Weekly Update - 7th October 2024
Fides Search
Partner Search for Professional Services & In-House Legal, Co-Sec and Compliance, Financial Crime and Privacy Search
Moves:
UK & Ireland
The tax practice at McDermott Will & Emery, an international law firm, welcomes Candice Nichol as a partner. As the seventh partner based in London to join the Firm this year, Candice's appointment enhances the Firm's position in the London market.
Ben Morgan has been named a partner in Squire Patton Boggs' global corporate practice located in London. He Focuses on Equity Capital Markets (ECM) and most recently worked at Goodwin Procter after practicing at Clifford Chance.
Sebastien Bonneau is now a partner in McDermott Will & Emery's Transactions Practice Group, based in London. Sebastien specializes in joint ventures, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
Former Jenner & Block partner Kelly Hagedorn joins to concentrate on privacy lawsuits, regulatory enforcement, and data protection.
According to the firm, partners Lewis Gaut and Paul Gray will be joining the real estate financing practice as partners in the London office. Gray and Gaut are experts in structured real estate and sports finance, respectively, and both came from DLA Piper after working there for more than ten years.
David Carter, the former co-chair of Ashurst's firm-wide private equity unit, and Braeden Donnelly, the former head of the firm's UK/European PE business, have joined O'Melveny.
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EMEA
Pim van Leersum became a partner at Eversheds Sutherland in 2020. His areas of expertise are capital markets, restructuring, and corporate finance.
With the addition of three attorneys from independent firm Rutgers Posch, Eversheds Sutherland has strengthened its finance practice. The UK firm's Amsterdam branch will be home to senior associate Maarten Ahsmann, partner Vasco Hoving, and senior partner Kees Westermann.
At the same time as Geradin Partners opened an office in Finland to serve as its Nordic hub, Ashurst expanded its banking and finance business in Milan by hiring partner Riccardo Rossi and his Chiomenti team.
Baker McKenzie has taken on Khalid Alyafi as a partner in the transactional practice group
Zaza frequently counsel’s governments, investors, private equity firms, and Saudi and foreign businesses on a range of intricate transactions, with an emphasis on private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, corporate governance, corporate regulatory issues, and advisory concerns.
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APAC
Adrian Wong, a workplace law partner, and his group of three attorneys will be joining Thomson Geer's Melbourne office. Wong is an expert in enterprise bargaining, personnel strategy, business transfers, employment compliance, misbehavior cases, and litigation.
Peter Pether, a partner in construction litigation at King & Wood Mallesons, has joined the Australian company MinterEllison. In January 2025, Pether—who is renowned for providing counsel on extremely complicated litigation situations in the fields of infrastructure, resources, engineering, and construction—will join MinterEllison.
Renowned Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi has expanded its presence in Vietnam by bringing in seasoned attorney Nguyen Ngoc Phuc from competitor Mori Hamada & Matsumoto (MHM) as a partner in Ho Chi Minh City.
By adding seasoned arbiter Earl Rivera-Dolera as a partner from the Vietnamese business Frasers Law Company, where she oversaw the international arbitration practice, Japan's Tokyo International Law Office (TKI) has grown even further.
Edwin Sim, a specialist in construction and engineering disputes, has been named a director of the Singaporean law firm Covenant Chambers. He joins from Lexton Law Corporation, which he co-founded in 2004, bringing with him over 25 years of experience in dispute settlement.
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In house
Sarah Harrington, who has argued 22 times before the justices, said she is "not afraid of a hot bench."
Vincent Brockman, incoming chief legal officer of Servpro said "In my personal experience with the company on two different occasions, I was very impressed by the skill, professionalism, and expertise demonstrated by my local franchises."
Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway named John J. Farmer Jr. as interim senior vice president and general counsel, starting immediately. Previously, Farmer served as general counsel from 2013 to 2014.
The National Association of Realtors will "develop a comprehensive strategy for its approach to all existing litigation and begin an assessment of any additional risk the association has based on current policies and rules," CEO Nykia Wright stated in an email to members following the departure of Chief Legal Officer Katie Johnson.
Josephine Healy, a new general counsel appointed by venture capital firm Highland Europe, takes over for Rini Banerjee, who departed the company earlier this year.
Katherine Snow has moved from crypto data platform Messari, where she was CLO.
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The Americas
Two elite lawyers from the U.S. Army and Department of Homeland Security have joined two prominent D.C. law firms.
With over 15 years of expertise, Pamela Millard has advised clients on Delaware corporation law and governance issues.
New partner Jeff Mabrito said, "Winston is on a trajectory for long-term continued success, and I want to be part of the team that helps to drive this."
Another indication of Paul Weiss's strong commercial relationship with the massive private equity firm is the lateral move of Joseph Glatt in New York.
In an effort to become one of the newest legal firms to attract transactional talent, Debevoise hires Gordon Moodie, a longstanding corporate partner at Wachtell, as deal value climbs starting in 2023, and interest rates drop.
Matthew J. Butler is now a special counsel in the health care division of Marshall Dennehey, having joined the Scranton office.
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Team Moves
As Burns & Levinson winds down, seven partners, two special counsel, and one associate are joining.
Managing partner Melissa Jones said, "There is an increased demand for environmental services in California, but not just California, it's really a busy practice for us throughout our firm".
Kennedys has expanded in New Zealand by taking over a specialist dispute resolution firm in the country's capital Wellington.
Joining the firm are disputes partner and former head of Dechert's Hong Kong office Maria Sit, and funds partner Michael Wong. Wong will bring with him two associates. Sit will join the firm later in the month and will bring with her one associate.
According to Ezra Davids, senior partner and chair of Bowmans, the partner changes are in line with the firm's strategic goal of becoming the "go to" African law practice for clients seeking advice on complicated legal matters.
With the Mexican government stepping up audits and collections, tax has been a highly sought-after practice in recent years.
Smith Gambrell, Baker Donelson, FisherBroyles among other firms adding new partners in finance and IP.
The disputes offering of Indian legal firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM) has been augmented by the acquisition of four partners from nearby rival Saraf and Partners. Manmeet Singh, senior partner of the firm, is spearheading the effort and will be joining CAM with partners Sairam Subramanian, Anugrah Robin Frey, and Alok Shankar.
The group's activities are concentrated on infrastructure projects, encompassing, among other things, planning, public legislation, and authorization. Nick Evans, Mustafa Latif-Aramesh, Richard Marsh, Duncan O'Connor, James Ross, Angus Walker, and Sarah Clark are its members.
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Promotions & Appointments
Scott MacCormack stepped down in March, and the firm picked Jaime Drozd, vice chair of the executive committee and co-leader of litigation, to succeed him on Friday. This after a six-month search committee.
Michael Heller, who's been in the role since 2013 said, "It's been really exciting seeing our growth and expansion, and we're having a lot of fun along the way".
After serving as an attorney and consultant in the past, Christopher Cyrus will be concentrating on creating unique AI solutions and fostering innovation in his new position at McDermott Will & Emery.
For the first time in the last eight years at least, the class has shrunk year over year with the firm's most recent partner promotions.
In addition to leading the company's Ottawa office, Chase Irwin will carry on providing services to clients in the startup community.
Denise Jong, a Hong Kong native who has headed the corporate practice in Asia for nearly ten years and was just named to the firm's executive committee, is replaced by Johnny Lim.
Stuart Jordan has been named worldwide head of construction by Baker Botts.
DLA Piper has announced the appointment of Nic Henrikson as co-managing partner of its Muscat office. Nic leaves Addleshaw Goddard to join with this crucial appointment to expand presence throughout the Middle East.
Matheson has named Luke Tyrrell as the head of information technology and Anthony Byrne as the director of international listing services. Having spent twenty years working in the stock exchange industry, Mr. Byrne has a wealth of expertise in the listed bond markets.
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Financials:
John Gilmore, managing partner of the search firm BarkerGilmore said, "You need to be the person who can walk into a room and capture everyone's attention, deliver your message in a way that people listen to, trust, and are inspired by”.
In 2025, equity partners can anticipate earning $343,000 to $557,000 year, with high earners potentially earning up to $1.2 million.
The Global Lawyer notes that research indicates a relationship between PEP growth and revenue growth, which may have consequences for higher-caliber, smaller enterprises.
According to a recent report, the year is still on pace to surpass the number of company bankruptcy filings in 2023 by 25%.
In the first nine months of this year, the firm—which ranked sixth overall for the year 2023—provided advice on 159 acquisitions totalling $331.6 billion. These agreements included representing Ansys in its $35 billion sale to Synopsys and Squarespace in its $6.9 billion take-private takeover by Permira. In the interim, Kirkland & Ellis, the top firm from the previous year, came in second, handling deals totalling $315.4 billion.
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Diversity & Inclusion:
U.S. District Judge William Orrick said in an interview "If you think that diversity in all of its forms is important in determining excellence, equity, these MDLs are great opportunities for people to learn, have a practice."
Several companies, according to Mansfield leaders, have "remained quietly committed" to developing diversity leadership and have "blocked out the noise".
Law firms are expanding their services to customers concerned about lawsuit risk, as companies are left wondering if their hiring initiative or affinity group will land them in court.
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Office Openings & Closing:
The Design Lab was formerly housed in Silicon Valley, where the office eventually amalgamated with the company's San Francisco branch. However, Faegre Drinker relocated to Scottsdale due to reduced operational expenses and a wish to expand beyond California.
The new firm's executives expressed their expectation that every client will join them.
The head of insurance disputes at Mishcon de Reya was hired by Covington & Burling, launching a new practice focused on insurance policy holder disputes. As a partner in Covington's worldwide insurance recovery group, Sonia Campbell will oversee the company's policyholder disputes business in London.
Along with two other members and two patent agents, the company also appointed Jing Liu as a member and chair of its biological sciences group.
The company's space was downsized to less than 30,000 square feet after its 12-year contract in Portland was recently extended.
Allen & Overy and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, reached an agreement in 2021 to lease a minimum of 254,000 square feet on the Broadgate site.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has selected Abu Dhabi as its first Gulf location, making it the newest multinational legal firm to establish a base in the Middle East.
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Mergers & Alliances:
About 14 more attorneys join Spencer Fane after merging with Holley Driggs which is based in Las Vegas.
"I do think there are fewer options" for merger partners, noted consultant Lisa Smith, "although there's always new firms forming, and new firms spinning off."
Joining forces with Spokane, Washington-based Lucent Law, the Am Law 200 company is launching "Project BlueWave."
Unexpectedly, Al Tamimi & Co. and Roudane & Partners have severed their partnership, claiming financial difficulties and the necessity to restructure their Moroccan services.
As Kennedys continues to grow throughout Australasia, it has acquired specialist conflict resolution firm Darroch Forrest and opened an office in Wellington, New Zealand.?
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Technology & Innovation:
Barry J. Schindler, Lennie A. Bersh and Laurin Buettner write that, "In some instances, a dual strategy that leverages both patents and trade secrets for protecting a Gen AI innovation can be highly effective."
The fall 2024 course, co-instructed by O'Melveny & Myers managing director for information Ali Shahidi and executive coach and consultant Amy Wegener, focuses on critical issues like the client relationships while supplementing coursework with generative AI guidance.
Reveal stated that it purchased the source code for Blackout with the intention of improving its e-discovery platform's redaction capabilities.
The move comes after over 80% of the company's employees finished the required core GenAI training, according to the firm.
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Market Commentary:
Colin Murray, the firm's North American CEO said, "Our U.S. [PEP] would land us around No. 39. Our goal is to be playing in the top 25."
One dealmaker said, "Syndicated option or private credit, you need a firm that can handle either in every iteration”.
Elisa Reiter and Daniel Pollack write, "In a law office setting, effective communication across generational lines is vital for enhancing teamwork that ultimately benefits clients."
According to Dealogic data, initial public offerings rose between the most recent quarter and the same period previous year, with India flotations setting the pace.
Firm chair Pat Whalen said, "We don't believe it is feasible for a practice group leader or co-leaders to effectively execute on everything in the current job description of a practice group leader."
Sidley recently caused waves in the market by bringing on a five-partner leveraged finance team from Latham. This is the true meaning of it.
The West African cross-border transactions and anti-competitive conduct involving a minimum of two member nations would be the primary focus of the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority.
The "greatest shake-up" in law firm hiring over the past year is probably due in part to AI.
In recent weeks, a number of Big Law firms in California have added lateral hires to their partner ranks.
The UK's top 20 firms registered the equivalent of 2,407 more trips around the world in 2023 than they did in 2022, as business travel surged post-pandemic.