Latham & Watkins has hired its second magic circle partner in a week, this time from Clifford Chance’s finance practice in Germany.
It brings welcome respite for Linklaters, which lost financial regulation partner Carl Fernandes to Latham’s London office last week, along with finance counsel Antongiulio Scialpi who joined the firm in Madrid.
Clifford Chance partner Thomas Weitkamp will become a partner in Latham’s Munich banking team. Weitkamp joined the magic circle firm in 2003 and made partner in 2012.
His clients include banks, direct lenders and private equity funds, which he advises on acquisition finance, leveraged buy-outs, restructurings and corporate loans.
Latham’s German office managing partner Oliver Felsenstein, who made the same move from Clifford Chance in 2015, said: “Our German finance practice is strategically focused on groundbreaking LBO and corporate finance transactions.”
“Thomas’ experience complements our existing top-tier banking, private equity, restructuring, and high yield practices. He is hard-working, dynamic, and entrepreneurial and someone who you want on your team, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the firm.”
Weitkamp joins a long list of Clifford Chance alumni now at Latham, as well as City private equity partners David Walker, Kem Ihenacho and Tom Evans in 2013/14. However, there have also been moves the other way, such as partner Luke Grubb who joined Clifford Chance’s technology practice last year in Singapore.
In Germany specifically, Clifford Chance hired White & Case corporate partner Markus Stephanblome last year, as well as Freshfields partner Anselm Raddatz in 2015 and King & Wood Mallesons Germany head Sonya Pauls in 2016.
The post Latham recruits second magic circle partner in a week appeared first on The Lawyer | Legal insight, benchmarking data and jobs.
