Office Openings & Closing:
Kirkland Opens New Office with Latham M&A Partner Hire
Kirkland & Ellis has expanded its transactional business in Germany by hiring M&A partner Tobias Larisch from Latham & Watkins and opening a new office in Frankfurt.
How McGuireWoods Acted Fast to Snap Up an Insurance Recovery Boutique
Pasich has discontinued operations, with nearly a dozen lawyers moving to McGuireWoods, two to Blank Rome, and two more to other organizations.
California Firm Buchalter Opens in Atlanta with IP Team From Taylor English
The Am Law 200 firm already has a Nashville office and intends to open a “full service” location in the Georgia capital and continued expansion in the Southeast.
Boies Schiller, Proskauer Find New Homes in London
Beginning with the new year, Boies Schiller will be located at 100 Fetter Lane. At the moment, it occupies 13,000 square feet on the top floor of 5 New Street Square. The combined area of the new facility in central London will be slightly smaller, at about 11,700 square feet spread over the top three stories of the building.
Newsmakers: Insurance Firms Expand to Dallas
Merlin Law Group, a property insurance law firm, has announced the opening of their 12th U.S. office in Dallas.
Charlotte Becoming Increasingly Powerful Magnet for Law Firms, Lawyers
Thus far this year, Womble Bond Dickinson and Baker Donelson have been the two most recent Am Law 200 firms to bring on partners in the city.
Boies Schiller, Proskauer Find New Homes in London
“With 5 New Street Square due for renovations, we were pleased to secure the top three floors of 100 Fetter Lane, a new construction that is very near our current office and still strategically located opposite London’s Commercial Court,” said Matthew L. Schwartz, chairman-elect and managing partner at Boies Schiller in a statement.
Noerr Spins Out Warsaw Office After CEE Withdrawal
Karol Kicun, a managing partner and former associate partner of Noerr, will manage a team of nine people in the new breakaway firm, Reon Legal. It follows the firm’s old Budapest office, which is currently run by Zoltán Nádasdy under the name WTS Legal Hungary, taking the first step toward independence at the beginning of June.
Financials:
Top 50 Rankings: Who Are the Highest-Paid NQs in London?
The biggest law firms in London are increasing the compensation of recently licensed attorneys by up to 20%, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the talent battles.
Milbank Hands Out Summer Bonuses for Associates and Counsel
Based on seniority, the special bonuses start at $6,000 for associates in their first year, according to an internal memo that Bloomberg Law was able to access.
France’s Century-Old Law Firms Gide and Fidal Report Revenue Gains
According to Gide, which spoke with Law.com International, its global turnover for its fiscal year 2023 ended on December 31, 2023, was around €307.5 million (nearly $337 million). This is a 9% increase over the previous year’s roughly $309 million. During the same time span, Gide’s headcount increased marginally, from 522 attorneys in 2023 to 107 partners in 2022.
Pinsent Masons Revenue Up 7% to Nearly £650M
For the most recent full financial year, Pinsent Masons’ revenue grew to £649.6 million, a 7% rise over the previous year. Profit per equity partner for the company decreased by 0.5 percentage points to £793,000. The amount was £797,000 in 2023. The revenue increased by 8% over the previous year.
Benelux Firms Loyens & Loeff and De Brauw Report Strong Financials
Last year, Loyens & Loeff, a Benelux law company, saw a nearly 11% increase in its global revenue, while De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, a Dutch firm, saw a nearly 9% increase in its net global revenues. According to Law.com International, Loyens & Loeff’s global gross revenues in 2023 increased to approximately €405 million ($443.9 million) from around €365 million ($400 million) in the previous year.
Shepherd and Wedderburn hands out firmwide bonus after profits grow 12%
All of the staff at Shepherd and Wedderburn, an independent law practice in Scotland, received 5% bonuses after the company’s net earnings increased by 12% to £30.2 million by the end of April.
Moves:
In house
Kraft Heinz Legal Chief Quits, Effective Immediately
Rashida La Lande, the legal officer at Kraft Heinz, has resigned, effective immediately, the company said in a securities filing on Monday. At the end of 2018, La Lande—who had been employed by the massive food and beverage company since 2018—was elevated to the position of chief legal and corporate affairs officer.
Sports Law Veteran Returns to Tampa Bay Bucs, This Time as CLO
Cassie McBride, whose career ascent started when she was hired as general counsel of the Jackson Jaguars in 2014 at the age of 26, will be holding her fourth top legal officer position.
.Beverage Trade Group Names Ex-EPA Deputy GC as Legal Chief
The American Beverage Association, which represents producers of non-alcoholic beverages, will benefit from Allison Starmann’s efforts to further its objectives.
Primed for Growth, Nvidia Rival Hires CLO
Groq is racing to capitalize on the tremendous expansion of the AI chip market, and veteran tech lawyer Claire Hart is taking the lead on legal matters.
Dartmouth CLO Jumps to Another Elite School, as Higher Ed’s Summer Shuffle Continues
For the past seven years, Sandhya Iyer has led Dartmouth’s legal department. She served as Oberlin College’s legal chief for nine years prior to that.
New GC of 6th-Largest Defense Contractor to Hunt for Savings Following Merger Spree
After joining L3Harris Corp. in April, Christoph Feddersen is currently leading the legal department of the Florida-based firm.
Champion Homes Taps Express Legal Chief for General Counsel Role
Laurel Krueger is assuming the legal leadership of one of the biggest players in manufactured housing following a lengthy career in the retail apparel sector.
Fusion Unicorn Hires Legal Chief Once a Dealmaker for Ron Perelman
Over his nearly 17 years with Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes Inc., Edward Taibi oversaw multiple divestitures in addition to over 20 acquisitions.
Uber’s Legal Chief Tony West Takes Unpaid Leave to Campaign for Kamala Harris
According to an internal email, West said he’ll be “acting as a family-member surrogate, one who can speak about the vice president from the perspective of someone who’s known her for decades.”
Luxury home fittings business Kohler fills empty CLO seat with former Husch Blackwell partner
After leaving for Molson Coors last year, Megan Belcher comes from Scoular to replace Natalie Maciolek.
Team Moves
Fried Frank Lures 3 Willkie Partners, Names New Restructuring Chair
The chair of Willkie Farr’s corporate restructuring and reorganization division was Rachel Strickland. She becomes a partner alongside Andrew Mordkoff and Daniel Forman at Fried Frank.
Burns & Levinson Continues Shedding Talent with Environmental Team Leaving for Verrill
The geographic reach of Verrill and the standing of its Portland-based environmental team drew the five-lawyer Boston-based team.
Burr & Forman Adds Five-Lawyer M&A, Corporate Team from Taylor English
Al Hill, Andrew Keen, Nida Rizvi, Josie Wall, Linda Yang, and the Alabama-founded company were added to its Atlanta office.
McGuireWoods Adds 11 Attorneys from Boutique to Century City Insurance Recovery Team
In high-profile insurance cases involving directors and officers, errors and omissions, commercial general liability, property and business interruption, product recall, event cancellation, motion picture and television production, and other policies, Pasich has earned recognition across the country for representing commercial policyholders.
With Health Care Steady and Litigation Thriving, Dinsmore Adds 5-Lawyer Team
Lead by partner Bobbie Sprader, Dinsmore & Shohl has hired a five-lawyer team from Bricker Graydon in Ohio, as the demand for health care practices continues to rise and litigation is still hot.
Polsinelli Lateral Group from Holland & Knight Totals 47, Includes Philly Leader
After announcing the outlines of last month’s move, Missouri-founded Polsinelli has confirmed 47 lawyers have joined the firm Holland & Knight, including 30 partners, with 24 partners located in Philadelphia and six in Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and New York.
Five Latham & Watkins Partners Exit for Sidley Austin in London
The partner team consists of Latham partners Jayanthi Sadanandan and Sam Hamilton as well as three other lawyers.
Taylor English Leaders Working to Keep Vision in Place Despite Departures
Twenty attorneys have left the 19-year-old firm in recent weeks as Am Law 200 firms raided Taylor English to open new offices in Atlanta or expand existing ones. Among the departing attorneys were fifteen nonequity partners who were either current or former business executives.
APAC
K&L Gates Singapore Managing Director Leaves to Establish Own Set
Raja Bose, a former head of K&L Gates in Singapore, took over as managing director after Sreenivasan Narayanan.
China’s Fangda Launches Singapore Office with Watson Farley Hire
Ivy Liu spent ten years of her career as a partner at Watson Farley & Williams, where she was based.
Clyde & Co Hires Managing Partner for Perth Office
Jenny Thornton was previously one of Clyde & Co’s founding partners in Australia.
HK: Ex-Ashurst, White & Case R&I partner joins
The bankruptcy and restructuring practice of Howse Williams, a Hong Kong law firm, has been strengthened by the partner addition of Damian Whitehead.
HSF grows energy practice with W&C hire in Singapore
The international legal firm Herbert Smith Freehills has added former White & Case lawyer Ee Lynn Tan as a partner, enhancing the company’s energy skills in Singapore.
Indonesia: Fast-growing FKNK adds another partner, launches in Surabaya
As a partner at FKNK, capital markets specialist Ferry Rajagukguk has nearly two decades of experience in corporate financing, mergers and acquisitions, and initial public offerings. Prior to this, he oversaw Rakhmat Suroso Adinugraha Advocates’ corporate practice.
UK & Ireland
Davis Polk Brings On A&O Shearman Veteran
Gordon Milne is leaving Allen & Overy after nearly 25 years there. According to his LinkedIn profile, he became a partner for the first time in 2009.
Paul Hastings Swoops for Weil Structured Finance Partner
After spending 17 years at Weil, partner Brian Maher is expected to join Paul Hastings. Maher provides regular advice on a variety of custom asset-backed finance transactions to well-known funds and financial organizations, such as Apollo, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Haydock Finance, and Redding Ridge.
Kirkland & Ellis Strikes for Simmons Competition Head
According to Simmons’ website, Satyen Dhana, a partner at the firm since 2018, joined from CMS, is well-known for his regulatory, EU, and competition advice. Clients include Blackrock, Suez, and Honeywell.
EMEA
Dechert taps Morgan Lewis for investment funds partner in Dubai
Dechert announced the addition of a new partner in Dubai for investment funds. Additionally, Amanjit K. fa*gura will be crucial to the company’s attempts to expand regionally.
CMS continues Saudi expansion with TMT specialist appointment
The Riyadh office of international law firm CMS is happy to announce the hiring of Ken Wong as a partner. Ken brings a wealth of experience in technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) procurement, outsourcing, and commercial projects and transactions to the table. He joins from a reputable international law firm.
MidEast Roundup: Dechert, CMS, A&O Shearman Partner Moves
By moving corporate partner Benjamin Crawford from Beijing to Abu Dhabi, A&O Shearman is further expanding its presence in the Middle East. Additionally, the move of assets and structured finance partner Emily Widdrington from London to Dubai strengthened Watson Farley & Williams’ presence in the Middle East ship finance market.
The Americas
Goodwin Lures Kirkland Employment Partner
Alexander “Xander” Flynn-Tabloff, a partner in employment law at Kirkland & Ellis, has joined Goodwin Procter in Boston.
Kirkland Hires Former AUSA as IP Partner in San Francisco
Laura Vartain Horn has over ten years of expertise representing the federal government in disputes pertaining to cybersecurity, national security, and intellectual property.
Perkins Coie Hires Private Funds Partner in New York
Kerry Potter McCormick leaves Barnes & Thornburg after 2.5 years to join Perkins Coie.
Paul Hastings Adds to Growing Texas Team with McDermott Tax Partner
Paul Hastings has appointed Alex Farr, a tax partner at McDermott Will & Emery, as a partner. Farr provides tax advice on M&A and reorganizations in a variety of businesses as well as investment fund formation and structuring.
People in the News—Aug. 6, 2024—Sweet Stevens, Saul Ewing
As special counsel, Casandra K. Blaney has joined Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams.
Exxon Mobil Assistant GC Joins Duane Morris as Trial Partner in Houston and NY
Joseph Walsh, the assistant general counsel of Exxon Mobil Corp., has become a trial partner at Duane Morris, where he will handle environmental and commercial litigation in both Houston and New York.
New Partner Joins Archer & Greiner’s Delaware Office
Natasha M. Songonuga, a partner at Archer & Greiner’s Delaware office, has joined the firm’s bankruptcy group.
Paul Weiss Lands Skadden Co-Head of Financial Institutions Group in Two-Attorney Move
A high-profile client list and strategic M&A experience are two things David Hepp and Matthew Collin bring to the table.
People in the News—Aug. 8, 2024—Heckscher Teillon, Blank Rome
Richard L. Holzworth, an attorney, has become a partner at Heckscher, Teillon, Terrill & Sager, a boutique law practice specializing in trusts and estates.
King & Spalding Continues Deepening Disputes Bench with Mayer Brown Partner
Andrew Calica, a partner at Mayer Brown, has joined King & Spalding’s mass torts and product liability practice area. Calica is the most recent addition made by the firm in its disputes department this year.
Holland & Knight Adds Financial Services Partner, Structured Finance Partner Joins Alston & Bird
Ernest Badway is now a partner at Thompson Hine’s business litigation department. From Fox Rothschild, he joins. Nneoma Maduike has joined Holland & Knight’s financial services team as a partner.
Barclay Damon’s Newest Partner Served 2 Years as NY Gov’s Deputy Counsel
Following the revelation that Elizabeth Fine, the governor’s counsel, would be leaving the position in September, deputy counsel Pei Pei Cheng de Castro left the governor’s office.
Baker Donelson Products Liability Lawyer ‘Rejuvenated’ in New Office
Tracy Tomlin, a seasoned attorney specializing in products liability, has joined Baker Donelson’s Charlotte office. Carl L. King, a seasoned private wealth partner, has joined Womble Bond Dickinson, which has a rapidly expanding office. Earlier this month, Kilpatrick partnered with tax attorney Jamie Null in New York to expand its transactional tax division.
With McMillan’s appointment, the company will have a leader for its environmental, social, governance, and sustainability group, as well as a “client relationship ambassador.”
Paul Weiss taps Skadden for asset management partner duo in New York
Alongside Matthew Collin, David Hepp, who co-led Skadden’s financial institutions group, has joined the 1,000-lawyer firm.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Amnesty International Criticises Clifford Chance Saudi Arabia Report
The human rights group stated that the law firm’s report “wholly omits” significant risks related to Saudi hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
‘Women Suit Secondaries’—Hogan Lovells’ Team on the Specialism Everyone’s Talking About
Secondaries co-lead Leanne Moezi and members of her team chat about how this corner of the market has boomed in recent times.
Promotions & Appointments:
Longtime Kilpatrick Lawyer Exits to Help Lead Eversheds’ Restructuring Team
According to Todd Meyers, Eversheds provides a global platform with nine U.S. locations and 65 worldwide offices, along with a developing finance practice.
People in the News—Aug. 7, 2024—Hangley Aronchick, Saxton & Stump
Gerald Shoemaker, a shareholder at Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller, was chosen the next chair-elect of the family law section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
PAG Law Hires Another Brown Rudnick Latin America Practice Chair
Clara Krivoy also co-chaired the Brown Rudnick digital commerce practice before making the leap.
Former Malaysian judge to lead AIAC
Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), with its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, has named Mary Lim Thiam Suan, a recently retired Federal Court of Malaysia judge, as its next director.
Madeleine Delaney appointed CEO of Charities Regulator
Solicitor Madeleine Delaney has recently been appointed as chief executive of the Charities Regulator.
Mergers & Alliances:
Freshfields, Clifford Chance Lead as Spain’s Iberdrola Buys £2.1B Stake in UK Energy Firm
Yet another example of a foreign entity acquiring an established U.K. business.
Latham, Vinson & Elkins, A&O Shearman Advise on $2.35B Australian Gas Deal
Australia’s Woodside Energy is acquiring a low-carbon ammonia in Texas.
Top Firms Advise on €5.4B AXA-BNP Paribas Deal
The combination of AXA Investment Managers and BNP Paribas would establish an asset manager with €1.5 trillion of assets.
Kirkland, Freshfields score leading roles on £5.4bn Hargreaves Lansdown sale
Both Kirkland & Ellis and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer secured prominent positions in the £5.4 billion sale of Hargreaves Lansdown to a group of private equity investors.
Technology & Innovation:
Cooley Launches Gen AI Chatbot ‘Cooley GObot,’ New Collections for Quicker Entrepreneurial Insights
With the aid of curated information collections, over a decade’s worth of venture capital data, and a new 24/7 chatbot, consumers should be able to find the insights they require more quickly than before.
NY AG: Stakeholders in Generative AI Want State to Develop Algorithm Auditing Standards
According to James, the purpose of the private gathering of experts, advocates, legislators, and business leaders was to assist her office in creating plans to reduce risks and maintain New York’s position as a leader in innovation.
HaystackID Announces Gen AI Expansion: Core Intelligence AI
With intentions to broaden its use in the near future, Core Intelligence AI was developed in collaboration with the startup eDiscovery AI and aims to use generative AI in relevancy reviews.
Market Commentary:
Law Firms Look ‘Stronger Than Ever,’ Even Compared with Transactional Boom
According to a new Q2 study, Am Law 100 companies continue to see the majority of their increase in transactional work, while Second Hundred businesses have discovered a “goldilocks” zone in both corporate and countercyclical work.
Boies Schiller, Quinn Emanuel Square Off Over CrowdStrike Outage
The two legal heavyweights are now pitted against one another following an interruption that resulted in over 5,000 flights being cancelled.
5 Proven Strategies to Prevent Employee Turnover and Cultivate Long-Term Retention
How can your legal practice keep its staff members? Developing a bond with the team is crucial.
Strong outcomes were reported by the companies at the top of our annual A-List in RPL, pro bono, diversity, percentages of female equity partners, and associate happiness.
The Path to Equity Partnership Is Lengthening. Are Firms Making the Change in Good Faith?
The firm is allegedly leveraging its non-equity tier to boost partner income, according to a recent lawsuit against Duane Morris. However, other market watchers view the firm’s continuous progression toward an equity partnership as an acknowledgment of its clients’ valid business requirements.
Full-Service Offering Can Give Midsize Law Firms a Competitive Edge
Midsize businesses gain from offering clients wraparound services at midmarket prices when they are full service or almost full service.
Sturm und Drang: US Firms are Reshaping Germany’s Legal Market
According to the Global Lawyer, U.S.-headquartered companies have been gaining significant traction in the last year, even if U.K.-led businesses continue to be the dominating foreign force in Germany.
