Specialist disputes firm Hausfeld has made up three partners – two in London and another in Washington DC – as it targets competition, commercial and human rights work. 

Aqeel Kadri and Duran Ross were elevated in London while Amanda Lee-DasGupta got the nod in Washington DC. The tally is a slight decrease on last year’s count of four partner promotions – two on each side of the Atlantic.

The firm has also promoted three lawyers to counsel alongside nine promotions to senior associate and eight to senior or senior staff attorney, with Hausfeld saying the round saw 14% of its lawyers elevated globally. 

The promotions push Hausfeld’s partner total to 46, some 37% of which are women, while across the firm women make up more than 45% of its lawyers. 

Kadri is a competition litigator who specialises in follow-on litigation claims such as the high-profile Trucks Cartel litigation and the firm’s 2022 claim against Amazon. 

His promotion comes a year after he was appointed as a part-time criminal judge, or Recorder, on the South-Eastern Circuit, which includes London. The former White & Case associate joined Hausfeld in 2021 as counsel after six years at the US firm, having also been seconded to the Competition & Markets Authority. 

A former IT professional, Kadri’s experience also includes pre-Brexit secondments at the European Court of Justice and the European Commission. 

On the commercial disputes side, solicitor-advocate Ross, who specialises in litigation and arbitration, was elevated for broad-based business practice including contractual disputes, insolvency claims and Commercial Court litigation.

Ross, like Kadri, enjoyed a previous career as a graphic designer alongside his legal studies. He qualified at Lewis Silkin, where he worked for four years. He joined the firm in 2017 and was promoted to counsel in last year’s round, having previously worked at magic circle firm Linklaters. 

Human rights lawyer Amanda Lee-DasGupta was the sole US promotion this year, thanks to a practice focusing on international environmental law, mass torts and resource damages such as water contamination. She is dual-qualified in Florida and Washington DC and currently represents a class of US-resident Sudanese refugees who allege that BNP Paribas laundered billions for Sudan in violation of US sanctions. 

Meantime Mary Sameera Van Houten Harper was made up to counsel in Washington DC alongside Kyle Bates in San Francisco and Sofie Edwards in London. Sameera Van Houten Harper was promoted for her broad class action practice, including human rights cases, while Bates’ claimant practice includes acting for state and local government bodies. 

Edwards, an Anglo-Australian competition litigator, was promoted after two years at Hausfeld, drawing on experience at Slaughter & May and Australia’s King & Wood Mallesons.

Rounding out the promotions were nine lawyers elevated to senior associate across Germany, the Netherlands and the UK and a further eight to senior or senior staff attorneys in the US. 

Having been recognised for promoting diversity in 2022, London managing partner Lianne Craig said the firm was deeply committed to promoting lawyers with diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

“Aqeel, Duran, and Amanda each have distinguished themselves as excellent lawyers, [with] an outstanding commitment to our firm values and culture,” she said. 

The firm has also seen senior lawyers exit recently, with competition partner Anna Morfey departing for Ashurst last month and former Brussels head, Laurent Geelhand, leaving for DLA Piper in August.