Olswang disputes partner Ashley Hurst is leaving the firm for Osborne Clarke, as the latter also recruits from Bond Dickinson.
Osborne Clarke has not made a lateral partner hire in London since Pinsent Masons partner Simon Hobday joined the firm over a year ago.The last time it made a double partner hire in the UK was at the start of 2015 when it recruited Taylor Wessing partner Andrew Goodman and New Quadrant Partners’ Stuart Janaway to relaunch its private client offering.
The latest two recruits are part of a push by Osborne Clarke to boost its data privacy offering, with both Hurst and Bond Dickinson partner Will Robertson advising companies in this sphere.
London-based Hurst has been a commercial litigation lawyer and solicitor-advocate at Olswang for over a decade. He became a partner in the firm’s media litigation team over four years ago, having joined in 2004 from legacy Lovells where he also trained.
During his career, he has advised News International in relation to the phone hacking scandal, including drafting the News International compensation scheme. He also worked with ITV in its dispute with STV over the costs and revenue sharing arrangements within the network, with Olswang being a key panel adviser to the television channel.
While Hurst will be based in London, Bond Dickinson partner Will Robertson will work in the firm’s Bristol commercial team. Robertson has spent his entire legal career at Bond Dickinson, joining legacy Bond Pearce in 2002 as a trainee and becoming a partner in 2011.
The Lawyer revealed in February that Olswang is in the market for a merger, with new chief executive Paul Stevens understood to have outlined plans at the partnership conference in January.
He was appointed in May, just after Cooley hired private equity partner Stephen Rosen and tax partner Natasha Kaye.
The firm’s London office then saw several members of its management team leave including head of strategic development Nigel Rea and business development and marketing director Michelle Elstein. However, the firm has since hired Equiniti’s Kevin Bye and Parabis’ Brian Gribben to take on the roles, with both joining last year.