Europe
Competition & EU regulatory expert Katia Merten-Lentz has joined the Brussels office of European law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse as a partner.
Ms Merten-Lentz, whose clients include Air France, Bonduelle, Groupe Roullier and Invivo.specializes in EU, Belgian and French food law. She joins the London-headquartered firm from independent French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel.
Belgian law firm Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick has expanded its partnership with the promotion of two lawyers from its real estate and energy practices.
Alexandre Emond becomes a partner having joined the firm’s real estate practice in 2003, while energy specialist Damien Verhoeven becomes a partner having joined the firm in 2000.
Ralf Thaeter has joined Anglo-Australian law firm Herbert Smith Freehills to lead its German presence.
Mr Thaeter, formally a senior corporate partner at Gleiss Lutz, becomes the firm’s first partner in Germany ahead of its office opening in Frankfurt later this year.
UK
Global law firm Norton Rose has boosted its ranks with the hire of litigation and dispute resolution partner Kirsty Hick.
Ms Hick joins the firm’s London office from CMS Cameron McKenna, and becomes the firm’s fourth high profile insurance litigation hire in the last fifteen months, following the recruitment of Patrick Foss and Chris Zavos from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Liam O’Connell from CMS Cameron McKenna.
International law firm Pinsent Masons has expanded its life sciences team with the appointment of four new partners from Canadian firm Fasken Martineau’s London office.
The team of Paul Ranson, Allistair Booth, Stuart Richards and Charles Waddell boast expertise in life sciences IP, regulatory and transactional work.
They join the Pinsent Masons team led by life sciences patent litigator Clare Tunstall.
Mr Ranson is a well-known figure in the life sciences world, having previously headed the healthcare group at Simmons & Simmons whilst Charles Waddell is a corporate finance specialist. Allistair Booth and Stuart Richards cover corporate, commercial and non-contentious IP matters in the sector.
They will bring the total number of lateral hires announced by Pinsent Masons in 2013 to seven.
Tracey Hemingway has joined the pension team of UK firm Shoosmiths as a partner, along with documentation specialist Steve Phillips.
The appointment follows the recent arrival of partner Paul Carney from Addleshaw Goddard.
Ms Hemingway and Mr Phillips, both based at Shoosmiths' Solent office, come from the in-house pensions legal team at Mercer.
Birmingham-based law firm Anthony Collins has hired of Rob Adams as its first head of risk and compliance.
The Lawyer reports that Mr Adams’ appointment marks the firm’s 17th hire over the past nine months. The appointment follows the hire of IT head Paul Harker in July 2012.
India
Anisha Patnaik has joined Indian law firm K Law as a partner in Mumbai, becoming the firm’s first lateral hire at partner level.
Ms Patnaik was most recently a director at First Light Accelerator where she worked on investments in early stage companies engaged in providing modern energy access to the underserved, reports ALB. Her areas of practice include private equity and venture capital investments, acquisitions and joint ventures, and general corporate commercial advisory.
Ms Patnaik was also the India legal counsel for Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund, and associate partner at law firm Thakker & Thakker.
Office openings
British Virgin Islands law firm Forbes Hare has opened in London and bagged an experienced corporate lawyer to boost its new office.
Forbes Hare’s London office is headed by former Walkers partner Catherine Ross with ex-Maples and Calder lawyer Karen Gilbert joining as a senior associate in the firm’s corporate and funds practice.
Ms Gilbert previously practised for almost five years in the corporate department of Maples and Calder’s BVI office where she worked alongside current Forbes Hare partner and global head of corporate, Jose Santos, before he left Maples to set up the corporate practice at Forbes Hare in 2010.
The firm said in a statement that it plans to make further additions to its London team in the next few months as it builds its presence in the City.
Pittsburgh-based law firm K&L Gates has opened its fourth office in Texas as well as hiring corporate partner Charles Strauss.
The Houston office will be the firm’s 25th in the US and 47th worldwide.
Mr Strauss joins from the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski, where he was a partner since 1991 and served as head of the firm’s securities practice group.
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