Ukrainian Legal Developments:
Fides Ukraine Initiative – Update
We wanted to take a moment to highlight our latest update to our Ukrainian Initiative.
We currently have over 100 CVs from Ukrainian lawyers, and out of those, 10 have received offers, and two have already started with their new firms. We are actively seeking firms and in-house legal teams who have any openings for these lawyers. We are more than happy to have an introductory call with you and your company, explaining the initiative and answering any questions that you might have. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at ukraine@fidessearch.com
Moves:
UK & Ireland
Norton Rose Fulbright adds EY partner duo to lead EMEA legal transformation arm
Alex Fortescue-Web and Daniel Marks have joined the firms legal managed services offering in the London offices after two years at EY.
Orrick raids RPC for ‘rising star’ London tech partner
Peter Sugden has joined Orrick from RPC.
DLA piper hires tax partner in Ireland
Declan Lavelle, formerly of William Fry, will join DLA Piper in July.
Katten UK adds new partner to insolvency and restructuring practice
Sonya Van de Graadd has joined Katten from Morrison & Foerster.
Greenberg Traurig continues to grow London white collar crime practice with top lawyer
Rebecca Meads is set to join Greenberg Traurig as Chair of the London White Collar Crime & Investigations team, along with two senior associates.
Eversheds Takes Ashurst’s UK Intellectual Property Head
David Wilkinson, formerly Ashurst’s intellectual property head, has joined Eversheds Sutherland.
Three More London Partner Hires For Addleshaw Goddard
Claire Edwards, formerly of Pinsent’s, joins Addleshaw Goddard’s commercial team along with two other partners.
Rainmaker Roger Barron Joins Transatlantic Firm As Senior Adviser
Roger Barron has joined Eversheds Sutherland from Paul Hastins, where he was global M&A Co-Chair.
EMEA
Norton Rose Fulbright builds in Germany with five-strong real estate team from Simmons & Simmons
Dr Oliver Beyer join NRF in Munich with three associates as counsel Dr Barbara Heinrich moves over in Frankfurt from Simmons & Simmons.
DWF hires senior banking expert in Paris
Richard Jadot has joined DWF from Ravet & Associes.
Christian Ahlborn joins Covington’s global antitrust practice
Christian Ahlborn, formerly of Linklaters, is joining Covington’s Brussels office.
Elmer Veenman joins CMS as a partner
Elmer Veenman, formerly of Eversheds Sutherland, is joining CMS’ Amsterdam office.
Ashurst boosts EMEA disputes offering with hire of new partner in Munich
Martin Eimer has joined Ashurst from Pinsent Masons.
Daniel Zapf joins White & Case as a partner in Germany
Daniel Zapf, a white collar partner, has joined White & Case’s Frankfurt office from DLA Piper.
Norton Rose Fulbright hires partner from Cliffe Dekker to lead Cape Town banking and finance team
Izaak Lessing has joined NRF from local firm Clidde Dekker Hofmeyr.
APAC
Crystal Chen has joined DLA Piper from Linklaters.
Bronwyn Lincoln has joined HWF from Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
The Americas
Daniel Feldman is returning to Covington’s Washington office after serving as Chief of Staff and Counselor to John Kerry for the past year.
Formerly from Squire Patton Boggs, Elliot Golding and Robin Campbell join MWE’s Washington office, while Rosa Barcelo will join the Brussels office.
Winston & Strawn adds corporate partner Thomas R. Millar in Washington, D.C.
Thomas R. Millar has joined Winston & Strawn from Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Proskauer welcomes private credit partner in Chicago
Evan Palenschat, formerly of King & Spalding, has joined Proskauer.
Brian R. Michael has joined Morrison & Foerster’s securities litigation, enforcement and white collar defence group from King & Spalding.
King & Spalding adds finance partner Mary Liz Brady in Chicago
Mary Liz Brady, formerly of Kirkland & Ellis, joins King & Spalding.
Weil adds SEC enforcement and securities litigation partner Robert Stern in Washington, D.C.
Robert Stern has joined Weil from Orrick.
Mayer Brown further expands private funds group with addition of Kristin Rice-Gonzalez
Kristin Rice-Gonzalez has joined Mayer Brown’s Chicago office from Baker & McKenzie.
In-House
Tech provider Luminance hires first legal head
Luminance has hired Harry Borovick from LiveRamp, where he was a senior legal counsel.
Linklaters Tokyo Veteran Leaves For General Counsel Role
Matthew Bland has joined Jardine Matheson’s Hong Kong office as a general counsel.
Promotions & Appointments:
Charles Russell Speechlys unveils partner promotions
Six lawyers have been made up to partner, including three in London.
Kennedys makes up record tally of 22 partners including six in Australia
Out of the 22 promoted lawyers, 59% of them are women, a notable rise from last years group at 40%.
Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance refreshes global antitrust leadership team
Marc Brenson has been named global co-chair while Richard Blewett is leading the Brussels competition practice.
Slaughter and May names first responsible business director
Uzma Hamid-Dizier, who is based in London, stepped up to the role on 1 May from her position as head of the responsible business and inclusion team at the Magic Circle UK firm, which said her promotion reflected its commitment to putting responsible business and sustainability ‘at the heart of what it does’.
RPC makes up 10 to partnership in latest promotion round
RPC has promoted 10 lawyers to its global partnership, and 50% of their promotions are women, but from 30% last year.
HSF Appoints Next Johannesburg Head
Jean Meijer, competition partner, is succeeding Ed Baring as managing partner of the Johannesburg office.
Mergers & Alliances:
A Sweet Spot for Mergers, And A Law Firm That Got There Ahead of the Curve
Midsize law firms are looking to scale up to make themselves “a more credible choice for the board.”
Office Openings & Closing:
Brabners ventures over Pennines for Leeds launch
The firm has announced it will launch in Yorkshire in the summer as part of a “step-change” in the firm’s ambitions. The first partner through the door will be Marcus Armstrong, a corporate partner from Knights. This will be followed by further hires as Brabners aims to build a full-service offering in Leeds.
Fox Rothschild opens in Boston with IP team from Mintz Levin
Led by partner Pete Corless, the Mintz Levin team also includes counsel Nicholas Zachariades, associate Joohee Lee as well as patent agent Michael Mattoni. The Boston office is the Philadelphia-headquartered firm’s 29th nationwide, while the hires bring Fox Rothschild’s total lawyer headcount above 950.
O’Melveny continues march into Texas, opening Houston Office and adding three top dealmakers
Angela Olivarez, Steven V. Torello, and Ryan Cicero have moved from Willkie’s Houston office to open up O’Melveny’s third office in Texas.
Financials:
Fladgate kicks off UK financial reporting season with 30% revenue growth
Fladgate has announced that revenue has grown to £66.5m, while PEP is expected to exceed £875,000.
‘Once in a generation’ investment sees KPMG pledge to double size of UK legal arm
KPMG is set to double the size of its UK legal arm over the next three years as part of a ‘once in a generation’ investment in its wider business. The Big Four firm will look to take on a further 220 lawyers – including 45 partners and directors – by the end of 2024, which will see the total number of practising lawyers increase to more than 400.
Law Firms DLA Piper and Fieldfisher Lead AIM Client Rankings
DLA Piper and Fieldfisher are now neck and neck in rankings of law firms with the most clients listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market, while DWF leads the rankings for the largest clients on London’s Alternative Investment Market, Q2 data shows.
Technology & Innovation:
Allen & Overy unveils tech incubator’s ‘largest cohort ever’ as it kicks off sixth edition
Allen & Overy (A&O) has unveiled the latest batch of startups taking part in its Fuse innovation hub, the largest since the hub’s launch in 2017. This year’s cohort is made up of 16 companies from the legaltech, fintech and regtech sectors, all of which are based in the US and Europe.
Digital Law Firm Founder Stays on Top of Fast-Changing Tech
Natasha Blycha who founded digital law firm Stirling & Rose last year, says the structure of traditional law firms make it difficult to run a cutting-edge digital practice in which technological developments and regulations are constantly changing.
The Legal Innovation Awards 2022: Who Won What and Why
The 2022 Legal Innovation Awards took place in-person on Friday, to celebrate the best and brightest legal innovators driving pioneering change in the legal market. Among the big winners were DAC Beachcroft, Mayer Brown and DLA Piper. Here is a breakdown of who won in each category and why the judges chose them.
Diversity & Inclusion:
O-Shaped Lawyer scores first partnership with law firm
O-Shaped, the initiative founded by former Network Rail GC Dan Kayne, has partnered with its first law firm as it attempts to change the legal sector. Browne Jacobson says it will embed O Shaped’s purpose and vision into its own culture, including the Five Os Mindset and the 12 ‘O Shaped Attributes’. The firm will also support O Shaped events, including knowledge and best practice sharing, workshops and toolkit development for clients and participating in product pilots with the O Shaped network.
Want to Thin Your Law Firm’s Head Count? Require 3 or More Days in the Office
Lawyers overwhelmingly want more flexibility, and they’re willing to jump ship to get it, a recent survey of 350 Big Law attorneys found.
Asma Iqbal, a Hot 100 Lawyer and partner at Huddersfield-based law firm Chadwick Lawrence, has won the Outstanding Business Leader Award at the Yorkshire Hero Awards, part of the FB Fashion Ball.
How Small, Midsize Firms Can Expand Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
In Miami, very good Black lawyers are turning down offers from Miami firms and leaving the state because they do not feel they have opportunities to reach their full potential here.