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
Dentons appoints Partner in its Pensions team in London
Dentons has recruited Ed Hunnisett as a Partner in its Employment and Pensions practice in London, strengthening the firm’s pensions capability at a time when employers and trustees are navigating increasingly significant strategic decisions around their schemes. He joins from Slaughter and May where he was Senior Counsel for eight years, prior to which he spent 15 years at Norton Rose Fulbright.
Debevoise Expands London Secondaries Team with Addition of Mary Lavelle
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced today that leading secondaries practitioner Mary Lavelle is joining the firm as a Partner in its Private Fund Transactions and Investment Management Groups in London. Lavelle will advise both sponsors and investors on complex secondary transactions and related liquidity solutions, including continuation vehicles, LP portfolio sales, co-investments and recapitalizations.
TLT strengthens Real Estate offering with appointment of social housing specialist as Partner
TLT has appointed Jennie Chilton as a Partner in its Real Estate team, further strengthening the firm’s market-leading Housing and Regeneration practice. Based in London, Jennie joins from Addleshaw Goddard, where she was a Partner in the firm’s Social, Sustainable and Green Finance team. She brings more than 25 years’ experience advising on the real estate and security aspects of social and affordable housing finance transactions, acting for lenders, institutional investors, registered providers and security trustees across the sector.
Greenberg Traurig Strengthens London Energy Practice with Shareholder Sofiya Bumagin
Sofiya Bumagin, who joins as Shareholder from Sidley Austin LLP, will advise private equity firms and other financial sponsors on infrastructure mergers and acquisitions transactions, with a particular focus on energy transition and digital infrastructure within London. Her experience includes M&A involving battery storage, district heating, data centres, telecommunications towers and fibre networks.
McDermott strengthens London tax practice with David Jamieson
McDermott Will & Schulte announced that David Jamieson has joined the firm as a Partner in its Tax Practice Group in London. David joins from Baker McKenzie and brings deep experience in complex VAT and indirect tax disputes, adding further strength to the Firm’s growing tax disputes capabilities in London and across EMEA.
Ropes & Gray lands Willkie Restructuring Partner in latest London hire
Ropes & Gray has hired Restructuring Partner Edward Downer from Willkie in London. Downer joins after six years at Willkie, having moved to the firm as a Partner from Morrisons Foerster in 2020. His practice focuses on cross-border restructurings, liability management transactions and insolvency proceedings.
Freeths strengthens national Tax team with Heather Gibson appointment
Leading law firm Freeths has appointed Heather Gibson as Partner in its Tax team, bolstering the firm’s capabilities in corporate, private equity and real estate taxation. She joins from Addleshaw Goddard.
Europe
Weil’s German buildout continues as Freshfields Partner joins
Dr. Olga Stürmer is joining Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as Partner in Private Equity in their Frankfurt office, having been with Freshfields for 13 years. Weil continues to transform its regional offering after the departure of long-serving Frankfurt veteran Gerhard Schmidt last year.
Proskauer welcomes new Tax Partner in Paris
Edouard de Rancher has joined Proskauer as Tax Partner in Paris. Edouard advises on the tax aspects of French and cross-border M&A and financing transactions, as well as the resolution of complex tax matters, reorganizations and disputes. He has significant experience in the healthcare and technology sectors, including AI and cryptocurrency, and brings deep industry knowledge across data centres, life sciences, hospitality, advisory, aviation, and manufacturing.
King & Spalding adds International Disputes Partner Julie Chapuy to its Paris office
King & Spalding announced today that Julie Chapuy, a commercial disputes lawyer, has joined the firm’s Paris office as a Partner, continuing the strategic expansion of its International Disputes practice group. Chapuy is the 10th International Disputes partner – and the second in Paris – to join the firm in recent months.
Middle East
Three Crowns LLP hires Partner in their Dubai Office
Amani Khalifa has joined Three Crowns LLP as Partner in their Dubai Office and will further strengthen their focus on International Arbitration. She joins from Freshfields.
Hourani & Partners has appointed Julia Snyder as a Partner in its Corporate and M&A practice. Snyder joins the firm’s Dubai office from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in Saudi Arabia, where she served as Senior Vice President in the fund’s legal function.
Team
Norton Rose Fulbright appoints Eda Zhuleku as Partner and Head of Life Sciences Regulatory Europe
Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has strengthened its European Life Sciences and Healthcare Practice with the appointment of Eda Zhuleku as a Partner in Munich and Head of Life Sciences Regulatory Europe. Eda joins from A&O Shearman alongside her team, Florian Preinfalk and Michaela Lindner.
Clifford Chance brings back Paul Weiss Leveraged Finance duo
Taner Hassan, most recently Head of European Leveraged Finance at Paul Weiss, will join in London. Silvia Menendez, who left Clifford Chance as a Senior Associate in 2024 before becoming a Partner at Paul Weiss, will return to the firm as a Partner, working across London and Madrid.
Hill Dickinson strengthens Independent Health offering with appointment of two new Partners
The firm has announced the appointments of Partners Clare Auty and Carl May-Smith, both of whom join from Browne Jacobson. Both Clare and Carl will be based in their fast-growing Birmingham office, which recently relocated to 5 St Philip’s just two years after launching in the city. The wider firm has added almost 20 new senior hires this year, with our partnership growing to more than 190 colleagues.
RPC boosts Cyber Insurance team with three-lawyer hire from Weightmans
The move is to strengthen its cyber insurance practice after a previous team decamped to DAC Beachcroft. The team is led by Ed Lewis, who joins after 18 years as a Partner at Weightmans, and he will be accompanied by two associates. Originally an infrastructure risk and coverage lawyer, Lewis created Weightmans’ cyber practice, CyXcel GLS, using a multidisciplinary approach to meet client needs across the insurance sector. He also helped the London market set up the Cyber Monitoring Centre.
Promotions & Appointments
Pinsent Masons appoints Manfred Dietrich as Head of Luxembourg Office
Manfred joined Pinsent Masons in September 2025 from Maples Group, to lead the firm’s Luxembourg funds and asset management practice. Since joining, Manfred has grown the team’s bench strength with the strategic hires of Pawel Buniowski, Nina Aranda and Jennifer Burr. Manfred’s experience spans the full range of investment funds work, including fund establishment and structuring, as well as advising institutional investors on their investment programmes.
Willkie names two new practice heads
Willkie Farr & Gallagher has named Kristen Young in Washington, DC, as Global Co-chair of International Arbitration alongside who joins Grégoire Bertrou as Global Co-Chair and Dharshini Prasad as London Chair of the Practice.
CMS Luxembourg appoints new Global Co-Head of CMS Funds & Investment Management
Aurélien Hollard, Partner at CMS has been appointed in the new role. His appointment reflects his outstanding contribution to the development of their funds practice in Luxembourg and internationally, as well as his commitment to cross-border collaboration across CMS. He heads the Investment Funds practice in Luxembourg and advises clients across private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate and infrastructure.
Annabelle Newman joins Avalere Health as General Counsel
The leading healthcare company, Avalere Health, has appointed Annabelle Newman as General Counsel, strengthening its legal leadership as the company continues to drive its work across the healthcare and life sciences sector.
Yasmine Bassili Joins Hiddenite Capital Partners LP as General Counsel
Yasmine Bassili joins as General Counsel after nearly 19 years at Goldman Sachs, bringing expertise in transactions and risk management.
Notable Moves in the US
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Hires Weil Corporate Chair Michael J. Aiello and Five Other Partners
Cravath is set to hire Michael Aiello, chairman of Weil’s Corporate Department, along with five other M&A Partners from the firm. Joining Aiello are Matthew Gilroy, Eoghan Keenan, Amanda Fenster, Michelle Sargent, and Megan Pendleton. Gilroy is co-head of Weil’s M&A practice.
Paul Weiss Adds Weil Private Equity Co-Head Chris Machera and Five Transactional Lawyers
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP has expanded its private equity practice with the addition of Chris Machera, former Co-Head of Weil’s Private Equity practice, and five additional transactional lawyers. Machera has joined Paul Weiss as a Partner in its Private Equity M&A Group in New York. Tim Burns and Dylan Hans will also join the Private Equity M&A Group, while Noah Beck and Andrew Lawson will join the Tax Practice and Amanda Rotkel will join the Executive Compensation practice. The five are expected to join in the coming weeks.
Firm and Market Activity
Office Openings & Closings
Womble Bond marks Florida debut with Jacksonville launch
Womble Bond Dickinson has marked its debut in Florida with the launch of a new office in Jacksonville, citing a focus on the financial services sector. The office will be led by Managing Partner Michael Waskiewicz and includes Partner Armando Nozzolillo and Of Counsel Robert Neilson, who joined earlier this year from regional firm Burr & Forman.
The trio represent lenders, financial institutions and other creditors in consumer and commercial matters, handling loan workouts, creditor-side litigation, judgment enforcement and asset recovery.
King & Wood launches office in Singapore
The firm announced the launch of its latest location at Marina Bay Financial Centre, with a team of nine partners under the leadership of senior partner Liu Haitao. The legal services at the Singaporean office will include dispute resolution under the leadership of Haitao, as well as partners Qi Yuan and Bai.
Akin becomes latest US firm to upgrade London HQ
Akin has moved into a new London office at 155 Bishopsgate, becoming the latest major law firm to upgrade its London headquarters.
Flannery | Georgalis has announced the opening of its Dublin, Ireland office. The new office marks a significant milestone in the Firm’s strategic growth and strengthens its ability to meet the evolving needs of its international client base.
Market Commentary
Goodhead follows Pogust in demanding his name is removed from Pogust Goodhead
Pogust Goodhead co-founder Tom Goodhead has followed Harris Pogust in seeking to have his name removed from the firm they founded in 2018. The move comes after Harris Pogust publicly criticised the firm’s handling of the Mariana litigation and requested that it stop using his name, prompting the firm to confirm plans to rebrand.
Dentons celebrates becoming a licensed legal consultancy in Oman
Dentons has become one of the first international law firms to be licensed by Oman’s Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs (MOJLA) as a legal consultancy under the Sultanate’s new regulatory framework for legal services.
Stewarts and leading disputes firms launch global alliance for insurance policyholders
UK disputes law firm Stewarts, together with 14 leading independent international firms, today launches the Global Policyholder Alliance (GPA), the world’s largest global policyholder advocate network. Through close collaboration between member firms, the alliance provides coordinated, cross‑border advice on major insurance disputes.
NMDC Group appoints Amal Rakibi as Chief Legal Officer
Dr Rakibi joins NMDC Group from Borouge, where she worked for nearly three years as General Counsel and Company Secretary in Abu Dhabi. Prior to this, Dr Rakibi was Chief Legal Officer at AirAsia, based in Kuala Lumpur, for two years. She previously spent more than 14 years at Schlumberger, most recently serving as General Counsel for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Innovation & Culture
Technology & Innovation
Dentons and CMS cash out stakes in legal AI company Noxtua
Dentons and CMS have sold their stakes in European legal AI company Noxtua as part of a €100 million-plus funding round that has made German legal publisher C.H.BECK its majority shareholder. The two firms were among a group of existing investors to exit as Berlin-based Noxtua reshuffles its ownership around partnerships with European legal publishers.
Squire Patton Boggs Chooses Harvey for Global Rollout
Global law firm Squire Patton Boggs has selected Harvey for its legal AI solution, advancing the firm’s broader commitment to being at the forefront of driving transformation and delivering cutting edge legal and policy solutions to clients around the world.
Sullivan & Cromwell and Cooley among early adopters as OpenAI unveils new legal AI platform
OpenAI has launched a legal-focused version of its new GPT-6 Astra model that harnesses a US legal research database, drawing on work with firms including Sullivan & Cromwell (S&C), Latham & Watkins, Ropes & Gray and Cooley. Astra for Law sets out to provide a “new foundation” which law firms and legal tech companies can use to develop their own AI tools and workflows.