UK
John Bennett, the long-time corporate departmental managing partner at London-based Berwin Leighton Paisner, has been named as the firm’s international business partner.
Mr Bennett has chaired the firm’s China business group and USA business group, and the initial priority of this new position will be focussed on these important regions.
As he takes over the new role, Mr Bennett will relinquish his role as corporate departmental managing partner - a position he has held since the merger which established the firm in 2001.
It is hoped the appointment will grow the firm’s cross-border and multi-jurisdictional business through the introduction of new clients and development of our relationships with existing clients.
London law firm HowardKennedyFsi has announced the capture of partner Rajan Shori and solicitor Graham Fife.
Mr Shori joins HowardKennedyFsi from Manches where he made partner in 2008 and was head of real estate finance. He is joined by Mr Fife who joined Manches in 1986 from Nabarro Nathanson.
HowardKennedyFsi is the product of merger between Howard Kennedy and Finers Stephens Innocent in February 2013.
The firm has already hired affordable housing partners Susan Hall and Frances Leung from Devonshires, and business crime partner Dan Hyde from Cubism Law earlier this year.
Fixed fee legal advice provider Riverview Law has added internationally renowned corporate crime barrister Mark Rainsford QC of 33 Chancery Lane to its team.
Mr Rainsford - former head of litigation at niche City firm Bivonas – will bring extensive experience in corporate crime, civil and criminal fraud, proceeds of crime and international asset recovery work. He took silk in 2006.
In line with the Riverview Chambers model, Mark Rainsford will also continue to practise at 33 Chancery Lane.
Top healthcare lawyer James Larmour has joined Freeth Cartwright’s Stoke office.
Mr Larmour joins the firm as a partner direct from Anglo-US firm Hogan Lovells, where he has been instrumental in the success of the market leading infrastructure and project finance team. With particular expertise in the healthcare sector, he headed up the London team’s practice in this area.
City law firm RPC has grown its finance team with the hire of highly-regarded associate Adam Chamberlain.
Mr Chamberlain – who joins from London rival Macfarlanes – follows other recent hires from the likes of Freshfields and Linklaters. The team will be further beefed up in May with the arrival of funds partner Anthony Shatz from SJ Berwin.
Mr Chamberlain qualified at Addleshaw Goddard where he worked for a wide range of banks and institutions on syndicated and bi-lateral property and development financings.
RPC has also announced that leading IT expert Mark Critchard is to join the firm’s IP and technology practice as a partner from DLA Piper.
Mr Critchard brings 20 years' experience in the sector, including over a decade as a non-contentious information technology and telecoms partner at DLA Piper in London. Prior to this, he was at Garretts for five years and before that he worked as in house counsel at Hasbro Europe for two years. He originally trained and qualified at Baker & McKenzie.
Europe
French patent litigation boutique Véron & Associés has strengthened its partner ranks with the internal promotion of Amandine Métier.
The firm had already added one new partner this year with the capture of Florence Jacquand, a lateral hire with twelve years experience in intellectual property working for a niche firm specialised in industrial property law.
Benelux law firm Stibbe has announced the arrival of White & Case partners Stefan Odeurs and Dries Hommez, The duo, who specialise in private equity and corporate transactions, join the firm later this spring and will give Stibbe one of the largest corporate & finance teams in Belgium.
Mr Odeurs joined White & Case as a partner in 2004. He is a commercial deal maker in the private equity sector.
Mr Hommez was made partner at White & Case in 2009. He focuses on private equity, general M&A, and generic corporate work.
At Stibbe, the new partners will work closely with fellow corporate partners Pascal Vanden Borre and Jan Peeters and finance partners Ivan Peeters and Wouter Ghijsels. The combined team now comprises of 8 partners and 27 associates.
US
Houston law firm Baker Botts has shaken up its litigation department with the appointment of partner David Sterling as its new chair.
Mr Sterling assumes management of the department from Robb Voyles who has been department chair since March 2005.
Mr Voyles will remain a member of the firm’s executive committee and will continue full time with his commercial litigation practice.
Litigation partner Jennifer Smith remains deputy department chair.
Offshore
Offshore law firm Appleby has appointed senior funds and finance specialist George Bashforth as head of directorship services for Appleby Trust (Cayman) Ltd.
The appointment marks the second senior appointment announced in as many months for the firm’s growing funds and finance practice. It also comes soon after the announcement last month that funds and finance partner Ian Gobin had joined the legal team in Cayman from Walkers.
Mr Bashforth, previously a senior vice president at MaplesFS, starts in the new post on 2 April.
Global
Global law firm SNR Denton has promoted four lawyers to partner level across its global network.
The promotions see Helen Simpson (Milton Keynes, dispute resolution) and Zoë Thirlwell (London, restructuring and insolvency) become partners in the UK, while Catherine Beckett (Dubai, corporate) and Sadaf Buchanan (Muscat, banking and finance) have been made partners in the Middle East.
The promotions will take effect from 1 May 2013.
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