Move of the week
Latham & Watkins partner Martin Cotterill has joined Taylor Wessing’s technology, media and communications team. Cotterill worked at Latham for 13 years, in which time he was also the global technology practice group co-chair. As a commercial lawyer, he has worked on multiple technology and outsourcing transactions.
UK
London
US firm Holland & Knight has opened an office in London with the acquisition of transportation finance firm Clark Ricketts. Six Clark Ricketts lawyers will join Holland & Knight in the takeover, including founding partner Robert Ricketts.
Weil Gotshal & Manges has hired Herbert Smith Freehills’ (HSF) London private equity head James MacArthur. He was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis for four years before joining HSF in 2010.
Angus Finnegan has joined Taylor Wessing as head of communications from Reed Smith.
DLA Piper has appointed Ross McKean as a partner in its London data protection team. McKean joins from Olswang, where he was head of the firm’s data protection practice.
Charles Russell Speechlys has hired Forsters family law head Shona Alexander as a partner.
Yann Alix has joined Ashurst as a partner in its City resources team. Alix was previously a senior associate at HSF.
Fox Williams has strengthened its employment and immigration offering with the appointment of James Ware Schoenfeld Stephenson partner Sacha Schoenfeld.
Patent firm Gill Jennings & Every has boosted its engineering and physics, IT, software and electronics practice with the recruitment of Peter Arrowsmith from the partnership of Cleveland.
South
Foot Anstey has hired Eversheds head of local government commercial litigation Mark Rhys-Jones as the firm expands its commercial litigation offering in Bristol.
Pitmans partners Andrew Peddie, Nicola Kirk and Owen Reynolds have all joined Gateley’s Reading office. Peddie was corporate head of Pitmans and brings with him two additional lawyers. Kirk was a corporate recovery partner, while Reynolds joins as head of the private client offering.
North
Former DWF partner Jonathan Crew has joined Progeny Corporate Law in Leeds. Sabina Dzudza has also joined in London as a senior counsel after a two-year career as an associate solicitor at Blake Morgan.
Scotland
DLA Piper partner Callum Sinclair has joined Burness Paull in Glasgow as head of the firm’s technology sector group. He will also become head of its commercial division, replacing David Goodbrand.
Brodies has expanded its corporate and commercial team with the appointment of Pinsent Masons partner Derek Stroud.
Europe
Mayer Brown has strengthened its global banking and finance practice and energy group with the addition of Olivier Mélédo as a partner in Paris. He was previously counsel at Orrick Rambaud Martel.
Dentons is to open its third German office with the hire of three partners from Norton Rose Fulbright. Norton Rose German boss and corporate partner Alexander von Bergwelt will lead the team, becoming managing partner of Dentons’ Munich office.
Stephenson
Harwood has strengthened its global real estate practice with the appointment of HSF partner Pierre-Nicolas Sanzey. He will launch a real estate department in the firm’s Paris office.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer tax partner Antoine Colonna d’Istria has exited for Norton Rose Fulbright. The move follows the departure of five Freshfields partners for Orrick Rambaud Martel, including finance partners Hervé Touraine and Emmanuel Ringeval.
US
The Miami office of K&L Gates has added Michael Levinson as a partner in its healthcare practice. Levinson joins K&L Gates from Hogan Lovells, where he was counsel.
Bijal Vira has joined Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton as a corporate finance partner, based in New York. Vira joins from Winston & Strawn.
Asia-Pacific
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) global arbitration head Kent Phillips has joined Hogan Lovells’ Singapore joint law venture Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee following a five-year stint at BLP’s Singapore office.
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has appointed Shagoofa Rashid Khan as a partner in its Mumbai office. She will be leading the firm’s funds practice and joins from a head of legal role at IDFC Alternatives.
Nabarro has hired the managing partner of Gadens’ Singapore office, Marc Rathbone, in a bid to strengthen its projects practice in Asia.
Clifford Chance’s former Sydney managing partner Mark Pistilli has set up a new corporate boutique just months after stepping down. The new firm is called Pistilli Simmons.
Zhong Lun is launching two new offices in the US thanks to a mass hire from legacy Dacheng, which merged with Dentons last year. The team joining Zhong Lun will be led by former US chief Xiao Ling, and partners Lee Matthews and Rowena Lin.
Promotions
Gowling WLG’s first UK partner promotions as a merged firm are Birmingham-based lawyers Chris Towle and Michael Twining.
Bond Dickinson has made up four lawyers to its partnership. Richard Collins and Andrew Parsons joined the disputes resolution team, while projects lawyer Jackie Gray and construction lawyer Ian Atkinson were made up too.
Shalina Crossley and James Storke are set to become partners in Lewis Silkin’s employment team, while Sam Pennington will be a commercial and corporate partner at the firm.
HSF has promoted nine lawyers to global counsel roles.
Bristows has appointed Theo Savvides as a joint managing partner, working alongside Mark Watts.
London-based Philip Hertz has been appointed as Clifford Chance’s new global head of restructuring and insolvency.
Bevan Brittan has promoted three senior associates to partner in Bristol, Leeds and London: commercial property lawyer Lyndon Campbell, planning lawyer Kathryn Lawrance and procurement specialist Matthew Mo.