Weekly Update – 27th of January 2025

Moves:

In-House

Netflix Music Guru Becomes First GC of Startup Helping Independent Artists Monetize Catalogs

General counsel Sachin Premnath said, “this role at Duetti is the perfect intersection of my previous experience advising on catalog acquisitions, acquiring content and growing a label and publishing business”.

Meet the SEC’s New Interim General Counsel

Along with a list of candidates to occupy senior roles at the SEC, Jeffrey Finnell was named the agency’s new interim general counsel on Friday.

Hooters CLO Jumps to Even Larger Chicken Chain

With over 1,500 stores across 22 countries, Church’s Texas Chicken is being legally taken over by Alisa Pittman Cleek.

Global Software Firm Trying to Jump-Start Growth Hands CLO Post to 3-Time Legal Chief

Susan Bennett worked for Culligan for 15 years early in her career, during which time the company underwent five ownership changes.

Goodwin’s Singapore Private Equity Partner Leaves to Join Key Client Hillhouse Investment

Abhishek Krishnan, a partner at Goodwin Procter, has departed the company to join the legal team of Asia-based private equity firm Hillhouse Investment.

Disney+ hires former Netflix lawyer as EMEA legal and business affairs VP

Deepti Burton served as the EMEA head of business and legal affairs for Netflix for six years.

Rosewood Hotels hires former Kempinski GC as vice president for legal

Hadrian Beltrametti Walker, a former general counsel of Kempinski Hotels, has been appointed vice president for legal at Rosewood Hotel Group, with responsibility for the Caribbean and EMEA areas.

MLB team Baltimore Orioles hires CLO from Washington Capitals-owner

Kamaal Jones has been appointed general counsel and chief legal officer for the Baltimore Orioles, a Major League Baseball franchise in the United States.

 

UK & Ireland

Proskauer Partner Leaves for Fried Frank in London

Aranpreet Randhawa has worked with a number of the best companies in the nation.

Fried Frank Adds Latest Goodwin Partner in London

The firm’s restructuring service in London has been strengthened with the addition of Geoff O’Dea, a partner at Goodwin. O’Dea, a former partner at Baker McKenzie and a member of the private equity group, is departing Goodwin after nearly four years.

SRA General Counsel to Move into Private Practice

Kingsley Napley has hired the general counsel and deputy chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority. After ten years, Juliet Oliver is leaving the UK industry regulator in June to take a position as managing director of Stratify, the company’s strategic regulatory advising division.

White & Case adds Travers’ tech and commercial transactions head in London

With the addition of a partner from renowned City independent Travers Smith, White & Case has expanded its commercial presence in London. After more than 23 years at Travers, where he led the technology and commercial transactions division, Dan Reavill has joined the 2,500-lawyer US firm.

A&L Goodbody welcomes three new partners

Jeff Greene, Eimear Keane, and Steven Duggan have joined A&L Goodbody as partners. Ms. Keane joined the Dublin investment funds and asset management team in December, Mr. Greene joined the Dublin employment group earlier this month, and Mr. Duggan joined the firm’s Belfast corporate and M&A team in November.

Daniel McCracken joins MKB Law

Daniel McCracken is now a member of MKB Law’s private client team. Mr. McCracken has vast experience in all facets of private client practice, including handling difficult and divisive situations.

 

APAC

Australia’s Clayton Utz Takes Real Estate Partner from Ashurst

Vicki Aron, a real estate partner at Ashurst, has joined the Australian company Clayton Utz to help fulfil the high demand for property legal services. In addition to advising on corporate real estate issues, commercial and industrial leasing, and acquisitions and disposals, Aron specializes in large projects and development deals.

Two Partners Depart Hogan Lovells Ahead of Australian Closure

Ahead of Hogan Lovells’ impending closure of its Sydney office—its final one in Australia—Charles Bogle and James Wood are the most recent partners to get new employment.

Former AMT partner boosts Ashurst’s energy transition offering

Teruma Naito has joined the Tokyo-based projects and energy transition (PET) practice of international law firm Ashurst as a partner. Naito joins from Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, a renowned Japanese firm.

Indonesian boutique AVYA builds corporate practice with new partner hire

Noor M. Aziz, the third partner hired by Indonesian legal firm AVYA legal since July, has been named as the head of the firm’s corporate, commercial, and business transactions practice group.

 

EMEA

Amazon Corporate Counsel in Brussels Returns to US Firm in ‘Boomerang Hire’

In order to increase the company’s trade coverage in Brussels, Reed Smith has rehired Philip Heeren from Amazon. After two years as corporate counsel at Amazon, where he worked in its EU operations team, Heeren returns as a partner and will head the firm’s EU trade and customs practice.

Hogan Lovells Germany Partner Exits for Willkie After Just a Few Months

Despite only joining Hogan Lovells from Kirkland & Ellis in November, private equity specialist David Huthmacher is relocating to the Willkie Farr & Gallagher office in Munich.

Norton Rose Fulbright significantly expands Italian competition practice with two major hires

Based in Norton Rose Fulbright’s Milan office, Veronica and Martino, who both joined from White & Case, will collaborate closely with the firm’s Brussels office on EU matters.

ECIJA incorporates Jesús Estévez to strengthen its banking and financial law practice

The new partner at ECIJA has a wealth of global experience in banking, project finance, corporate and asset financing, restructuring, and refinancing legal matters.

Gómez-Acebo & Pombo strengthens its Patents practice with the incorporation of Rais Amils

With over two decades of experience, Rais Amils specializes in industrial and intellectual property litigation, mostly defending pharmaceutical corporations’ patents.

Africa-focused boutique hires two in Paris

Former Shearman and Sterling attorney Rayan Keyrouz has joined the partnership at Africa-focused boutique Trinity International, where Florian Quintard formerly served as co-head of the Paris arbitration practice at Pinsent Masons.

Hogan Lovells strengthens its Corporate & Finance practice in Paris with key hire Romain Marchand

Romain Marchand is now a partner in the Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, and Projects practice area of the international law firm Hogan Lovells in Paris. From Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, he joins.

Orrick Adds Cécile Mariotti as Transactions Tax Partner in Paris

In Paris, Cécile Mariotti became a tax partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Mariotti provides tax advice for both domestic and foreign transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, restructurings, private credit, and other forms of financing.

DLA Piper Partner to Head Up Two New Dentons Practices in Brussels

A longtime partner from DLA Piper has been appointed by Dentons’ Brussels office to lead the company’s new restructuring practice as well as its litigation and dispute resolution department in Belgium.

August Debouzy Strengthens Its Full-Service Client Offering with Two New Partners

Drawing on the established experience of Jennifer Hinge and Hélène Billery, August Debouzy continues to offer its clients full-service support. With Jennifer’s experience in finance and Hélène’s knowledge of public law, environmental law, urban planning, and public health, these two new partners further expand the firm’s capabilities.

 

The Americas

Weil, Loading Up on More Regulatory Talent, Adds SEC Asset Management Co-Chief

Government hiring is driven by client demand and the firm’s desire to stay ahead of the curve, according to executive partner Barry Wolf.

Cleary Nabs Public Company Advisory Practice Head from Orrick in San Francisco

Orrick public company advisory practice lead Justin Ho will leave the firm after eight years.

Cravath Hires Paul Weiss Antitrust Co-Chair

Andrew Finch will be a rare lateral hire for Cravath from a rival firm.

Brownstein Adds Former Interior Secretary, Offering ‘Strategic Counsel’ During New Trump Term

The arrival comes as corporations and other clients are seeking expert advice on how to navigate another Trump term.

SDNY Criminal Division Deputy Chief Returns to Debevoise

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announces that Nicholas Folly has returned to the firm as a counsel in the White Collar and Regulatory Defense Group, in the San Francisco office.

Paul Weiss Lands Exec Compensation Head from Sullivan & Cromwell

Matthew Friestedt has provided advice on a number of the biggest M&A transactions over the last fifteen years, such as Kraft’s $60 billion merger with Heinz and AT&T’s acquisitions of Time Warner ($109 billion) and DirectTV ($67 billion).

Former Pioneer Natural Resources Counsel Joins Bracewell’s Dallas Office

Bryan L. Clark has joined Bracewell LLP’s Dallas office as a partner in the company’s practice divisions for energy transition and oil and gas, the firm said today.

White and Williams Bankruptcy Co-Chair Joins Stradley Ronon

Amy Vulpio spent the entirety of her 25-year legal career at White and Williams before making the jump to Stradley Ronon

Former Georgia US Attorney Joins Troutman Pepper Locke in Atlanta

After serving as the Middle District of Georgia’s U.S. attorney for four years, Peter Leary joins the firm’s white-collar crime and investigations practice.

Paul Hastings, recruiting from Davis Polk, Adds Capital Markets Attorney

After more than two decades at Davis Polk, Jeffrey Ramsay stated that it was time to make a change.

Perkins Coie Lures Former Longtime Wilson Sonsini Tech Transactions Partner

Adam Shevell joins the San Francisco office of Perkins Coie.

Polsinelli Picks Up Corporate Health Care Partner from Greenberg Traurig in LA

Ron Grace spent three years as a partner with Greenberg Traurig.

Skadden Picks Up Corporate, M&A Co-Head from Vinson & Elkins

Stephen Gill, who co-led the corporate practice group and strategic M&A practice at Vinson & Elkins, is relocating to Houston to work at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

Paul Hastings Hires Music Industry Practice Chair from Willkie in Los Angeles

After serving in the same capacity at Willkie for three years, Sidney Fohrman joins Paul Hastings.

Holland & Knight Hires Former Davis Wright Tremaine Managing Partner in Seattle

Scott MacCormack, who abruptly left his leadership position at his previous company in March, is joining Holland & Knight despite the business’s lack of a physical office in Seattle.

Eversheds Sutherland Taps EY Vet to Lead Firm’s Captive ALSP in US

The firm hired Taimur Ghaznavi from EY to lead Konexo US, the firm’s global alternative legal services provider, and Toccarra Brooks as chief strategic recruiting officer for the U.S.

Buchalter Hires Longtime Sheppard Mullin Real Estate Partner as Practice Chair

Aaron Sobaski became a stakeholder and the chair of Buchalter’s real estate practice group in Irvine.

Antitrust Partner Plans Move to Davis Polk from Fried Frank

Nathaniel Asker has been with Fried Frank for the last decade.

Freshfields Hires Ex-SEC Corporate Finance Director in Silicon Valley

Erik Gerding worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission for three years.

 

Team Moves

Three Akin Sports Lawyers Jump to Employment Firm Littler Mendelson

The three lawyers, who are shareholders in the Am Law 100 business, have a wealth of knowledge on labour and employment law as it relates to employers and organizations in professional and college sports.

New York-Based Skadden Team Joins White & Case Group in Mexico City for Citigroup Demerger

As the banking behemoth gets ready for an initial public offering (IPO) of its retail banking division in Mexico, Citi separated its extremely successful but scandal-plagued Mexican division.

McCarthy Tétrault Taps In-House Lawyers to Bolster Business Law Team

The Canadian firm has lost a renowned litigator in Toronto and added four new partners in Vancouver and Calgary.

Squire Patton Boggs Hires 7-Lawyer Team to Beef Up ESG Practice in Brussels

Partners Peter Sellar and Gerard McElwee will be joining from the U.K.-led firm along with director Manon Ombredane, senior associate Aodhan McGourty, and associates Elise Van Gerven, Maria-Magdalena Markova and Nayelly Landeros.

Kirkland recruits Skadden mass tort team for Philadelphia debut

In an effort to create a new office in Philadelphia, Kirkland & Ellis has brought on five new partners, led by well-known litigator and trial lawyer Allison Brown.

SG’s Sreenivasan Chambers doubles strength with 5-strong team led by K&L partner

Five more lawyers have joined the disputes bench of Sreenivasan Chambers, a Singapore disputes and consultancy firm founded in August by Sreenivasan Narayan SC, a former managing partner of K&L Gates Straits Law.

Local Boutique Expands Significantly, Hiring Litigator Who Won $63M Verdict Against City of Miami Commissioner

Courtney Caprio, one of the principal lawyers in the 2023 federal trial, leads the five-lawyer expansion of Miami-based Caldera Law.

 

Financials:

Sunbelt Law Firms Experienced More Moderate Growth Last Year, Alongside Some Job Cuts and Less Merger Interest

According to a new ALM managing partner survey, law firms in Florida, Georgia, and Texas reported higher revenue increases as a result of hiking billing rates, but they weren’t afraid to fire a few lawyers.

Several Big Law Firms Saw Year-Over-Year Lobbying Revenue Growth in 2024

Both Akin and Brownstein said in their Lobbying Disclosure Act reports on Tuesday that 2024 was their best year ever.

Montgomery McCracken Touts ‘Record’ Financial Performance Despite Shrinking Head Count

The Philadelphia-based firm saw a decline from 91 attorneys in 2023 to roughly 79 in 2024, despite achieving solid results. Ashley Lynam, the co-chair, most recently departed for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

Senior Associates’ Billing Rates See the Biggest Jump

Jennifer McIver of Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions stated, “You’re getting some associate rates cresting to over $1,000 an hour, as much as some junior partners.”

Disney Legal Chief Sees Pay Surge 36%

Horacio Gutierrez was commended in the company’s recently filed proxy for a number of achievements, including resolving a legal dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

 

Promotions & Appointments

Potter Anderson Elects 2 Attorneys to Firm Partnership

Attorneys Callan R. Jackson and Daniel M. Rusk IV have been elected to the partnership of Potter Anderson & Corroon, with effect from January 1st.

Acting Attorney General James McHenry III Installs New U.S. Attorneys in Manhattan, Brooklyn

The offices confirmed that John J. Durham and Danielle Sassoon will take over as the SDNY and EDNY’s senior prosecutors with immediate effect.

William B. Helbling Named Shareholder of Knox Law

William B. Helbling has been added as a stakeholder in Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett. He concentrates his practice in the areas of business and tax law, securities law, banking and commercial lending, and intellectual property & technology.

Day Pitney Announces Partner Elevations

Patricia J. Durelli, Michael Hanna, Matthew J. Letten, Alan Ruiz, and Joanna M. Targonski are among the eight new partners the business has promoted, five of whom are located in Connecticut.

Morris Nichols Names New Chief Financial Officer

William P. Michelson was elevated to chief financial officer by Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell, with effect from January 1st.

Gregory Sellers Elevated to Of Counsel

Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg declared that Gregory R. Sellers, an attorney in the litigation department, and Elizabeth Webb Bucilla, an attorney in the corporate and securities department, were elected to the firm’s partnership with effect from January 1st.

Arthur Cox appoints eight new of counsel

Orla Clayton, Fiona Cotter, Edel Curry, Katrina Donnelly, Ciara Dooley, Audrey Hughes, Aoife Mac Ardle, and Ben Rayner have all been named as attorneys by Arthur Cox. In the company’s life sciences division, Ms. Clayton is in charge of the knowledge function. She has consulted on both general and sector-specific EU and national standards in connection to a wide range of products, and she has a wealth of knowledge in the life sciences, food, alcoholic beverage, agribusiness, healthcare, cosmetics, consumer goods, and retail sectors.

Galicia promotes seven in Mexico

Galicia Abogados, a Mexican elite firm, has expanded its practice areas by adding four new partners and three new attorneys.

Burges Salmon names successor to senior partner Seaton

Chris Seaton’s senior partner has been replaced by Burges Salmon, an independent law company in the UK. Seaton, who has been a senior partner since 2017, will hand off to Ross Fairley on May 1st.

King’s Counsel appointments rise to 105 in largest cohort for four years

The Bar Council has voiced concern over the lack of a successful Black applicant, but 105 advocates from England and Wales are celebrating being promoted to the rank of King’s Counsel (KC), the largest class in four years.

McDermott refreshes antitrust leadership with trio of appointments

Ray Jacobsen, the longtime head of competition at McDermott Will & Emery, has been replaced by three partners as the firm’s worldwide antitrust group leader. Jon Dubrow is in charge of the firm’s US antitrust group, Christian Krohs is in charge of the European practice group, and Ryan Tisch will assume overall worldwide antitrust leadership.

 

Diversity & Inclusion:

John Deere Annual Meeting Offers Peek into DEI Strife That Looms for Companies Nationwide

Paul Chesser of the National Legal and Policy Center, a group that opposes corporate diversity initiatives, stated, “There is no reason to believe companies are genuinely eliminating DEI—they are just going to hide it better.”

With DEI Rollbacks, Employment Lawyers See Potential For Targeting Corporate Commitment to Equality

In the event that a lawsuit alleges that a particular employee’s termination or other action was motivated by variables like race, gender, religion, or national origin, companies that have reduced their DEI activities should be ready for those actions to be closely examined.

Meta Workers Aren’t of One Mind on Company’s Retreat From DEI, Fact-Checking

45 percent of the 965 Meta workers polled by the messaging app that protects anonymity of those surveyed, 43% agreed with the company’s decision to shut down its DEI activities, while Blind opposed.

 

Office Openings & Closing:

Goodwin Procter Relocates to Renewable-Powered Office in San Francisco’s Financial District

Associates are set to welcome uniform office space after some initial resistance.

Pinsent Masons Relocates to Eco-Friendly Office in Glasgow

The new office has been declared as one of the most sustainable in Scotland.

Four More Partners Exit DLA Piper Affiliate in Brazil

The female partners have established their own firm and are experts in M&A and other business affairs.

Consulting Group Alvarez & Marsal Opens in Dublin

After announcing plans to establish a new mid-market law firm, the consultancy firm has been aiming to expand in Ireland.

Singapore Litigators Shift Competitive Landscape as Another Senior Duo Sets Up Own Shop

The partners of the Big Four Singaporean firm Drew & Napier, Siraj Omar and Allister Tan, have departed with a group of four attorneys to form their own practice.

‘Three good friends’ found new firm to partner with China’s Yingke

After receiving approval from the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong-based business Hui Doe & Sum Law business plans to formally associate with Yingke Law Firm, which is the biggest law firm in China in terms of manpower.

 

Mergers & Alliances:

SurePoint Acquires Legal Practice Management Company ZenCase

Less than a year has passed since SurePoint purchased legal business intelligence and analytics firm Leopard Solutions, which ZenCase has since merged.

German Patent Law Firms to Merge

The Dusseldorf office of KSVR will be taken over by Hoffmann Eitle. Both firms have been among the top-ranked IP law firms in Germany and Europe for many years.

Plasseraud Avocats and Candé Blanchard Ducamp Join Forces to Create a Leading Player in Intellectual Property Law.

The newly established organization will combine the advantages of two reputable legal practices, both of which are well-known for their proficiency and outstanding abilities in the area of intellectual property. The new firm hopes to become one of the leading IP firms in France, with teams of lawyers specializing in patents, trademarks, designs and models, copyright, unfair competition, and parasitism.

King & Spalding completes merger with Saudi Arabia’s Al Fahad & Partners

The combined firm will operate as King & Spalding Al Fahad with 26 lawyers including seven partners in Riyadh.

Japan’s Miura & Partners expands presence to Malaysia with alliance

After declaring that it will form a strategic partnership with the Malaysian law firm Donovan & Ho, the Japanese legal firm Miura & Partners has furthered its growth in Southeast Asia. Beginning in March of this year, the partnership will create a “one-stop service” platform in Kuala Lumpur that will provide accounting, tax, and legal services to Japanese businesses looking to engage in M&A and other business operations in Malaysia.

 

Technology & Innovation:

Contract Technology Provider LegalOn Launches AI-powered Playbook Tool

Users can create, edit, and redline their playbook documents using My Playbooks.

Hogan Lovells’ New Global Managing Partner for Digitalization Talks Agentic AI, Internal Innovation and More

Mark Brennan, a partner in digitalization, talks about how Hogan Lovells is giving its technology investments top priority and how he intends to encourage creativity among various business audiences.

Avantia Publicly Announces Agentic AI Platform Ava

The platform has been developed and used for a number of years by the firm, which creates proprietary software to manage work for private equity customers.

Davis Wright Tremaine Turns to Gen AI to Teach Its Associates Legal Writing

The writing recommendations provided by the firm’s proprietary software, DWT Prose, are based on the work produced by the firm’s seasoned attorneys.

In-House Legal Network the L Suite Acquires Legal E-Learning Platform Luminate+

On its platform, Luminate+ gives users access to webinars created by law firms for in-house counsel as well as other continuing legal education materials.

The New Rules of AI: Part 2—Designing and Implementing Governance Programs

We now move on to the five essential actions that businesses need to do in order to create and execute successful AI governance initiatives.

Womble Bond Becomes First Firm in UK to Roll Out AI Tool Firmwide

CoCounsel is used by other companies, but Womble Bond was the first to make the program accessible to all attorneys in the United Kingdom.

Top 10 Predictions for the Legal Technology Job Market in 2025

These are TRU’s top 10 predictions for the trends that will influence hiring, pay, and workforce dynamics in the upcoming year, based on decades of expertise placing professionals across Fortune 1000, Am Law 200, and international legal service providers.

 

Market Commentary:

Cohen Seglias Leader Discusses Growing from Construction Practice into Full-Service Law Firm

To grow beyond its foundation in construction law, the midsize company Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman has depended on deliberate and strategic growth.

Kirkland Lands in Phila., but Rate Pressure May Limit the High-Flying Firm’s Growth Prospects

A suitable analogy may be Goodwin Procter, which entered the city in early 2023 and concentrated on private equity and life sciences transactions. In 2024, the business only brought on five new local attorneys.

How This Dark Horse Firm Became a Major Player in China

Since opening an office in Beijing in 2008, Loeb & Loeb has been taking the long view and is currently outperforming firms like Skadden, Kirkland, and Davis Polk for work on Asian companies’ U.S. initial public offerings.

Law Firms Benefit from Rise of Family Conglomerate IPOs in Middle East countries

Businesses are struggling to handle the intricacies of family transition without legal counsel as third and fourth generations take over.

The New M&A Kings All Have Something in Common

The Global Lawyer claims that over the past 20 years, Kirkland, Latham, Paul Weiss, and others have supplanted firms like Sullivan & Cromwell, Clifford Chance, and Slaughter and May as the world’s leading M&A firms.

The Gloves Are Off in the Battle for Top Partner Talent

Armed with recently introduced or enlarged nonequity tiers, several law firms have also intensified their competition for up-and-coming talent. The competition for top talent and market share is fair.

read more

Newsletter

    &



    ionicons-v5-a

    Many thanks for visiting our website!

    Is there something we can help you with?

    If not right now, we can include you on next weeks' newsletter update?

    CLICK HERE