Moves
UK & Ireland
Pinsents ramps up City push with corporate partner duo
Pinsent Masons has continued its hiring spree with the addition of two corporate partners in London. Nicholas Holmes joins from Ashurst to lead the firm’s equity capital markets (ECM) practice, while Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer partner Dinesh Banani arrives to head up US securities.
Commercial Litigation Partner Christian Tuddenham is making the move after spending over a decade at Jenner & Block.
Kirkland & Ellis hires new international GC
Justine Cowling, formerly general counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton & Paisner, joins the firm.
Stephenson Harwood Hires Partner Duo from Bird & Bird and Reed Smith
Real Estate Partner John Danahy joins Stephenson Harwood, alongside Marine and Trade Disputes Partner Nick Austin. The latest hires bring the firm’s total number of London lateral additions up to 16 so far in 2025.
Latham & Watkins Hires Simmons London IP Partner
Latham & Watkins has expanded its healthcare and life sciences practice in London with the appointment of Lydia Thorne from Simmons & Simmons.
TLT welcomes three new partners in Belfast
TLT has welcomed three new partners to its Belfast office, with Orla Hanna joining from DWF and Nuala Maguire moving from Eversheds Sutherland. They join recently-appointed partner Jonathan O’Hagan.
EMEA
Weil sets out leadership succession in Germany with Latham hires
Weil Gotshal & Manges has added to its European private equity platform with the hire of two partners from Latham & Watkins, as long-serving Frankfurt veteran Gerhard Schmidt prepares to retire. Private equity specialist Sebastian Pauls will join Weil as co-managing partner of Weil’s German offices in Munich and Frankfurt and is joined by fellow private equity partner Susanne Decker.
Reed Smith, A&O Shearman see trio of German partners exit Big Law for independent practice
Friedrich Graf von Westphalen gains real estate partners Martin Meissner and Cihangir Agdemir, from Reed Smith in Frankfurt, while A&O loses arbitration partner Anna Masser to newly minted disputes boutique in Hamburg.
Americas
Simpson hires Barclays M&A Pro
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has hired Christopher Ludwig from Barclays to lead its shareholder engagement and activism defense group as a partner in the mergers and acquisitions practice in New York. Ludwig has two years of experience at Barclays as a managing director and head of shareholder advisory services.
Private Client Partner Returns to Morgan Lewis After 11 Years as Family Office GC
Partner John Boxer returns to Morgan Lewis after serving as general counsel and chief operating officer of Metropolitan Wealth Management LLC, a private, multifamily office, for 11 years.
Buchalter Expands Corporate Practice in Atlanta
Buchalter grows the Corporate Practice Group in Atlanta with the hire of Jonathan Wilson and Mitzi Hill from Taylor Duma.
APAC
Korea’s Yoon & Yang continues expansion with partner duo from LAB
Korean Big Six law firm Yoon & Yang has kept up its hiring streak after welcoming PE/VC-focused partners Young Ju Kim and Min Joo Kim from smaller rival LAB Partners.
Ashurst grows Tokyo energy offering with hire from Anderson Mori
Global law firm Ashurst has hired James Hearne as a partner in its projects and energy transition practice in Tokyo from Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, where he was a special counsel.
Team Moves
CANDEY team spins off to launch new disputes boutique
Partners James Collins and Yuri Botiuk launch Collins Botiuk, with William Stewart-Parker, Yuliya Luy and Saujanya Vinayy also joining the team.
Norton Rose Fulbright welcomes Saudi Banking and Finance Team from Addleshaw
Norton Rose Fulbright is boosting its Middle East banking and finance practice with the hiring of an Addleshaw Goddard banking team led by partner Amar Meher.
Philip Lee recruits former Eversheds Sutherland head Alan Connell
Philip Lee LLP has recruited Alan Connell, formerly managing partner and head of tax at Eversheds Sutherland Ireland, as a senior partner in the firm’s tax practice.
In house
Deloitte expands Legal Team in Germany with a hire from Grant Thornton
Regulatory and investment lawyer Dario Jüttner makes the move to accounting competitor in Frankfurt
Promotions & Appointments
Goodwin, Covington Scale Back in London in Latest Partner Promotions
Goodwin Procter and Covington & Burling have announced their partner promotions for 2025, with both firms adding two new partners in London.
US packaging business Greif appoints only second GC in 148-year history
US industrial packaging business Greif has promoted deputy general counsel Dennis Hoffman to the GC role, replacing Gary Martz who is retiring at the end of next month.
Alcohol Giant Constellation Brands Signals Continuity by Promoting Rising Star to CLO
Constellation Brands is undergoing a leadership change, with Jim Bourdeau retiring as Chief Legal Officer (CLO) on February 28, 2026. He will be succeeded by Jeff LaBarge, who will take over the CLO role effective March 1, 2026.
Hogan Lovells Appoints New APAC Head
Hong Kong banking and finance partner Owen Chan has been appointed regional managing partner for the firm’s Asia Pacific practice, succeeding firm CEO Miguel Zaldivar.
Withers names first new CEO in a quarter of a century
Withers has appointed Ceri Voke, a private client and tax partner as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective 1 July 2026.
Office Openings & Closing
Greenberg Traurig adds Latham partner duo for Abu Dhabi debut
Firm opens 50th global office with financing and restructuring partner Christian Adams and M&A partner Chris Lester.
Mori Hamada set to become latest Japanese firm to launch in London
Japanese law firm Mori Hamada & Matsumoto announced plans to establish a London office in 2026, marking the latest expansion by a major Japanese legal practice into the UK capital as cross-border dealmaking activity intensifies.
Schoenherr relocates partner to head new City operation
Austrian firm Schoenherr has expanded its network by opening a liaison office in London headed by Arbitration partner Sebastian Lukic.
Kaur Sutherland opens new Glasgow office
Law firm Kaur Sutherland has opened a new branch on Queen Margaret Drive in Glasgow’s west end.
Mergers & Alliances
Sheppard Mullin plots new brand amid UK merger speculation
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton has filed an application to change its name and logo amid market speculation around its merger discussions with UK firms. The United States Patent and Trademark Office features an application for the California-headquartered firm to change its registered name to ‘Sheppard’.
Japan’s Miura doubles down on SE Asia with Thai, Philippine alliances
Japanese law firm Miura & Partners has continued on its ambitious global expansion strategy after inking alliances with two Southeast Asian outfits: Kudun and Partners in Thailand and Feria Tantoco Daos in the Philippines.
Technology & Innovation
Legaltech Eve hits $1bn valuation in latest funding round
Eve, an AI platform for claimant firms, has raised $103m in its latest funding round at a $1bn valuation. There are now over 450 firms using its platform, which has processed over 200,000 cases and helped in the recovery of over $3.5bn for clients in settlements or judgments.
Private Equity Management Startup PortOptix Launches Gen AI Platform
A team of M&A and legal tech professionals including NexLP founder Jay Leib, have banded together to build a platform that assists private equity firms with portfolio management.
AI Data Centers Push Talent Race in Big Law Energy Practices
As artificial intelligence technology rapidly expands, Big Law attorneys specialising in energy and infrastructure are increasingly involved in legal work related to AI data centres. Many energy lawyers now dedicate a significant portion of their time to addressing the power needs of these facilities. “Half of my week is spent on data centre issues,” said Jeffrey Jakubiak, an energy regulatory partner at Vinson & Elkins.
Diversity & Inclusion
Public bodies failing to promote equality
Public bodies are failing to deliver on their duties of advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations between different groups, according to a new report from Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.
Columbian Lawyers Association Honors the Judiciary at Annual Event
The Columbian Lawyers Association recently honored the judiciary at its annual event, celebrating distinguished judges and their contributions to the legal community.
OUTLaw Network to mark National Coming Out Day
The OUTLaw Network is to mark National Coming Out Day 2025 with a special breakfast event
Rights watchdog appoints 10 members to disability advisory committee
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has appointed 10 new members to its disability advisory committee.
Market Commentary.
Belgian and UK law societies agree cross-border practice rights deal
UK law societies and Bar associations have agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate the practice of UK lawyers in Belgium alongside their Belgian counterparts, benefiting commercial lawyers operating in the EU capital.
The Lawyer Global 200 Released
The Top 100 of The Lawyer‘s UK 200 rankings has been released, revealing insights into financial and structural growth alongside peer analysis.
Legal 500 UK Rankings Released
Nearly 1,200 law firms have secured a place in the new Legal 500 UK rankings after months of research into legal markets across the country.
DLA Piper Ups In-Office Attendance to 3 Days A Week
DLA Piper, the third-largest law firm globally, is now requiring its people in its non-U.S. offices to attend the office a minimum of three days a week.
UK Legal recruitment soars in Q2 2025: Litigation at the forefront, Real Estate on the rise
In Q2 2025, the UK legal market recorded 2,779 hires – a significant increase on the previous quarter’s 1,493. This surge, which includes unaffiliated lawyers and those joining smaller or niche firms, reflects both continued demand for talent and the intensifying pace of recruitment across the sector.
Latham & Watkins Leads Big Law in M&A Deal Volume for Q3
Latham & Watkins was the Big Law firm with the most M&A deal volume and highest percentage of global market share for the first nine months of the year