Hogan Lovells hires litigation partner quartet from Kramer Levin in Washington

Group were part of litigation boutique Robin Russell, which merged with Kramer Levin in 2022

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Hogan Lovells has added a four-strong team of disputes partners from Kramer Levin in Washington DC to bolster its commercial litigation practice in the US.

The incoming team include Gary Orseck, William Trunk, Jennifer Windom and Matthew Madden, bringing with them decades of litigation experience across sectors such as healthcare, financial services, private capital and professional services.

Des Hogan, global leader of the firm’s litigation, arbitration and employment practice group, said: “Nationally prominent in a number of areas of business critical litigation, [the quartet] add significant firepower to our litigation team – already one of the largest and strongest in the country.”

Hogan added that the hires follow a record year for its litigation practice and will help underpin further growth.

Orseck arrives after three years at Kramer Levin, having previously founded Washington litigation boutique Robins Russell Englert Orsek Untereiner & Sauber where he worked for 21 years before it combined with Kramer Levin in 2022. He was co-managing partner of Kramer Levin’s Washington office and chaired the firm’s litigation practice, specialising in a range of civil cases and investigations before the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

Trunk followed a similar path as Orsek, having also been at Robins Russell before it merged with Kramer Levin. He joined Robins Russell in 2011 after clerking in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, having started his legal career at Ropes & Gray. He has tried cases in federal and state courts and has argued appeals in the US Circuit Court of Appeals and represented parties before the Supreme Court.

Windom was co-managing partner of Kramer Levin’s Washington office alongside Orsek and also co-head of its healthcare practice group. She joined Robins Russell in 2008 from Latham & Watkins. She has experience across civil litigation, securities and shareholder litigation, government investigations and enforcement actions.

Madden, meantime, had been at Robins Russell since 2008, his first private practice role after spending a year clerking in the US Court of Appeals. He specialises in trial, enforcement and appellate matters involving bankruptcy and investment-related litigation, securities class actions, auditor defence and commercial cases.

Orsek said: “[Hogan Lovells’] platform is a perfect fit for our practice – with its global footprint, national prominence in litigation and regulatory counsel, and a robust corporate practice. We look forward to working with our colleagues here to bring clients the full range of services they need when they are facing business critical litigation and enforcement.”

The group’s departure from Kramer Levin comes ahead of the New York firm’s planned merger with Herbert Smith Freehills.

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