Dechert has boosted its private equity and infrastructure bench in London with the hire of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC’s assistant general counsel. 

Jarlath Pratt is set to join the firm’s corporate and securities practice as a partner after 12 years at GIC, a longstanding client of Dechert. Earlier, he was in-house at Barclays, having trained and qualified at leading London independent Travers Smith. 

In a statement on Thursday (26 June), Dechert said Pratt brought a wealth of experience across private equity, infrastructure and M&A. 

“Jarlath will accelerate the momentum of our growth in London and globally,” said Jay Alicandri, co-chair of Dechert’s corporate and securities practice. “His understanding of the private equity and infrastructure landscapes, coupled with his strong client relationships, make him a perfect addition.”

His hire will be viewed as a boon for Dechert’s private equity offering in London and follows the firm recruiting longtime Gibson Dunn & Crutcher PE partner Nick Tomlinson in February. In April, the firm also announced that PE partner Joseph Dennis will be joining the 170-lawyer office from HSF Kramer. 

Earlier this week, White & Case boosted its London PE M&A bench with the hire of Ropes & Gray senior counsel Nick Matthew and Laura Kayani, who have joined the firm as partners. Their move followed PE partner Helen Croke defecting to White & Case from Ropes earlier this month, while in April, secondaries partner Simon Saitowitz left the firm to join Weil. 

Other recent movers in the London PE space include investment funds specialist Nick Benson, who joined Baker McKenzie from Latham & Watkins this month.