Ashurst corporate partner Anthony Clare has become the latest partner to exit the firm’s London office for Stephenson Harwood.
The firm saw a steady stream of exits for Stephenson Harwood around five years ago. Clare’s former colleague and corporate partner Andrew Edge made the same move in 2010, and Duncan Stiles moved from Ashurst in 2009 to head up Stephenson Harwood’s corporate finance team.
Clare’s arrival at Stephenson Harwood also reunites him with employee incentives partner Barbara Allen who left Ashurst in 2011, while Nicholas Avery further joined Stephenson Harwood in 2010, though has since left.
New recruit Clare trained and qualified at Ashurst and helped the firm to open its office in New York in 1999. He was a resident in the city until 2001, returning to London a year later to be made partner.
In 2009, Clare was also elected to the firm’s management board but missed out on reappointment after the firm’s merger with Australian firm Blake Dawson in 2013.
The corporate partner was a key adviser to Ashurst client William Hill, acting for the betting group on its offer for rival Sportingbet in 2012. He also represented the company on plans to raise £375m in a rights issue to fund the acquisition of its online division one year later.
Recent clients of Clare’s include health services providers Cambian Group and Acacia Pharma, matching with Stephenson Harwood’s focus on the life sciences sector.