Moves:
UK & Ireland
Paul Weiss Hires Clifford Chance Partner Duo Amid Breakneck London Expansion
The firm has set in motion one of the fastest and highest-profile expansions in the City in recent years hiring a top PE duo, Chris Sullivan an M&A partner and Taner Hassan a Leveraged Finance Partner.
Linklaters London Capital Markets Partner Walks to Reed Smith
Linklaters lifer Mark Drury has left for Reed Smith he joins the financial industry group as a Capital Markets Partner. The move comes just days after the firm parted ways with a partner duo bound for Paul Weiss and Skadden.
Simpson Thacher Hits Travers Again for Latest London Partner Hire
Katie McMenamin a Travers lifer has joined as a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s fund finance practice. The firm is rebuilding in London following the shock exit of two long-standing partners to Kirkland & Ellis two months ago.
White & Case secures Macfarlanes partner to head London white collar team
Neill Blundell joins from Macfarlanes’ where he led the corporate crime and investigations practice.
Paul Weiss unveils latest top-level London lateral: Linklaters’ ex-antitrust head
Paul Weiss has hired Nicole Kar in London; Kar was Linklaters global head of antitrust.
EMEA
Garrigues Loses Partner to Deloitte Legal, Promotes 16 and First Female Senior Partner
Luis Collado Moreno had been at the firm for almost two decades.
King & Spalding Swipes Duo from Ashurst to Abu Dhabi
King & Spalding has hired Ashurst’s former Head of Corporate, Middle East, Simon Fraser and Senior Associate Matt Hartsuyker who is joining as a partner.
Signature signs up former Dechert arbitration partner in Paris
Philip Dunham has joined Signature Litigation as an International Arbitration Partner from Dechert, he was a member of the 13-strong arbitration team which quit Dechert last month.
APAC
HSF’s China Joint Operation Firm Disputes Head Joins Singapore Big 4 Firm
Rajah & Tann Singapore has hired Hew Kian Heong as an International Arbitration Partner in China as they celebrate 20 years of their Shanghai office.
Dorothy Siron, a long-time partner at Beijing-based Zhong Lun Law Firm, and Danny Kan, an in-house counsel from Chinese financial services group Ping An, are joining the U.K.-headquartered firm as partners in Hong Kong.
Malaysian Boutique Becomes First Local Firm to Add KC to Bench
Malaysia’s LCWP becomes country’s first firm to boast KC in ranks. Arbitration expert Ng Jern-Fei has joined Malaysian boutique Lim Chee Wee Partnership (LCWP), making the latter the country’s first law firm in Malaysia to have a King’s Counsel.
Australia’s Corrs Takes Capital Markets Partner from KWM
Jo Dodd will join the firm’s Sydney office in February. Jo is a leading Debt Capital Markets lawyer and will be joining the firm as a Partner.
Kennedys adds 12-strong insurance team in Sydney from Clyde & Co
Kennedys have bolstered their insurance offering with the hire of a team of 12 from Clyde and Co in Sydney, the move follows Lucinda Lyons ex-Clyde’s Managing Partner who moved to Kennedys in early December. The team is comprised of special counsel Con Kakakios, two senior associates, four associates, a trainee and four support staff.
The Americas
Shearman’s Co-Managing Partner Leads Team Move to Linklaters in New York
The six-person team is departing ahead of the firm’s merger with Allen & Overy, which will see A&O leaders take charge of the combined firm.
Greenberg Traurig Scoops Up Transactional Trio From Seward & Kissel
Banking, finance, and restructuring lawyer Kalyan Das has joined Greenberg Traurig LLP along with Sharon Calay and Andrew Silverstein. They join from Seward & Kissel, where Das spent over three decades and was head of the global bank and institutional finance & restructuring practice.
Epstein Becker Adds M&A Specialist to Health Care Practice in Nashville
Wes Scott joins as a Member of the Firm from Nelson Millins where he led their M&A practice. The firm’s comparatively large national healthcare practice gives him “a catalogue of resources I have never had before,” Wes Scott said.
Davis Polk, Quinn Emanuel Add Top In-House Talent to White Collar, Corporate Governance Practices
William Hochul, husband of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, heads to Davis Polk’s White-Collar Defence & Investigations practice as a Counsel, while Quinn Emanuel hired Indigo GC Paul Dacier as Boston Partner.
Willkie adds private equity partner in Houston from Shearman & Sterling
Energy specialist Sarah McLean joins ahead of Shearman’s merger with Allen & Overy as a Partner in the Corporate and Financial Services department and Private Equity practice in Houston, Texas.
Paul Weiss M&A Co-Chair Heads to White & Case
Taurie Zeitzer has joined White & Case’s Private Equity group in New York from Paul Weiss where she was co-head of the M&A group.
In-House
Walgreens Legal Chief Departs After CEO Change
Danielle Gray is moving on one year after she helped the drugstore giant resolve opioid litigation by agreeing to pay $5.8 billion over 15 years. She will be succeeded by Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer Matthew D’Ambrosio.
Lynsey Murning Gregory is joining K3 Capital
After serving ten years with HSBC, litigation lawyer Lynsey Murning Gregory is joining K3 Capital Group & Quantuma as their General Counsel of all the entities.
Startup Veteran Joins Fintech Star Chime as Compliance Chief
Shara Chang joins Chime from proptech firm Divvy Homes, where she served as chief legal officer for more than a year, overseeing legal, compliance and HR functions. Prior to that, she was general counsel and chief compliance officer at Peach Finance, associate general counsel for privacy and product at Meta, and first product counsel at fintech Affirm.
Olympus Replaces GC Who Rebuilt Legal Function After Historic Scandal
Veteran Cigna lawyer Neil Boyden Tanner is taking the legal reins of the optics and medical company from Donna Miller. “Filling Donna’s shoes is an honour I don’t take lightly,” he said.
Longtime GC of Biotech That Discovered Leading Hep-C Cure Announces Retirement
Nathaniel Gardiner will retire at the end of March 2024, after 28 years with Entata Pharmaceuticals.
Legal Chief Who Helped Bumble Champion Reproductive Rights Exiting for New Post
During Laura Franco’s three years as chief legal and compliance officer, the Texas-based company often was in the headlines speaking out against new restrictions on abortion.
Neiman Marcus CLO to Head Legal for Newly Formed Research Behemoth
After holding key roles in banking, the home-improvement industry and retailing, Hannah Kim is taking the legal reins of Circana, an $8 billion consumer research firm formed through the merger of Information Resources Inc. and NPD Group.
Former ASOS Legal Head Moves to Thailand for Next GC Role
Anna Suchopar left her role at the clothing retailer early last year and will now head the legal team at online travel agency Agoda.
Promotions & Appointments:
Barley Snyder Elects First Female Managing Partner
Jennifer Craighead Carey took over from Jeffrey Lobach, who’d served a decade in the role, on Jan. 1.
Duane Morris Appoints West Coast Litigator as Co-Leader of Largest Practice
A Duane Morris litigator in California is now overseeing the firm’s trial practice lawyers after the Philadelphia-founded firm appointed bicoastal leadership in its largest department. Stephen Sutro, who has served as managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office for almost a decade, succeeds Philadelphia-based Wayne Mack, who led the more than 400-lawyer trial practice group since 2018 alongside Philadelphia-based Sharon Caffrey. Caffrey will remain as co-chair while Mack takes a chair emeritus position, leaders at the firm said. The changes were effective Jan. 1.
Holland & Knight Promotes 46 to Partner, Boosting Corporate, Litigation Practices
Holland & Knight announced its latest round of partner promotions, reflecting a slight decrease in partner promotions compared to last year and a sharper focus on northeast markets.
Troutman Pepper Appoints Six New Office Managing Partners
Pennsylvania-based construction attorneys Joseph Imperiale and Robert Gallagher are now leading the firm’s Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices, respectively, while white-collar attorney Charles Peeler will head up Atlanta. Adrienne Thompson will head up Portland, Tate Tischner Rochester and Christopher Jones Washington D.C. These appointments coincide with Amie Colby officially stepping into the role as firmwide managing partner and Tom Cole assuming the role of chair.
Half of Newly-Elected US Partners at Eversheds Sutherland in Atlanta Office
Eversheds elected eight U.S. lawyers to partner for 2024, following just one election last year.
Jones Day’s New Partner-In-Charge of Australia to Lead from Los Angeles
Trial lawyer Christopher Lovrien has been named Partner-In-Charge of the firms Australia region he will lead from the firms LA office.
Sidley, Quinn, Cadwalader Announce Latest Global Partner Promotions
Cadwalader, Quinn and Sidley have announced which partners have made the cut.
Linklaters’ China Joint Operation Firm Elects New Managing Partner
Richard Gu replaces Eric Liu who recently defected to Beijing-based Haiwen & Partners.
Baker Botts Reshuffles Non-US Leadership, Appoints London Head
The appointments include new heads in Dubai and Riyadh.
Al Tamimi Appoints New Managing Partner
Jody Waugh replaces Samer Qudah, who served in the position for four years. Jody Waugh has been with the firm for over 16 years and prior to his appointment was Head of Banking and Finance.
BonelliErede Names New Management Board and Promotes 7 to Partnership
The moves are part of a previously announced leadership transition to shepherd the Global 200 firm through the implementation of a new multi-year strategic plan starting in January.
Latham & Watkins’ Mark Austin Awarded CBE in New Year Honours List
A small number of legal professionals, including the GC of Standard Chartered bank, a Doughty Street chambers barrister and a senior lawyer at the SFO, were also recognised in the 2024 list.
Mergers & Alliances:
Personal Injury Firm McLaughlin & Lauricella Set to Join Feldman Shepherd
Almost two years after firm co-founder Slade McLaughlin’s death by suicide, managing partner Paul Lauricella is moving his firm’s practice over to the Philadelphia personal injury mainstay.
Law Firm Mergers Began With a Boutique Bash. Will the Party Continue in 2024?
A&O’s tie-up with Shearman could be a harbinger of more U.K.-headquartered firms expanding into the U.S.
Office Openings & Closing:
China’s Han Kun Breaks into U.S Market with New York Office Launch
Earlier this year, the firm made its international debut via a launch in Singapore.
Japan’s TMI Associates Launches New Indonesian Office With Local Alliance
TMI Associates, one of Japan’s largest law firms, opened an office in Paris earlier this year.
Akin Winds Down Beijing Office
Akin will continue to practice in Hong Kong and Singapore, its two other offices in Asia.
Paul Weiss Signs 765K-SF Lease in Midtown Manhattan
This is the largest office lease in the US for the year, according to the owners.
Looking Back at the Law Firms That Didn’t Survive 2023
From Stroock to Schnader, firms that failed struggled with common issues of recruitment, retention and financial obligations.
China’s Han Kun Breaks into U.S Market with New York Office Launch
Earlier this year, the firm made its international debut via a launch in Singapore.
Japan’s TMI Associates Launches New Indonesian Office With Local Alliance
TMI Associates, one of Japan’s largest law firms, opened an office in Paris earlier this year.
Peruvian Tax Law Boutique Opens Office in Spain
Zuzunaga & Assereto Abogados has launched an outpost in Barcelona—its first outside Peru.
Former FisherBroyles practice leaders take 130 lawyers for new spin-off firm
Pierson Ferdinand among largest law firm debuts in US history. Two former practice leaders at FisherBroyles have left to set up a new firm, taking more than 130 lawyers with them in a move they say marks one of the largest law firm debuts in US history.
Quinn Emanuel Plots Wilmington Office Opening, Hiring Local Counsel to Lead
Michael Barlow’s history of working with Quinn Emanuel’s litigators as Delaware counsel includes representing clients Mirae Asset Global Investments and Snow Phipps Group in the first two COVID-19 “busted deal” cases to go to trial.
Financials:
Georgia GC Compensation Remains Strong Following COVID-19 Decrease
“As in 2021, I think 2022 was also a great year financially for a lot of companies,” said Bob Graff, an Atlanta-based in-house recruiter and a partner with Major, Lindsey & Africa. “The stock market did pretty well last year. It’s not surprising that people met or exceeded their bonus targets and met or exceeded their equity targets.”
A&O and Shearman Offer Partners Financial Incentive to Stay with Combined Firm
The merger of the two firms is due to formally take effect in May 2024, with 99% of partners at both firms approving the plans in October.
Clifford Chance Top Earner Pockets Less as Staff Numbers, Costs Swell
The firm’s total number of partners and staff costs rose, as it continued to grapple with its pension liability, the latest LLP accounts show.
Eversheds Top Earner Pay Surpasses £3 Million, LLPs Show
The US arm of the firm has also made eight promotions across its American offices.
Technology & Innovation:
CMS’ Spanish Arm Becomes Latest Victim of LockBit Cyber Attack
The same attackers were behind a data breach at Allen & Overy last month, with experts at the time suggesting the firm may have to pay out several million to avoid confidential information being published.
Hackers Increasingly Infiltrate Software While It’s Still in Development—Before Guard Is Up
“Not only is this terrifying because it can happen to any organization that’s building software, but it’s actually also incredibly difficult to detect,” said Dan Draper, founder of CipherStash.
Morgan Lewis to Shape Thomson Reuters AI Products Through New Partnership
“We’re going to be working with [Thomson Reuters] on a whole suite of AI-powered tools,” said chief knowledge and management and practice services officer Colleen Nihill. “Because of Morgan Lewis’ depth and breadth across multiple geographies, I think they saw us as being well suited to all different use cases.”
As AI Hype Train Rolls On, Regulators on High Alert for ‘AI Washing’
“One thing we know about hot marketing terms is that some advertisers won’t be able to stop themselves from overusing and abusing them,” FTC attorney Michael Atleson wrote in a blog post.
Embracing Innovation: 7 Major Law Firm Tech Developments in 2023
From a host of law firm-created generative AI chatbots to new innovative client offerings and the launch of another law firm legal tech subsidiary, this year showed that law firms are confidently embracing their place in the legal technology market.
Allen & Overy Partners with Harvey, Microsoft to Create ContractMatrix Tool
Over 1,000 of the firm’s lawyers are already using the tool internally, and five clients have already agreed terms for a January launch, the firm said.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Why Jews Belong Under The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Umbrella
“Including Jews under the DEI umbrella would accomplish three things. First is education. Providing more knowledge could bring more understanding. Second is bridging differences. Fostering communication will help build relationships and facilitate productive dialogue. Third is community. Jews need a safe space to connect and explore the range of experiences we are facing.”
Market Commentary:
Turnover in Big Law Leadership Manifests as ‘Great Growth Race’ Kicks Into High Gear
At least 30 large law firms have announced some kind of leadership transition within the last year or so. “It’s been an exciting but challenging and exhausting few years,” noted one Am Law 100 leader.
Going Beyond Fear: The Next Phase in Addressing Attorney Mental Health
In 2012, I tried to take my own life and then learned that I had been for, well, a long time, been dealing with undiagnosed and untreated bipolar disorder. Along the road to my attempt, I did some unethical things, and consequently had some time away from the law.
Corporate Transparency Act: Effect on Middle Market Mergers and Acquisitions
Given the CTA’s sweeping scope and the extensive information required for compliance, the new legislation will undoubtedly have significant impacts on middle market M&As moving forward.
Are You ESG-Prepared? Statistically Speaking, Probably Not!
“This growing focus on ESG is likely linked to the pandemic and climate crisis, so that investors and policymakers have realized the importance of at least tracking ESG-related data and metrics as they struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing world,” Pacesetter Research analyst Ruth Sierra said.
Canadian Deal Lawyers Confident They’ll Be Busier in 2024
While 2023 had fewer transactions than the past few years, they were more complex and required more lawyer hours to complete.
The Best Advice We Heard From GCs in 2023
With top in-house lawyers increasingly being part of the C-suite, they bring more to the table than just their legal expertise. Efficient knowledge sharing is essential in that process.
8 Stories That Changed the Legal Industry in 2023
From A&O Shearman to Israel-Gaza—here are our picks for the biggest stories of the year.
Law Firms Seek Flexibility in Revised Partner Comp Systems, Balancing Seniority With Productivity
Though firms have different approaches, the momentum in partner compensation is heading toward merit-based rewards to compete for rainmakers and grow profitability.
In 2023, Group Lateral Moves Proved Economy-Proof as Firms Advanced Strategic Growth
“The big group moves are driven by the stars that are part of those groups,” said Macrae recruiter Justine Donahue. “The high rainmakers can command a group to move with them based on their clients and their brand name.”
New Year, New GCs: These Companies Have Fresh Top Lawyers
Big names such as Walmart and Smithsonian, generative artificial intelligence innovators and more will ring in the new year with new legal department leadership.
Find out who topped the rankings and scooped all the accolades in 2023—hardly the most straightforward year on record.
Sachdev to Shawyer: The UK’s Most Influential Hires of 2023
The year was awash with team hires, star exits and English law debuts, as certain big-name moves even prompted the industry to question one particular firm’s very survival.
Senior Partners—Retention, Not Cyber Crime, Is Your Biggest Issue in 2024
Cyber threats are real and dangerous—but good old fashioned retention is number one, and goes to the very heart of your firm’s success and survival, writes The Global Lawyer.
‘Without It, Some May Have Left’: Slaughters Associate Illuminates Firm’s Reduced Hours Policy
The scheme, which goes firmwide this week, offers associates “a real chance to reset their career”, said Michael Craig, a disputes and investigations associate