Moves:
UK & Ireland
Gibson Dunn Hires Two Shearman Projects Partners in London
The moves are the latest in a line of Shearman partner exits across the UK, Europe and Middle East over the last nine months, as it seeks to merge with Allen & Overy. Ben Shorten and Trinh Chubbock both join the firm from Shearman & Sterling.
Pinsent Masons Loses Fourth Dublin Partner in Eight Months
The partner becomes the second Pinsents partner to move to Bird & Bird in recent months.
South African Corporate Finance Partner Joins Fasken in London
Joz Coetzer moves to the Canadian-based firm after more than a decade with White & Case.
EMEA
Cuatrecasas Lures Veteran Partner Duo from PLMJ
Serena Cabrita Neto has joined the Spanish law firm in its tax area, and Sofia Gomes da Costa in real estate and urban planning. Both partners are already working in Cuatrecasas’s Lisbon office, just down the street from PLMJ in the city center. Both hires will be based in Lisbon.
BonelliErede Loses 18-Person Tax Team to Rival Italian Firm
It is the second team departure from the firm this year after losing a nine-lawyer M&A team in Milan to Chiomenti in February.
Baker McKenzie Hires A&O Partner to Head Its M&A and Capital Markets Practice in Madrid
Torrente is the second corporate and M&A partner to leave Allen & Overy’s European operation recently. His departure comes just one month after Allen & Overy and U.S.-based Shearman & Sterling announced a proposed trans-Atlantic merger.
APAC
Allen & Gledhill Disputes Team Breaks Away to Form Singapore Boutique
In Singapore, dispute resolution lawyers have increasingly been drawn to leave established law firms to set up or lead new ventures.
Australia’s JWS Hires Disputes and Insolvency Partner from Jones Day
Australian law firm Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) has hired Jones Day arbitration partner Lucas Wilk as the firm sees an increase in disputes and insolvency work.
Greenberg Traurig Hires Tokyo Real Estate Duo From Orrick
Yuko Ino joins Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder, bringing along with her a real estate and securitization lawyer, who will be taking on the position as of counsel.
Shihui Partners Lands Dentons Dispute Resolution Partner in Beijing
The lateral hire comes as Shihui Partners has been expanding its firmwide head count by adding partners from law firms such as King & Wood Mallesons.
Construction Duo Leave Norton Rose for Baker McKenzie in Sydney
Emanuel Confos, head of construction for Norton Rose, and partner Harriet Oldmeadow are both leaving to join Baker McKenzie, but Norton Rose said it will soon be bringing on its own additions to its national projects and construction team in Sydney.
The Americas
Akin Infrastructure Partner Moves to New Clifford Chance Office in Houston
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld energy and infrastructure partner David Sweeney has joined Clifford Chance’s new Houston office, which is building a team with Big Law partners.
McDermott Lands Cybersecurity Partner From Baker McKenzie
Stephen Reynolds, McDermott’s new cybersecurity partner, said it’s becoming more important for law firms to have dedicated cyber and incident response teams, not just recruiting IP lawyers for the work.
Clifford Chance Adds Another Infrastructure Partner to New Office in Houston
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld energy and infrastructure partner David Sweeney has joined Clifford Chance’s new Houston office, which is building a team with Big Law partners.
Winston Grabs Alston & Bird’s Texas Litigation Leader
Alston & Bird litigation partner and Texas litigation leader Stephanie Clouston moved to Winston & Strawn in Dallas.
Shearman 4-Lawyer IP Litigation Group Heads to Trial Boutique
Shearman & Sterling IP litigation partner Matthew Berkowitz and three other attorneys joined trial boutique Reichman Jorgensen in Northern California.
Nixon Peabody Picks Up 10 Lawyers From Kaufman Dolowich Amid Uptick in Real Estate Disputes
Partners Ashley Klein and A. Jeanne Grove led a team that represented 40% of Kaufman Dolowich’s head count in San Francisco.
BCLP Adds 7th Dentons IP Partner in 2 Weeks in 4-Person Lateral Hire
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner went to Dentons for IP talent again this week with the hiring of Dentons’ post-grant group leader Scott Cummings.
Fintech In-House Attorney Moves to Greenberg Traurig and Other ‘On the Move’ News
Plus, patent lawyer David Franklin Sawrie has moved to Baker Donelson.
Morgan Lewis Hires Winston & Strawn’s M&A Leader in Northern California
Khoa Do and a Winston associate joined Morgan Lewis in Silicon Valley on Wednesday, in a move that strengthens its M&A and private equity capabilities in an important business sector and key industries.
In-House
Yulchon Hires SK Biopharmaceuticals General Counsel as Dispute Resolution Partner
Chae, who has held several senior in-house roles in Korea’s healthcare and medical tech industries, will be handling various issues related to internal investigations, customs, whistleblowing and rebates in the healthcare and medtech industry, the firm said.
Paris-Based Customer-Care Giant Hires US Outside Counsel as Legal Chief
Teri O’Brien, a fixture of the San Diego legal scene for two decades, is becoming the top lawyer for Teleperformance, which has 410,000 employees in 91 countries.
Move to T5 Computes for Veteran Data Center Lawyer
Karen Stein’s fourth stop on the data-center builder carousel is T5 Data Centers, which has grown explosively since launching 15 years ago.
Startup Using Tech to Disrupt Health Care Fills Long-Vacant GC Post
Zachary McBride has taken the legal reins at Solera Health, whose platform helps patients access health and wellness programs aimed at preventing common and expensive chronic conditions.
UBS General Counsel Absorbs Credit Suisse GC Role Amid Cuts
The move comes as Credit Suisse’s GC exits the bank amid a sweep of cuts at the beleaguered Swiss bank that have followed its sale to UBS.
McKesson’s Compliance Chief Joins Alphabet’s Verily Life Sciences as GC
Laura O’Donnell is joining the precision health company following a retrenchment that led to new leadership, a narrower focus, and a $1 billion funding infusion from its parent.
Australia’s Real Estate Group CBRE Appoints New Regional GC
Leah Boyd replaces Betty Ivanoff, who left to join casino rival.
Clayton Utz Chair Becomes GC at Australia’s Largest Bank
Karen O’Flynn joins CBA on September 1.
Promotions & Appointments:
Norton Rose Names New Managing Partner in Calgary
Elizabeth Williams has been at the firm since she was called to the bar in 2009.
White & Case’s Hugh Verrier Stepping Down, Firm Names Lit Partner as Next Chair
The firm’s new chair, Heather McDevitt, was announced Tuesday after a partnership vote and will take the helm on September 1, 2023.
MSA Safety Elevates 28-Year Company Veteran to Chief Legal Officer
Richard Roda most recently served as MSA’s deputy general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer for more than a decade.
Troutman Pepper Elects New Leadership, Chair Steve Lewis to Step Down
Lewis will be replaced as chair by current managing partner Tom Cole. Washington, D.C., partner Amie Colby will become the firm’s next managing partner.
Richards, Layton & Finger Elects New Firm Directors
Richards, Layton & Finger announced that it has elected attorneys Robert Greco, Antonios Roustopoulos and Brendan Schlauch as directors of the firm, effective July 1.
K&L Gates Appoints Jason Opperman to Lead Australian Offices
Nick Nichola, who has led the firm’s Australian practice for over 18 years, will remain a partner at K&L Gates.
Baker McKenzie Names New Greater China Managing Partner
Tracy Wut succeeds tax partner Steven Sieker, who will be moving on to become the firm’s chief executive, overseeing its offices and businesses in Mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar.
PwC’s Legal Arm Appoints Next UK Head
The announcement comes after the the big four outfit announced a plan to ‘significantly’ grow its legal operations.
Mergers & Alliances:
UK Top 50 Firm Snaps Up IP Outfit
The IP firm has offices in Germany, France and Belgium, as well as its London base.
Bunge-Viterra Merger Involves Lawyers on 4 Continents
The combination of Bunge and Viterra involved lawyers from Latham, Freshfields, Swiss firm Homburger, Tauil & Chequer Advogados in association with Mayer Brown in Sao Paulo, Mitrani Caballero & Ruiz Moreno in Buenos Aires and RuiMin Law Firm in China.
Office Openings & Closing:
HFW to Launch Representative Office in Shenzhen
Some of HFW’s lawyers are now qualified to advise on commercial matters in the nine municipalities of China’s Greater Bay Area.
AZB & Partners Launches in Chennai with Team Hire from JSA
Sivanandh joins AZB as a senior partner to lead the new office along with a team of seven associates from JSA in the corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity practices.
Financials:
PEP Drops 13% at Osborne Clarke
The firm’s international CEO said more consolidation in the industry was ‘inevitable’ given difficult market conditions.
Technology & Innovation:
LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters Weigh In on the Future of AI in Legal Research
The recent acquisition of Casetext by Thomson Reuters has raised many questions about the future of generative AI in legal research. Here, LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters weigh in on issues including build vs. buy, which LLMs to use, securing AI talent and more.
Despite Growing Tech Challenges, Legal Departments See Legal Tech as More Essential
Tech purchase cycles are getting longer at legal departments as the dependence on tech is growing, according to the 2023 Legal Technology Survey from Exterro and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC).
Crypto Winter Leads to Flurry of Enforcement Activity
Crypto companies, for their part, have complained that it is not clear what digital assets, if any, are securities, and that they have not been given clear regulatory rules of the road.
Generative AI and Patent Considerations
A patent strategy informed by the unique considerations raised by generative AI will optimize protections for innovations in the field. Patent strategies should reflect the current legal landscape as well as anticipate potential future legal developments.
Data Remediation: The Critical, But Less Sexy Side of Cybersecurity
Deleting large amounts of old information that was once important and still seems relevant can be a daunting task. Nonetheless, the benefits of data remediation for both law firms and corporations are immense and cannot be overlooked.
Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers: Not Ready for Prime Time
Now, there is a new temptation—and, to paint a somewhat frightening picture—for some lawyers it is metamorphosizing from a curiosity into the starting point for legal research.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Now Is the Time to Step Up for the LGBTQ+ Community
This year alone, an unprecedented amount of legislation has been introduced throughout the country targeting expression and speech rights affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Now is a critical time for the legal industry to use its power, influence, and resources to support the LGBTQ+ community, both collectively and individually.
The Top Law Firms for LGBTQ+ Representation in the UK, 2023
Though a handful of firms have consistently performed well year on year, the sector as a whole is struggling to improve its numbers.
Market Commentary:
ESG Impact 2023: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
The firm continues to advise companies and investment managers on how to comply with new SEC, DOL, and other regulations around ESG disclosures, and have successfully handled one of the first SEC ESG-related enforcement matters.
Top 10 Legal Department Budget, Staffing and Spending Trends in 2023
After emerging from the COVID era, organizations must now contend with a “triple squeeze” of compounding pressures in 2023 consisting of high inflation, scarce and expensive talent, and global supply challenges. In this article we share 10 key insights – grouped into four broad categories – that GCs must take into consideration as they make spending, staffing, and structure decisions.
In Era of Disengagement, How Do Law Firms Motivate Lawyers and Staff?
Law firm leaders are trying to spark a sense of pride and ownership in their law firms for the next generation, a sense they feel has diminished since the pandemic.
Goodwin Performance Reviews Lead to Cuts, as Midyear Reviews Increase
Sources confirmed cuts at Goodwin that coincided with the firm’s midyear review process this week.
UK Law Firms Suspect ChatGPT Being Used to Write Training Contract Applications
There is growing evidence that generative AI is being used to write applications—sparking a debate across the UK legal sector about the pros and cons.
Australian In-House Lawyers Expect to Send More Work to Firms, Survey Finds
Seven in 10 respondents said lawyers should spend time working for a law firm before they commence their in-house careers.