Headline Partner Moves in London September 2016 – January 2017
Introduction
It has been a fascinating 12 months for lateral recruitment, and our first report of 2017 presents a perfect opportunity to review the London partner market over the previous year and to analyse some key trends. In recent weeks, the news of King & Wood Mallesons’ demise has dominated the legal press, and we report on 61 partner moves from the beleaguered firm since September, with more being announced as each day goes by. A lot has been written about KWM and we don’t intend to do a full post-mortem here. However, while page after page of analysis in the legal press has (correctly) pointed to bad decision making, poor financial management and cultural cohesion issues, we wanted to highlight two related points that have not received as much attention, both of which we consider to be key factors in why the firm failed in London:
1. SJ Berwin was in many ways a victim of its own success in that, by encouraging entrepreneurial partners to go out and win business, it had more ‘rainmakers’ than many firms of a similar size. Crucially, many of these partners were highly regarded in the key areas that US firms were investing in, such as funds, private equity and finance. Part of the firm’s success lay in its ability to harness slightly maverick partners who were brilliant at what they did, but were perhaps less good at institutionalising their clients. This meant that when more profitable firms came looking for partners SJ Berwin was an obvious target, and the damage done by leavers was greater than at similar firms.
2. Unlike some other UK firms that make it hard for partners to leave, through tight covenants and long notice periods, departing KWM partners found it all too easy to take both business and colleagues. By the time KWM started to put up a fight (threatening to sue their former co-head of corporate Richard Lever, and his new firm Goodwin Procter, following a series of additional partner moves to the US firm) a drove of horses had already bolted.
KWM partners have dominated the recruitment market, with many management teams focusing all their recent lateral efforts on trying to secure departing names. Firms such as Greenberg Traurig and Goodwin Procter will no doubt use their success in securing big ticket hires to push on and further build in London. However, several other firms who thought that they were on the brink of hiring laterals and teams will now have to refocus their recruiting attempts elsewhere.
Finally, it is important to spare a thought for the hundreds of non-partners at KWM who now face a very uncertain future. While many partners will do their best to keep their teams intact, and some law firms have stepped up to the plate to take on additional trainees, there will be many at the firm struggling to find a new position, and in particular, it is the support staff who will sadly and inevitably suffer the most.
There were two other pieces of news in the final quarter of 2016, which were arguably as significant to the shaping of the UK legal market as the break-up of KWM. Firstly, the news of the tripartite merger between CMS Cameron McKenna, Olswang and Nabarro, which underlines how much consolidation there has been and, arguably still needs to be, among UK-based law firms. Secondly, the announcement of the merger between Eversheds and Sutherland to create another transatlantic tie- up. It will be interesting to see how these firms fare during the course of 2017 and beyond, and we expect more mergers, take-overs and bolt-ons in the legal sector.
During the last 12 months, we have reported on 537 moves, our highest total since 2011 (548 moves). Even if all the KWM leavers were removed (75 partners and counting), we would still have 462 – which is 1 more than in 2015. However, if we look in more detail at the timings of these moves, we can see that most of them were in the pre-Brexit first half of the year and, while the KWM feeding frenzy has masked this to an extent, there was a definite slowdown post Brexit. This can be highlighted by looking at our September 2015 – January 2016 report, where we included 177 moves. In this report, if we exclude the 61 KWM partners who have left since September, the number of moves is 126.
While there was a pause in recruiting over the summer as firms came to grips with the reality of Brexit, 2017 has started at pace. Notably, US firms see a weaker pound/stronger dollar as an opportunity to bolster their London presence, but there are also many UK-based law firms (particularly those with a regional network) who have been actively hiring partners since the autumn. Once the dust has settled over KWM we still anticipate a busy 2017, with hot areas of investment including cyber security, financial technology, contentious regulatory work and patent litigation.
The busiest London partner recruiter of 2016 was Dentons, with 15 laterals reported over the last 12 months. This was in addition to the hire of an 11-partner banking litigation team from Matthew Arnold & Baldwin, which was actually announced at the very start of January 2016. Like SJ Berwin, Denton Wilde Sapte was a firm that needed to do something different to survive and prosper in a crowded UK market, and while the merger with Sonnenschein in 2010 had its critics, there can be no doubting that since then the firm has become a strong and successful entity. Dentons remains a work in progress, but their contrasting fortunes with KWM demonstrates how bold management decisions can either redefine a firm or, conversely, lead to its demise.
Fieldfisher and Latham & Watkins tied for second place in our 2016 table, with 13 hires apiece. Some of Latham’s hires were headline grabbing, with high-profile moves including Sanjev Warna-kula-suriya from Slaughter and May, and Stephen Kensell and Ed Barnett from Allen & Overy. Latham were joined in the top hiring firms of 2016 by Sidley Austin and White & Case, as US-based law firms continued their assault on the London market. Osborne Clarke also had a strong year on the lateral front.
As ever, when considering which firms lost partners in 2016, we need to stress that any departing partner must be looked at in context. Firms lose fee-earners for many reasons and, while the legal press screams ‘resigned’ or ‘poached’, often the reality is that a firm might not be too upset to see the individual leave! That said, there are some things which clearly jump out from the table below. Ignoring KWM, Ashurst and Herbert Smith have lost the most partners in London this year with 17 apiece. Ashurst would have lost 2 more, but managed to persuade James Perry and Nigel Ward to stay after the legal press had announced their resignations. We’re not dismissing either firm; Herbert Smith remains a formidable brand, and Ashurst has steadied the ship, announcing 9 hew hires in 2016. However, both these organisations are obvious targets for more profitable firms (US-based particularly), and need to make sure that this flow of departing partners doesn’t become a deluge.
The Magic Circle firms have again lost senior talent to US firms, with 41 partners in total leaving Freshfields, Allen & Overy, Slaughter & May, Clifford Chance and Linklaters in 2016. Some of these leavers have moved on to do different things, but there can be no doubting that US firms such as Latham, Kirkland and White & Case have the UK elite firmly in their sights. Other firms that have seemingly had a difficult time in the last 12 months include Irwin Mitchell’s London office and (prior to the announcement of the merger with CMS and Nabarro) Olswang.
We also keep an eye on the number of senior associate to immediate partner moves, with 79 such hires reported in 2016, against 80 in 2015. These are ranged across a variety of practice areas. Some firms have been very successful at hiring at this level, taking the view that, although immediate revenue is less likely, these candidates can be a great longer term investment, particularly in areas where there is a shortage of movable partner talent.
Finally, we look at which practice areas have produced the most lateral moves, and whether there have been any substantial changes from the year before. Corporate was again the busiest area with 78 moves (73 in 2015), but 2016 saw a substantial increase in moves in commercial litigation (64 as against 47 the previous year) and, fuelled by KWM, a significant uplift in real estate moves (62 in 2016 as against 40 in 2015).
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.
Partner Consultants:
Paul Dan
Scott Norah Sarah
Partner Research & Market Intelligence
Danielle Gemma Agi
Headline Hires September 2016 – January 2017
CORPORATE
This report is dominated by 3 Magic Circle partners leaving for US firms, moves that are not unusual over the last few years, but to see so many in quick succession is interesting. In, perhaps, the move of the quarter, White & Case hired Patrick Sarch from Clifford Chance.
Elsewhere, Simpson Thacher have taken Ben Spiers from Freshfields. Simpson don’t hire often but, when they do, they tend to make a big splash.
In another example of US firms pushing out beyond private equity into big ticket M&A, Latham & Watkins added to their ranks, with Ed Barnett joining from Allen & Overy.
Like many US firms, Dechert have been looking to hire in private equity for a while. Sensibly (and unlike many US firms who have tried and failed), they appreciated the need for a strong leveraged finance team to build on the transactional side. At the end of 2016, all the pieces fell into place for them, with the hire of finance partner John Markland from Kirkland and private equity partner Ross Allardice from White & Case. These hires came on the back of finance partners David Miles and Phil Butler joining from DLA Piper (covered in our last report).
Goodwin Procter also invested in private equity, with Mark Soundy and Sarah Priestley (tax) moving across from Shearman & Sterling.
KWM corporate partners scattered to a variety of firms across the City. While most opted for US firms, Jonathan Pittal and team chose to go to Stephenson Harwood, a firm which continues to shine among the upper mid-market.
On the venture capital side, Orrick secured highly-rated Ylan Steiner from KWM.
FINANCE
Real estate finance partner Jonathan Birks has swapped Freshfields’ Fleet Street for the Gherkin, joining Kirkland’s London office.
Ropes & Gray have built astutely over the last few years and their latest hire, Malcolm Hitching from Herbert Smith Freehills, is no exception. Maurice Allen’s departure to DLA Piper, where he will play a senior strategic role, marks the end of an era (although he remains involved at Ropes as a consultant), but the firm is well placed to continue to prosper in London in coming years.
On the restructuring side, the stand-out move is Yen Sum departing Linklaters for Sidley Austin. Also of note is Alicia Videon’s move to McDermott Will & Emery from Olswang.
FUNDS
This is an area where firms have historically struggled to recruit and a sudden influx of partners onto the market from KWM has produced something of a feeding frenzy.
In the highest profile move from KWM (and arguably the straw which broke the camel’s back), Michael Halford and his team chose Goodwin Procter as their new home.
Former SJ Berwin senior partner Jonathan Blake has been reunited with John Daghlian at O’Melveny, while Jen Yee Chan and Cindy Valentine have moved to Simmons.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
While Quinn Emanuel is not an obvious home for partners with non-contentious practices, the firm sees investigations as a key growth area and has secured the hire of David Berman from Macfarlanes to bolster this.
Allen & Overy lost Bob Penn to Cleary at the start of 2016 and have now plugged the gap by taking Nick Bradbury from Herbert Smith.
REAL ESTATE
Again, KWM partners dominate. DLA Piper, who at one point were reported to be close to taking the whole department, have ended up with a 6 partner (and 1 senior associate who becomes a partner on arrival) team led by William Naunton. Addleshaw Goddard (4 partners) and Greenberg Traurig (6 partners) were the other big winners.
The big news in the planning world was the establishment of Town Legal, with partners from Gowling WLG (Clare Fielding), Herbert Smith (Patrick Robinson) and KWM (Simon Ricketts) joining forces to launch a 10-lawyer planning boutique.
Gowling WLG were quick to respond, hiring planning partner Vicky Fowler from Berwin Leighton Paisner.
ENERGY/CONSTRUCTION
In construction, the big move was highly rated litigator Jonathan Douglas moving from Nabarro to Eversheds, just before the merger between Nabarro, Olswang and CMS Cameron McKenna was announced.
Latham & Watkins added to their energy credentials with the hire of John Balsdon from Herbert Smith.
Neil Upton and Ian Wood left KWM for Squire Patton Boggs.
LITIGATION
Covington were the big beneficiary of the KWM meltdown, with head of litigation Craig Pollack and Louise Freeman joining KWM alumni Alex Leitch and Greg Lascelles.
Leading fraud partner Mark Hastings swapped Addleshaw Goddard for Quinn Emanuel.
Litigation focused boutiques continue to do well, with Stewarts taking Ian Gatt QC from Herbert Smith, and Signature hiring both Iannis Alexopoulos from Bryan Cave and Simon Bushell from Latham.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Allen & Overy completed their attack on the Simmons & Simmons IP Litigation team, adding Mark Heaney and David Stone to the partnership, having previously recruited Marc Döring and Marjan Noor.
Elsewhere in the Magic Circle, Clifford Chance hired life sciences partner Stephen Reese from Olswang.
COMPETITION
Macfarlanes surprised the market by recruiting Stephen Kon’s highly regarded competition team from KWM, one of the jewels in the old SJ Berwin crown, and a great hire for the Silver Circle firm.
The individuals listed in the tables below are movers reported between 14th September 2016 and 11th January 2017. 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
Will Holder King & Wood Mallesons Baker McKenzie Corporate
Davis Polk & Wardwell Simon Evers Crowell & Moring Corporate (Senior Associate)
Ross Allardice White & Case Dechert Private Equity
Mark Soundy Shearman & Sterling Goodwin Procter Private Equity
Edward Barnett Allen & Overy Latham & Watkins Corporate
Timothy Leeson DWF Lewis Silkin Corporate
DWF David Willbe Lewis Silkin Corporate (Director)
Corporate David Marshall RPC Norton Rose Fulbright Private Equity
Ylan Steiner King & Wood Mallesons Orrick Venture Capital
Edward Persse Irwin Mitchell Osborne Clarke Corporate
Paul Smith Irwin Mitchell Osborne Clarke Corporate
Hammad Akhtar Ashurst Pinsent Masons Corporate Insurance
Corporate Rob Day King & Wood Mallesons Proskauer Rose Private Equity
Corporate Andrew Wingfield King & Wood Mallesons Proskauer Rose Private Equity
Delphine Currie King & Wood Mallesons Reed Smith Equity Capital Markets
Freshfields Bruckhaus Ben Spiers Simpson Thacher Corporate Deringer
Kashif Siddiqui Trowers & Hamlins Squire Patton Boggs Corporate
Private Equity Jonathan Pittal King & Wood Mallesons Stephenson Harwood Fund Formation
Private Equity Warren Allan King & Wood Mallesons Stephenson Harwood Fund Formation
Gabriel Boghossian King & Wood Mallesons Stephenson Harwood Private Equity
Shaun Lascelles Ashurst Vinson & Elkins Private Equity
Patrick Sarch Clifford Chance White & Case Corporate
Azlinda Ariffin- Olswang Withers Corporate Boromand
2. Finance
Name From To Discipline
John Markland Kirkland & Ellis Dechert Finance
DLA Piper Maurice Allen Ropes & Gray Finance (Consultant)
Richard Todd Mayer Brown Fieldfisher Securitisation
Michelmores Asset Finance Asheesh Das McGuireWoods (Bristol) Project Finance
Malcolm Hitching Herbert Smith Freehills Ropes & Gray Finance
Paul Hastings Debt Capital Markets Noel Hughes Sidley Austin (Associate) High Yield
Cravath, Swaine & Debt Capital Markets Alan Grinceri Moore Sidley Austin High Yield (European Counsel)
Finance Jen Yee Chan King & Wood Mallesons Simmons & Simmons Fund Finance
Osborne Clarke Richard Hathaway Trowers & Hamlins Finance (Senior Associate)
Ian Borman King & Wood Mallesons Winston & Strawn Finance
3. Insolvency/Restructuring
Name From To Discipline
McDermott Will & Alicia Videon Olswang Restructuring Emery
Jifree Cader Kirkland & Ellis Sidley Austin Restructuring
Yen Sum Linklaters Sidley Austin Restructuring
4. Financial Services/Funds
Name From To Discipline
Financial Services Nick Bradbury Herbert Smith Freehills Allen & Overy Regulatory
Burges Salmon Jeremy Bell Ashurst Investment Funds (Bristol)
Michael Halford King & Wood Mallesons Goodwin Procter Investment Funds
Shawn D’Aguiar King & Wood Mallesons Goodwin Procter Investment Funds
Patrick Deasy King & Wood Mallesons Goodwin Procter Investment Funds
Ed Hall King & Wood Mallesons Goodwin Procter Investment Funds
Ajay Pathak King & Wood Mallesons Goodwin Procter Investment Funds
Daniel Greenaway Pinsent Masons Mishcon de Reya Investment Funds
Jonathan Blake King & Wood Mallesons O'Melveny & Myers Investment Funds
Financial Services Nikki Worden Addleshaw Goddard Osborne Clarke Regulatory
Financial Services David Berman Macfarlanes Quinn Emanuel Regulatory
Financial Services David Calligan King & Wood Mallesons Reed Smith Regulatory
Financial Services Tamasin Little King & Wood Mallesons Reed Smith Regulatory
Financial Services Tim Dolan King & Wood Mallesons Reed Smith Regulatory
Cindy Valentine King & Wood Mallesons Simmons & Simmons Investment Funds
Walkers Financial Services Lucy Frew Kemp Little (Cayman Islands) Regulatory
Financial Services James Greig BNY Mellon White & Case Regulatory
5. Real Estate
Name From To Discipline
William Boss King & Wood Mallesons Addleshaw Goddard Real Estate
Simon Tager King & Wood Mallesons Addleshaw Goddard Real Estate
Michael Scott King & Wood Mallesons Addleshaw Goddard Real Estate
King & Wood Mallesons Luke Harvey Addleshaw Goddard Real Estate (Managing Associate)
Shoosmiths Jenny Dorricott Bircham Dyson Bell Real Estate (Senior Associate)
Thelma Marshall Fieldfisher Brecher Real Estate
William Naunton King & Wood Mallesons DLA Piper Real Estate
Cornelius Medvei King & Wood Mallesons DLA Piper Real Estate
Edward Page King & Wood Mallesons DLA Piper Real Estate
Jeremy Brooks King & Wood Mallesons DLA Piper Real Estate
George Burrha King & Wood Mallesons DLA Piper Real Estate
Bryan Pickup King & Wood Mallesons DLA Piper Real Estate
King & Wood Mallesons Omer Maroof DLA Piper Real Estate (Managing Associate)
Eleni Skordaki Dechert ES Real Estate Finance Real Estate Finance
Mayer Brown Jayne Backett Fieldfisher Real Estate Finance (Senior Associate)
Steven Cowins King & Wood Mallesons Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Funds
Marc Snell King & Wood Mallesons Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Funds
Michael Goldberg King & Wood Mallesons Greenberg Traurig Corporate Real Estate
David Fitzgerald King & Wood Mallesons Greenberg Traurig Corporate Real Estate
Matthew Priday King & Wood Mallesons Greenberg Traurig Real Estate
Clive Jones King & Wood Mallesons Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Tax
Freshfields Bruckhaus Jonathan Birks Kirkland & Ellis Real Estate Finance Deringer
David Vaughan BLM Shakespeare Martineau Real Estate Litigation
Richard Hopkinson- DLA Piper Simmons & Simmons Real Estate Woolley
King & Wood Mallesons John Danahy Squire Patton Boggs Real Estate (Managing Associate)
Matthew Cox Cripps TLT Real Estate
Jason Juden King & Wood Mallesons TLT Real Estate Litigation
6. Planning/Environmental
Name From To Discipline
Planning Brian Greenwood Winckworth Sherwood Clyde & Co Environmental
Stephen Webb King & Wood Mallesons Clyde & Co Planning
Eversheds Yohanna Weber Fieldfisher Planning (Principal Associate)
Vicky Fowler Berwin Leighton Paisner Gowling WLG Planning
Christine Hereward Howard Kennedy Pemberton Greenish Planning
DLA Piper Emma Harling-Phillips Pinsent Masons Planning (Senior Associate)
Patrick Robinson Herbert Smith Freehills Town Legal Planning
Clare Fielding Gowling WLG Town Legal Planning
Simon Ricketts King & Wood Mallesons Town Legal Planning
Mary Cook Cornerstone Barristers Town Legal Planning
King & Wood Mallesons Meeta Kaur Town Legal Planning (Managing Associate)
Herbert Smith Freehills Elizabeth Christie Town Legal Planning (Senior Associate)
7. Construction
Name From To Discipline
Jonathan Douglas Nabarro Eversheds Construction Litigation
Olswang Francis Ho Penningtons Manches Construction (Director)
8. Project Finance/Projects/Energy
Name From To Discipline
James Douglass King & Wood Mallesons Baker Botts Energy
Covington & Burling Graham Vinter Ex-BG Group Project Finance (Senior Of Counsel)
Richard Birks Eversheds DWF Projects
John Balsdon Herbert Smith Freehills Latham & Watkins Energy Finance
DLA Piper Jakub Kubicki Osborne Clarke Project Finance (Legal Director)
Neil Upton King & Wood Mallesons Squire Patton Boggs Energy
Ian Wood King & Wood Mallesons Squire Patton Boggs Energy
9. Commercial Litigation/International Arbitration/Corporate Crime
Name From To Discipline
Fraud Kambiz Larizadeh Addleshaw Goddard Akin Gump Commercial Litigation
Sean Curran Guney, Clark & Ryan Arnold & Porter White Collar Crime
Patricio Grane Labat Volterra Fietta Arnold & Porter International Arbitration
Bristows Richard Viegas Collyer Bristow Commercial Litigation (Senior Associate)
Commercial Litigation Craig Pollack King & Wood Mallesons Covington & Burling International Arbitration
Louise Freeman King & Wood Mallesons Covington & Burling Banking Litigation
Ex-Willis Towers Rachel Cropper-Mawer DAC Beachcroft Commercial Litigation Watson
Francesca Titus The Khan Partnership Fieldfisher Corporate Crime
Juliet Blanch Weil, Gotshal & Manges Juliet Blanch Arbitration International Arbitration
Iain Miller Bevan Brittan Kingsley Napley Professional Regulatory
Sue Thackeray Howard Kennedy Kingsley Napley Commercial Litigation
Susana Cao Miranda Goldman Sachs Linklaters Banking Litigation
Freshfields Bruckhaus Commercial Litigation Raj Parker Matrix Chambers Deringer White Collar Crime
Richard Cannon Janes Solicitors Mishcon de Reya Fraud
Commercial Litigation Shaistah Akhtar King & Wood Mallesons Mishcon de Reya Banking Litigation Fraud
Eversheds Regulatory Katie Vickery Osborne Clarke (Birmingham) Health & Safety
Rachel Couter King & Wood Mallesons Osborne Clarke Banking Litigation
Fraud Mark Hastings Addleshaw Goddard Quinn Emanuel Commercial Litigation
Banking Litigation Ioannis Alexopoulos Bryan Cave Signature Litigation International Arbitration
Simon Bushell Latham & Watkins Signature Litigation Commercial Litigation
Commercial Litigation Ian Gatt QC Herbert Smith Freehills Stewarts Law Advocacy
Akin Gump Matthew Bate Winston & Strawn International Arbitration (Munich)
10. Insurance/Reinsurance/Marine
Name From To Discipline
Marine Cargo Insurance Chris Pratts Waltons & Morse Clyde & Co Litigation
Simon Jones Cozen O'Connor DAC Beachcroft Insurance Litigation
David Knapp Clyde & Co DAC Beachcroft Personal Injury
John Goodman Clyde & Co DAC Beachcroft Personal Injury
Nigel Adams Clyde & Co DAC Beachcroft Personal Injury
Danielle Singer Clyde & Co DAC Beachcroft Personal Injury
Stephen Surgeoner Clifford Chance Dechert Insurance Litigation
Insurance Litigation Simon Gildener Bond Dickinson DWF Professional Indemnity
Keith Barrett Irwin Mitchell Fieldfisher Personal Injury
Campbell Johnston Julian Clark Hill Dickinson Shipping Clark
RPC Construction Christopher Butler Kennedys (Senior Associate) Professional Indemnity
11. Employment/Pensions/Incentives/Immigration
Name From To Discipline
Jonathan Fletcher Abbiss Cadres Addleshaw Goddard Incentives Rogers
Carl Richards King & Wood Mallesons Baker McKenzie Employment
DAC Beachcroft Joanne Owers Fox Williams Employment (Bristol)
Stephenson Harwood Amanda Banister DWF Pensions (Senior Associate)
Rebecca Thornley- asb law Ince & Co Employment Gibson
Jay Doraisamy Dentons Mayer Brown Pensions
Mission Media Helen Croft Mishcon de Reya Employment (General Counsel)
Michael Carter Addleshaw Goddard Osborne Clarke Incentives
Jon Heuvel Penningtons Manches Shakespeare Martineau Employment
Julia Jackson Julia Jackson Solicitors Wedlake Bell Immigration
12. IP/TMT/Data Protection/Commercial
Name From To Discipline
Mark Heaney Simmons & Simmons Allen & Overy IP Litigation
David Stone Simmons & Simmons Allen & Overy IP Litigation
Rob Bratby Olswang Arnold & Porter TMT
Richard Vary Nokia Bird & Bird Patent Litigation
PayPal Bird & Bird Guadalupe Sampedro Data Protection (Luxembourg) (London & Madrid)
Stephen Reese Olswang Clifford Chance Life Sciences
Justin Hill Olswang Dentons Patent Attorney
Dechert Renzo Marchini Fieldfisher Data Protection (Special Counsel)
James Walsh King & Wood Mallesons Fieldfisher Technology
Georgy Evans Fir Hill Consulting Harbottle & Lewis Trade Marks
Mark Lewis Penningtons Manches Kemp Little IT Litigation
Jeremy Schrire King & Wood Mallesons Keystone Law Commercial
Jonathan Riley Gowling WLG Memery Crystal Commercial
Kim Walker Bond Dickinson Shakespeare Martineau Commercial
Simons Muirhead & Simon Halberstam Hill Hofstetter Technology Burton
Alan Owens DWF Wiggin IT Litigation
Norton Rose Fulbright IP Les Christy Winckworth Sherwood (Consultant) Commercial
13. Competition
Name From To Discipline
Baker & McKenzie Jasper Helder Akin Gump International Trade (Amsterdam)
Clifford Chance Marie Leppard Euclid Law Competition (Senior Associate)
Linklaters Euclid Law Gavin Robert Competition (Consultant) (Senior Consultant)
Macfarlanes Stephen Kon King & Wood Mallesons Competition (Consultant)
Cameron Firth King & Wood Mallesons Macfarlanes Competition
King & Wood Mallesons Christophe Humpe Macfarlanes Competition (Brussels)
Tom Usher King & Wood Mallesons Macfarlanes Competition
Alan Davis Jones Day Pinsent Masons Competition
Marc Israel Macfarlanes White & Case Competition
Philipp Girardet King & Wood Mallesons Willkie Farr & Gallagher Competition
14. Private Client/Family/Charity
Name From To Discipline
Amanda Chapman Cripps Brecher Private Client
Charles Russell Alison Broadberry Edwin Coe Private Client Speechlys
Rosie Schumm Wedlake Bell Forsters Family
Catherine Bedford Lee & Thompson Harbottle & Lewis Family
Nicholas Westley Lee & Thompson Harbottle & Lewis Family
Mark Irving Lee & Thompson Harbottle & Lewis Family
Andrew Murray Bishop & Sewell Pitmans Private Client
Jeremy Arnold Waypoint Capital Withers Private Client
15. Tax
Name From To Discipline
Baker McKenzie Steve Labrum KPMG Tax (Principal Tax Advisor)
Heather Corben King & Wood Mallesons Forsters Tax
Laura Charkin King & Wood Mallesons Goodwin Procter Funds Tax
Sarah Priestley Shearman & Sterling Goodwin Procter Tax
McDermott Will & Russell Hampshire KPMG Emery Tax (Tax Principal)
Alex Barnes Irwin Mitchell Memery Crystal Tax
Stephen Pevsner King & Wood Mallesons Proskauer Rose Tax
Gareth Amdor King & Wood Mallesons Reed Smith Tax
Mergers/Office Openings
Eversheds and US firm Sutherland have agreed a tie-up. The new firm, Eversheds Sutherland, will go live on the 1st February 2017. CMS, Nabarro and Olswang have voted to merge. The new firm launches 1st May 2017. Fieldfisher merged with Hill Hofstetter, a 19-partner UK firm, in November. The merger has given Fieldfisher a presence in Birmingham for the first time. Arnold & Porter and Kaye Scholer have merged to become a 1,000-lawyer firm, with combined revenues of around $1bn. Holman Fenwick Willan and US firm Legge Farrow Kimmitt McGrath & Brown announced their merger late last year. Houston-based Legge Farrow will be Holman Fenwick Willan’s first US office. Atlanta-based Smith, Gambrell & Russell has expanded into Europe with the launch of 2 offices in the UK (London and Southampton) and Germany. Partner Ben Graham-Evans, who headed the aviation group at Blake Morgan, has opened a London office for the US firm.