RPC has hired Ince & Co’s London head of corporate, James Channo, as a partner along with a three-strong team.

Channo’s arrival from troubled London-based Ince adds additional equity capital markets (ECM) capability to London-based RPC’s corporate team.

He specialises in AIM and main market listings, secondary fundraisings as well as M&A and other corporate work. Moving across with him are a senior associate and two newly qualified lawyers.

Channo is the first partner known to have left Ince & Co since Pragnesh Modhwadia, the former head of its parent company, Axiom Ince, was suspended by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for suspected dishonesty in mid-August.

While Axiom Ince was unaffected by the ruling and can continue to trade, the decision cast a shadow over international shipping practice Ince & Co, which was sold out of administration to regional UK firm AxiomDWFM in April.

Commenting on Channo’s arrival, RPC’s head of corporate Karen Hendy, said: “We have advised on a number of significant public market transactions this year. Having James on board allows us to further expand our existing ECM and public company offering. James’ experience, relationships and reputation, including his international capability, will also allow us to continue to support clients across the firm as their business’ evolve and grow.”

Channo joined Ince in February 2022 from the London office of US firm Locke Lord, where he spent just over a decade, first as head of corporate and subsequently, from January 2018, as office managing partner.

He said RPC had “created a business that allows me to retain my current breadth of practice, presenting a natural fit not only for my practice but for my clients – there’s cultural synergy”.

Axiom Ince, meanwhile, has rarely been out of the headlines this year. Having bought Ince in April it then acquired national UK defendant insurance firm Plexus Law, also out of administration, in July.

In the wake of Modhwadia’s suspension by the SRA, the firm secured a £65m High Court freezing order against him.