headline partner moves in london may september 2016 · jo footitt irwin mitchell osborne clarke...

Headline Partner Moves in London May – September 2016

Introduction

After what has been a tumultuous few months, we have made it to September with the lateral

market feeling slightly different but, in truth, as busy as ever. While it is too early to gauge the full

impact of the Brexit vote on partner recruitment in London, we have been able to draw out a few

observations for this report:

The Americans just keep on coming. Many US firms view Brexit as a golden opportunity to hire

UK partners, helped by the relative weakness of sterling against the dollar. Firms like Latham &

Watkins, Kirkland & Ellis, White & Case and Paul Hastings are continuing to aggressively take top

partners, predominantly from UK firms.

Latham have had an incredible summer with nine high profile laterals adding real strength to their

finance, restructuring, disputes and financial services capabilities in London.

Given the continued appetite of US firms to grow their City offices, the overall numbers have not

shifted much from this time last year, when we reported on 145 moves in the May to September

period. This report actually sees a slight uptick with 150 reported moves.

While no firm is immune from partner exits, it is worrying for Ashurst and KWM that they are

seemingly losing whole chunks of the firm to US competitors. These firms were in the top three

for having the highest number of departing partners in the last report and they once again claim

this dubious accolade. Both firms are in the firing line because they have highly regarded partners

in areas that are attractive investment opportunities for much more profitable US firms, and they

therefore have a real challenge to try to stem the flow of talent.

Olswang is another firm that is attracting headlines for the wrong reasons and, amid rumours of

various ongoing merger discussions, it will be fascinating to see if they can pull off a combination

by the time we next report.

The Magic Circle is also having to fight off the lure of the US firms and, for the first time in a long

while, all five Magic Circle firms including Slaughter and May have seen exits in the last few

months.

All that said, the legal press can often write firms off too easily and, with strong management and

a defined strategy, firms can navigate choppy waters and reach land on the other side. As an

example, one need only look at Dentons who again feature in our top three hiring firms in London

for the third report in a row. Denton Wilde Sapte was a firm that was drifting until its 2010 merger

with Sonnenschein. The firm is now attracting strong laterals across all departments and it is again

becoming a force to be reckoned with.

On the ground, real estate feels quieter than it has for a while although the lateral statistics don’t

quite support this. It will be interesting to see how many real estate moves there are over the

next three months, and we look forward to reporting on this in January.

As UK firms feel the post Brexit squeeze, reams of associates who were recruited before the 2008

downturn are coming up to partnership and finding their paths blocked. As such, there is an

extremely active market for senior associates or counsel level lawyers looking to move for

immediate partnership elsewhere and in this report we note 26 such moves.

It is not just the US firms who are in growth mode and some regional firms also feature in our top

hiring firms this report – with Shoosmiths, Bond Dickinson and Hill Dickinson all increasing their

London headcount.

Number of London partner moves by category of hiring firm May – September 2016

UK 67

US 53

International 23

Magic Circle 3

Accountancy 2

In House 2

International for these purposes covers US/UK merged firms, international polycentric firms such as

Dentons and Baker & McKenzie and firms that have completed mergers in the Far East, Australia or

Canada (e.g. Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, Ashurst and Gowling WLG).

Headline Hires May – September 2016

CORPORATE

Kirkland continue to make waves in London and once again targeted Linklaters for their latest hire

attracting private equity partner Stuart Boyd – the sixth Linklaters partner to make this same move

over the last year or so.

Meanwhile, in an interesting move, Linklaters’ head of corporate in London, Stuart Bedford, is also

leaving the firm to go in house at private equity house LeapFrog Investments.

In another high profile in house move, one of the highest profile corporate lawyers of his

generation, Mark Rawlinson, leaves Freshfields for Morgan Stanley.

FINANCE/RESTRUCTURING

Latham & Watkins’ assault on the City continues with a dramatic strengthening of their finance

capability in the City, adding five finance/real estate finance partners in as many months. The two

most eye catching moves were Sanjev Warna-kula-suriya moving from Slaughter and May and

former co-head of banking Stephen Kensell leaving Allen & Overy.

Latham have been looking to bolster their restructuring practice for a long time and they finally

got their man in Simon Baskerville from Ashurst. Baskerville is highly regarded and his loss will be

felt keenly at Ashurst, who also saw the departure of fellow restructuring partner Diane Roberts

to Reed Smith.

Dechert have bolstered their finance capability in London with two partners, Philip Butler and

David Miles, joining from DLA Piper.

King & Wood Mallesons continue to lose senior partners in London, with the firm’s former head

of finance Jeremy Cross leaving for Cadwalader.

Paul Hastings have launched an audacious raid on the highly regarded structured finance team at

Ashurst and have recruited a three partner team led by Michael Smith.

FINANCIAL SERVICES/FUNDS

Ashurst continues to suffer at the hands of Latham with Rob Moulton, head of financial services,

swapping Appold St for Bishopsgate, together with his number two, Nicola Higgs.

REAL ESTATE

Dentons scooped a team of five real estate partners from Irwin Mitchell in a bold move. London

real estate head Rob Thompson joins, along with fellow real estate partners Lewis Myers and

Rupert Dowdell, corporate real estate partner Jayne Schnider and real estate finance partner

Simon Tweedle, who returns to the firm where he was once a senior associate.

Elsewhere, two more real estate partners, Jo Footitt and Louise Cartwright, left Irwin Mitchell for

Osborne Clarke’s London office and Irwin Mitchell planning head Martha Grekos joined Howard

Kennedy.

Departures from Freshfields finance practice continue, with real estate finance partner Jeffrey

Rubinoff announcing his switch to White & Case.

LITIGATION/ARBITRATION

Latham & Watkins again steal the headlines with the capture of international arbitration partner

Sophie Lamb from Debevoise.

Will Thomas’ move from Eversheds, where he was their head of international arbitration based in

Paris, to Freshfields in London catches the eye.

One of London’s most highly regarded white collar lawyers, Elizabeth Robertson, left K&LGates

for Skadden.

Quinn Emanuel again surprised the market, this time making a play in construction disputes with

the hire of James Bremen from Herbert Smith Freehills.

Covington add to their ranks with another raid on KWM, this time hiring finance litigator Greg

Lascelles and competition litigator Elaine Whiteford. Both join Alex Leitch who moved from KWM

last year.

Cadwalader have hired Steven Baker from Bird & Bird where he was co-head of disputes.

In IP, Allen & Overy launched an attack on Simmons & Simmons, taking patent litigation pair

Marjan Noor and Marc Döring.

Paul, Dan and the Team

020 7332 2680

Deacon Search is an independent legal recruitment boutique focusing exclusively on partner moves in London. If you are a law firm interested in discussing a potential assignment or an individual partner or team considering a move, please contact us.

Paul Dan

Scott Norah Sarah

The individuals listed in the tables below are movers reported between 13th May 2016 and 14th

September 2016. They are all partners who moved to or from a London office, unless otherwise

stated.

1. Corporate/Private Equity/Equity Capital Markets

Name From To Discipline

Igor Krivoshekov Dentons Akin Gump Strauss

Hauer & Feld

Private Equity

Corporate

Energy

Linda Crow Faegre Baker Daniels Duane Morris Corporate

Paul Finlan Faegre Baker Daniels Duane Morris Corporate

Matthew Doughty Squire Patton Boggs DWF Corporate

Equity Capital Markets

James Howe Proskauer Rose Gibson Dunn &

Crutcher Private Equity

Michael Bennett Kerman & Co Hill Dickinson Equity Capital Markets

Gabriel Boghossian Macfarlanes

(Senior Associate) King & Wood Mallesons Private Equity

Stuart Bedford Linklaters LeapFrog Investments Private Equity

Stuart Boyd Linklaters Kirkland & Ellis Private Equity

James West Reed Smith

(Associate) Mayer Brown Private Equity

Hamid Yunis Taylor Wessing McDermott Will &

Emery

Corporate

Healthcare

Michael Holter WilmerHale McDermott Will &

Emery Corporate

Ian Binnie Hamlins Michelmores Corporate

Mark Rawlinson Freshfields Bruckhaus

Deringer Morgan Stanley Corporate

Nick Sayers Fox Williams Payne Hicks Beach Corporate

Eleanor Shanks Dentons Proskauer Rose Private Equity

Daniel Winterfeldt CMS Cameron McKenna Reed Smith US Securities

Amit Nayyar Hogan Lovells Shoosmiths

(Milton Keynes) Private Equity

Duncan McDonald Olswang Taylor Wessing Corporate

Private Equity

Richard Jones

Freshfields Bruckhaus

Deringer

(Senior Associate)

White & Case Private Equity

2. Finance


Robert Andrews King & Wood Mallesons Ashurst Fund Finance

Jim Bell Allen & Overy

(Associate) Bird & Bird Aviation Finance

Charlie Reid Norton Rose Fulbright

(Senior Associate) Bond Dickinson Finance

Jeremy Cross King & Wood Mallesons Cadwalader,

Wickersham & Taft

Finance

Fund Finance

Real Estate Finance

Philip Butler DLA Piper Dechert Finance

David Miles DLA Piper Dechert Finance

Martin Sharkey Clifford Chance

(Senior Associate) Dentons Structured Finance

Spencer Gold Holman Fenwick Willan

(Senior Associate) Ince & Co

Ship Finance

Trade Finance

Mayank Gupta Mayer Brown K&L Gates Finance

Barry Cosgrave Shearman & Sterling

(Senior Associate) K&L Gates

Debt Capital Markets

Islamic Finance

Distressed Debt

Stephen Kensell Allen & Overy Latham & Watkins Finance

Sanjev Warna-kula-

suriya Slaughter and May Latham & Watkins Structured Finance

James Taylor Allen & Overy

(Counsel) Paul Hastings

Finance

Real Estate Finance

Michael Smith Ashurst Paul Hastings Structured Finance

Diala Minott Ashurst Paul Hastings Structured Finance

Cameron Saylor Ashurst Paul Hastings Structured Finance

Ben Davis Reed Smith Proskauer Rose Finance

Laetitia Costa Ex-Milbank, Tweed,

Hadley & McCloy PwC Legal Finance

Sebastian FitzGerald


Deringer

(Senior Associate)

Willkie Farr & Gallagher Finance

3. Insolvency/Restructuring


Simon Baskerville Ashurst Latham & Watkins Restructuring

Diane Roberts Ashurst Reed Smith Restructuring

4. Financial Services/Funds


Barry Stimpson Olswang Bond Dickinson Investment Funds

Jonathan Cantor Nabarro Dentons Investment Funds

Real Estate Funds

Thomas Laverty Macquarie Infrastructure

and Real Assets Kirkland & Ellis Investment Funds

Rob Moulton Ashurst Latham & Watkins Financial Services

Regulatory

Nicola Higgs Ashurst Latham & Watkins Financial Services

Regulatory

Saloni Joshi SJ Advisers MJ Hudson Investment Funds

Oliver Rochman Proskauer Rose Morrison & Foerster Investment Funds

Douglas Cherry Eversheds

(Principal Associate) Reed Smith

Financial Services

Litigation

Henrietta de Salis Herbert Smith Freehills

(Consultant) Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Financial Services

Regulatory

5. Real Estate


Rupert Dowdell Irwin Mitchell Dentons Real Estate

Lewis Myers Irwin Mitchell Dentons Real Estate

Jayne Schnider Irwin Mitchell Dentons Corporate Real Estate

Rob Thompson Irwin Mitchell Dentons Real Estate

Simon Tweedle Irwin Mitchell Dentons Real Estate Finance

Jenny Sargeant Macfarlanes

(Senior Associate) Fladgate Real Estate

Jeremy Trinder Dechert Latham & Watkins Real Estate Finance

Quentin Gwyer GE Capital Real Estate Latham & Watkins Real Estate Finance

Daniel Abrahams Philip Ross Solicitors Memery Crystal Real Estate

Jo Footitt Irwin Mitchell Osborne Clarke Real Estate

Louise Cartwright Irwin Mitchell Osborne Clarke Real Estate

Vikki McKay DLA Piper Proskauer Rose Real Estate

Adam Chamberlain RPC

(Senior Associate) Shoosmiths Real Estate Finance

Ed John Hogan Lovells

(Senior Associate) Shoosmiths Property Litigation

Deian Rhys Goldman Sachs Simmons & Simmons Real Estate

Mark Levine Hamlins Simons Muirhead &

Burton Real Estate

Robert Porter Reed Smith

Skadden, Arps, Slate,

Meagher & Flom

(Counsel)

Real Estate Private

Equity

Jeffrey Rubinoff Freshfields Bruckhaus

Deringer White & Case Real Estate Finance

Alan Duncan Mount Anvil

(General Counsel) Winckworth Sherwood Real Estate

6. Planning/Environmental


Martha Grekos Irwin Mitchell Howard Kennedy Planning

Angus Evers King & Wood Mallesons Shoosmiths Environment

Tim Johnson Charles Russell

Speechlys Shoosmiths Planning

7. Construction


Jessica Taylor Clarke Willmott Ashfords Construction

Carl Asser Payne Hicks Beach Howard Kennedy Construction

Matthew Needham-

Laing Stevens & Bolton

Katten Muchin

Rosenman

Construction

Construction Litigation

Joanne Kelly Taylor Wessing Memery Crystal Construction

James Bremen Herbert Smith Freehills Quinn Emanuel

Urquhart & Sullivan Construction Litigation

8. Project Finance/Projects/Energy


Matthew Newing Charles Russell

Speechlys Addleshaw Goddard Projects

Anna Nerush

Morgan, Lewis &

Bockius

(Associate)

Addleshaw Goddard Oil & Gas

Andrew Fraiser Allen & Overy Ashurst

(New York) Infrastructure

Mark Dennison Norton Rose Fulbright

(Of Counsel) Eversheds

Clean Energy

Infrastructure Finance

Conrad Purcell Norton Rose Fulbright

(Senior Associate) Eversheds

Clean Energy

Infrastructure Finance

Nuno Frota Trafigura Ince & Co Oil & Gas

Kevin Atkins Chadbourne & Parke Locke Lord Oil & Gas

Paul Griffin Allen & Overy White & Case

(Senior Adviser) Oil & Gas

9. Commercial Litigation/International Arbitration/Corporate Crime


Sarah Vasani King & Spalding

(Counsel) Addleshaw Goddard

International Arbitration

Energy Litigation

Jonathan Fisher QC Devereux Chambers Bright Line Law White Collar Crime

Steven Baker Bird & Bird Cadwalader,

Wickersham & Taft

Commercial Litigation


Irina Tymczyszyn Bryan Cave Chadbourne & Parke International Arbitration

Greg Lascelles King & Wood Mallesons Covington & Burling Banking Litigation

Will Thomas Eversheds

(Paris)


Deringer International Arbitration

Christopher Braithwaite Jones Day Humphries Kerstetter Commercial Litigation

Jason Masimore

US Department of

Justice

(New York)

Kobre & Kim White Collar Crime

Sophie Lamb Debevoise & Plimpton Latham & Watkins International Arbitration

Stuart Alford QC Serious Fraud Office Latham & Watkins Fraud

Richard Boynton Clifford Chance

(Senior Associate) Kirkland & Ellis

Banking Litigation


Paul Stothard King & Wood Mallesons Norton Rose Fulbright Commercial Litigation


Robert Amaee Covington & Burling Quinn Emanuel

Urquhart & Sullivan White Collar Crime

Anil Rajani Fladgate RadcliffesLeBrasseur White Collar Crime

Stuart Dutson Eversheds Simmons & Simmons International Arbitration


Elizabeth Robertson K&L Gates Skadden, Arps, Slate,

Meagher & Flom White Collar Crime

Philip Rubens Cooke Young & Keidan Teacher Stern Banking Litigation

Michael Stepek

Akin Gump Strauss

Hauer & Feld

(Geneva)

Winston & Strawn International Arbitration

10. Insurance/Reinsurance


Carys Oatham DWF BLM Product Liability

Rob Ireland Kennedys Clyde & Co Aviation Insurance

Hugo Laing Clifford Chance

(Senior Associate) Eversheds Corporate Insurance

Helen Franzese Goldberg Segalla Foran Glennon Insurance &

Reinsurance Litigation

Tanguy Le Gouellec de

Schwarz Goldberg Segalla Foran Glennon

Insurance &


Christopher Foster Herbert Smith Freehills Holman Fenwick Willan Insurance &


Adam Strong Gowling WLG Holman Fenwick Willan Insurance &


Mark Pring Addleshaw Goddard Reed Smith Insurance &


Marian Boyle Dentons Sullivan & Worcester Insurance Litigation

11. Employment/Pensions/Benefits/Immigration


Michelle Chance Kingsley Napley Bond Dickinson Employment

Chris Tutton Irwin Mitchell Constantine Law Employment

Alexandra Bonner Blake Morgan Goodman Derrick Employment

Sacha Schoenfeld James Ware Schoenfeld

Stephenson Fox Williams Immigration

Fraser Younson Squire Patton Boggs Keystone Law Employment

12. IP/TMT/Data Protection/Commercial


Marc Döring Simmons & Simmons Allen & Overy Patent Litigation

Marjan Noor Simmons & Simmons Allen & Overy Patent Litigation

Anna Cook RPC

(Consultant) Bristows IT Litigation

James Earl Pinsent Masons Fladgate Sports

Andy Korman Couchmans Harbottle & Lewis Sports

Judith Rinearson Bryan Cave K&L Gates

(New York/London) Fintech

Gary Howes Fasken Martineau McDermott Will &

Emery Lifesciences

Sam De Silva Penningtons Manches Nabarro Technology

James Drury-Smith

Orrick Herrington &

Sutcliffe

(Of Counsel)

PwC Legal Data Protection

Jonathan Radcliffe Charles Russell

Speechlys Reed Smith IP Litigation

James Tumbridge Pillsbury Winthrop

Shaw Pittman Venner Shipley IP Litigation

Paul Harris Pillsbury Winthrop

Shaw Pittman Venner Shipley IP

13. Competition


Stephen Smith RPC Bristows Competition

Elaine Whiteford King & Wood Mallesons Covington & Burling Competition Litigation

Howard Cartlidge Olswang DWF Competition

Andrew Maxwell RPC

(Senior Associate) Freeths

Competition

Competition Litigation

Sally Southwell Linklaters

(Managing Associate) Kirkland & Ellis Competition

Francesco Liberatore Jones Day

(Associate) Squire Patton Boggs

Competition

Telecoms

14. Private Client/Family/Charity


Jo Coleman IBB Solicitors Bond Dickinson Charity

Shona Alexander Forsters Charles Russell

Speechlys Family

Jim Sawer Thrings Kingsley Napley Private Client

Raymond Davern Conyers Dill & Pearman

(Cayman Islands) Maples and Calder Private Client

Simon Goldring Trowers & Hamlins McDermott Will &

Emery Private Client

Martin Davies Clyde & Co Mishcon de Reya Private Client

Juliette Peters Howard Kennedy Shoosmiths Family

Jay Patel Howard Kennedy Shoosmiths Family

15. Tax


Elliot Weston Gowling WLG Hogan Lovells Tax

Gary Richards Ex-Berwin Leighton

Paisner Mishcon de Reya Tax

Michael Wistow Berwin Leighton Paisner White & Case Tax

16. Commodities/International Trade


Robert Parson Reed Smith Clyde & Co Trade Finance

Commodities

Patric McGonigal Hogan Lovells

(Tokyo) Hill Dickinson

Commodities


Andrew Buchmann Obsidian Legal

(South Africa) Hill Dickinson Commodities

Stuart Shepherd Ince & Co RPC International Trade

Litigation

17. Mergers/Office Openings

Bath-headquartered Withy King and London-based Royds, have joined forces. The merger has

created a national firm, Royds Withy King, with a turnover in excess of £30m, and took effect on

1st September 2016.

Kennedys will be merging with marine boutique Waltons & Morse on 1st November 2016. The

tie-up will increase Kennedy’s London headcount by 28 lawyers, including 5 partners.

Curtis Davis Garrard and Haynes and Boone, LLP merged on 1st September 2016. The trans-

Atlantic firm now numbers over 600 lawyers, and in London is known as Haynes and Boone CDG.

Matt Hannaford, Justin Turner, Owen McHugh and Keith Krut have left Curtis Davis Garrard to

establish a new law firm, Hannaford Turner, specialising in maritime law.

headline partner moves in london may september 2016 · jo footitt irwin mitchell osborne clarke...

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