Dechert is opening in Chicago and Dallas following the arrival of a group of more than 20 partners from McDermott Will & Schulte in the US.
The incoming group includes a US complex litigation and accounting defence practice, led by Mike Poulos, who was previously in charge of global strategy at McDermott and a member of its executive committee. He joins as vice chair and global head of strategy.
Other new partners extend Dechert’s coverage in transactions, IP and employment. Aside from the new Chicago and Dallas offices, the new partners will be based across Dechert’s existing locations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC.
The group’s move comes less than six months after McDermott Will & Emery’s merger with Schulte Roth & Zabel went live. All of the team were previously part of the legacy McDermott business.
Mark Thierfelder, Dechert’s co-chair, said: “We are thrilled to have this marquee group who have worked together for many years join Dechert. Mike and all the partners could not be a better addition to the firm as we grow our stellar litigation, corporate, intellectual property and labour and employment practices and continue to take a sector lens to address our clients’ complex business and legal needs.”
In addition to Poulos, the partner arrivals include Seth Friedman and Tim Hoeffner, who will co-chair the firm’s new accounting defence practice. LA-based trial lawyer Bill Donovan will chair the firm’s class action practice, while Rachel Cowen joins as co-chair of the labour and employment practice alongside existing Dechert partners Nicolle Jacoby and Philippe Tomas.
Also joining is Christina Martini, who will co-chair the firm’s IP practice alongside existing chair Kassie Helm, while corporate and securities partner Joanna Lin and senior counsel Wilson Chu will help launch Dechert’s corporate and M&A practice in Dallas.
Poulos said: “We joined Dechert because we felt aligned with firm leadership on our approaches to strategic growth, the firm has experienced impressive performance, and we see opportunities to grow on the Dechert platform. In my role as global head of strategy, I also look forward to helping the firm build on its recent success and continue to grow in other strategically important areas as well.”
Poulos arrives after almost eight years at McDermott, having previously spent close to 30 years at DLA Piper.
Likewise, Friedman spent almost eight years at McDermott having been part of the team that originally moved over from DLA Piper with Poulos. Friedman spent just under four years at DLA Piper as co-chair of its professional liability practice. He previously worked in-house as deputy general counsel at accounting giant BDO and assistant GC at KPMG. He started his career at Latham & Watkins. Hoeffner was also part of the same McDermott and DLA Piper team.
Donovan, meanwhile, arrives after seven years at McDermott, having previously been head of litigation at Cooley in LA. Prior to that he was a partner at DLA Piper, a senior litigation counsel at MCI, a trial attorney at the US Department of Justice and an associate at legacy Wilmer Cutler & Pickering.
Cowen was also part of the McDermott and DLA Piper moves, and before that was of counsel at Paul Hastings, among other roles. Martini followed the same path, having spent close to 25 years at DLA Piper before joining McDermott.
Linn arrives after more than a decade at McDermott, having previously been an associate at K&L Gates and Cooley.
Earlier this month, Dechert hired private equity partner Jarlath Pratt from Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC in London.
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