ciaran O’Boyle. Christian Donagh has been appointed as the new Co-Head of Matheson’s Finance and Capital Markets department.
Firm and Market Activity
Office Openings & Closings
Kirkland Lays Groundwork for Middle East Expansion in Abu Dhabi
Kirkland & Ellis has registered with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a move that places the world’s most profitable law firm inside one of the Gulf’s fastest-growing centres of private capital, where sovereign wealth funds, private equity houses, and major regional investors converge.
Financial Results
Latham & Watkins Germany Breaks $300 Million Revenue Mark After 25 Years
Latham & Watkins has broken its revenue record in Germany, 25 years after entering the largest legal market in continental Europe.
Taylor Wessing Germany Posts Strong Revenue Rise
Taylor Wessing Germany has announced significant revenue growth, with turnover rising 13.1% to hit €243 million in 2025.
Market Commentary
Freshfields Cuts Manchester Roles Citing Tech Investments and Market Shifts
Freshfields has finalised cuts to support staff in its Manchester office, following a decision last year that it would axe certain non-fee-earner roles in light of market shifts. Fewer than 20 roles have been impacted in this most recent round, with no further changes planned.
Chris Woolard CBE, Wholesale Digital Markets Champion, said: “It’s an honour to be appointed Digital Markets Champion for the UK’s Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy. As financial markets increasingly move away from manual processes to digital, tokenised systems, collaboration and an open two-way dialogue between the private and public sectors will best support the Strategy’s success, and will ultimately enhance the UK’s global competitiveness as a leader in digital markets.”
Innovation & Culture
Technology & Innovation
UK fintech backed to embrace future payments technology
The UK’s payments sector is to be equipped for the future of rapid financial innovation through a new package announced during Fintech Week in London. The measures will help the UK remain at the cutting edge by promoting innovation and trust within the payments sector to drive growth.
Law firms join forces to shape legal AI launching Global Tech Alliance
More than 15 law firms have launched an international alliance to respond to the growing role of AI in how legal work is delivered. The new group – named the Global Legal Tech Alliance – will provide a structure for firms to jointly develop and apply legal technology, supported by shared resources and training.
Freshfields Strikes Anthropic Deal, Deploys Claude Firmwide
Freshfields is collaborating with Anthropic in a multi-year agreement to deploy Claude firmwide, and to co-build AI legal workflows.
ClearyX sounds out investors after launching AI platform
ClearyX, the alternative legal services provider established by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, is on the look-out for potential external investors.
LexisNexis and Luminance strike AI partnership to target in-house legal teams
LexisNexis and AI-powered contract platform Luminance have formed a strategic alliance that will enable users to draft and review contracts against relevant laws in real time.
Clio primed for more takeovers as it gears up to challenge Harvey and Legora
Clio is preparing to take on legal tech rivals Harvey and Legora and win over large law firms after its recent $1bn acquisition of vLex.
Legora Acquires Legal Research Startup Qura | Law.com
On Thursday, Swedish legal artificial intelligence company Legora announced the acquisition of Qura, a Stockholm-based legal research company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.