In and Out

Asia

Pittsburgh-based law firm Reed Smith has appointed Jason Toms as a partner in its Hong Kong shipping group.
Mr Toms and associate Joyce Cheung join the firm -- known as Reed Smith Richards Butler in Hong Kong -- from the local office of English practice Stephenson Harwood. With expertise in wet and dry shipping matters charter party, transport and shipping disputes and claims and collisions, Mr Toms has acted for ship owners, underwriters, charterers and freight forwarders.

Meanwhile, offshore law firm Harneys has expanded its Asia team with the addition of partner Lisa Pearce and associate Leanne Tunney to its funds team. Ms Pearce, previously with Ogier and Simmons & Simmons in Hong Kong, specialises in unit trusts and has advised both trustees and managers on retail and private offerings. Ms Tunney was previously with Bedell Cristin in Jersey before moving to Hong Kong. Harney’s Hong Kong office now has 18 principal fee earners and three paralegals covering transactional, restructuring and litigation practice areas.

Oil and gas specialist lawyer Merrick White has joined the Singapore office of Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding as partner. Mr White joins from magic circle firm Clifford Chance, where he was also a partner.

Global law firm Norton Rose has appointed corporate, finance and restructuring lawyer Andrew Lucas as a partner in its Bangkok office. Mr Lucas joins from the Beijing office of US law firm Baker & Mackenzie, where he was a partner.
 
Europe

German law firm Luther has appointed Peter Fabry to its Munich tax law team. Mr Fabry -- who specialises in national and international tax organisation for succession planning and also for complex investment and financing structures -- was previously one of the managing directors in the tax division at German consultancy company RölfsPartner.

Luther has also boosted its Frankfurt office by recruiting Sibeth partner Susanna Fuchsbrunner as a partner in its mergers and acquisitions team, and banking expert Christoph Schauenburg – formally of US firm Cleary Gottlieb -- to its finance team.

Financial markets transactions specialist Oliver Kessler is set to join German law firm Oppenhoff & Partner ahead of the firm opening in Frankfurt next year. Mr Kessler is currently managing partner of the Frankfurt office of international law firm Sidley Austin, and will join Oppenhoff from the beginning of next year. Oppenhoff M&A partner Ronald Meissner will, among others, become a member of the initial Frankfurt team.

London-based magic circle firm Linklaters has named Pieter Riemer the firm’s regional managing partner for Western Europe. M&A specialist Mr Riemer takes over from Jean-Pierre Blumberg, who has reached the end of his term. Mr Riemer will sit on the London-based firm’s executive committee, while also continuing his active client practice in Amsterdam.

Leading Italian firm NCTM has boosted its Milan corporate department by recruiting a team from Simmons & Simmons, led by Riccardo Papetti, who joined the London-based global practice in 2002, becoming a partner in 2006. M&A and private equity specialist Mr Riccardo will join NCTM as an equity partner. Also in the team is Michaela Castelli, an expert in capital markets, corporate governance and compliance and on advising listed issuers, who will join the firm’s Rome office as ‘of counsel’ with associates Laura Cinquini and Stefano Mascia.

Anglo-US firm DLA Piper is beefing up its presence in the Mediterranean region with the addition of capital markets expert Michael Bosco as head of the firm’s equity capital markets practice in Rome. Mr Bosco -- who joins from Shearman & Sterling – has recent experience in advising on initial public offerings, privatisations, high yield and leveraged lease financings, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures, as well as representing sovereign wealth, private equity and real estate investment funds.  

North America

Karyn Jefferson and Mary Lane have joined New York-headquartered law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp as the firm aims to enhance its employment and bankruptcy capabilities. Ms Jefferson joins the New York office as ‘of counsel’, becoming a member of the labour and employment practice group. Ms Lane joins the firm’s Los Angeles office as ‘of counsel’ in the bankruptcy and corporate and business transactions groups. Prior to joining MS&K she was a partner at Los Angeles-founded Loeb & Loeb.

Africa

French law firm Adamas has beefed up its presence in West Africa with a partner hire and the formation of a strategic alliance in Casablanca with local firm Figes. Philippe de Richoufftz will develop Adamas’s industry and infrastructure sector activities, focusing on public-private partnership matters in Morocco and the surrounding region. The appointment compliments the new alliance with Figes, which is directed by leading Moroccan PPP lawyer Mohamed El Mernissi.