Top 10 US firm Sidley Austin has hired international deals lawyer Michiel Visser from White & Case to boost its M&A and private equity practice.

Visser joins as a partner in New York where his practice will focus on a range of cross-border M&A and corporate work, with a particular focus on Middle Eastern clients including sovereign wealth funds, government-related entities, family offices and companies. He advises on acquisitions, asset sales, joint ventures, co-investments, restructurings and corporate governance. He is dual-qualified in New York and England.


Yvette Ostolaza, chair of Sidley’s management committee and a member of its executive committee, said: “Michiel’s hire marks a significant entry into the Middle East market for Sidley. This expansion will enhance our disputes, international arbitration and trade practices, as well as our strong cross-border M&A and private equity transaction work across the globe.”

Visser spent almost two decades at White & Case, becoming a partner in 2012 and working across its New York, Paris, Dubai and Doha offices.

Brian Fahrney, co-leader of Sidley’s global M&A and private equity practice, said: “Michiel is recognised as a go-to lawyer in the Middle East and beyond and has served as a trusted advisor to his clients on many high-profile international matters. Over the years, he has built strong client relationships in the Middle East and elsewhere that will enhance our practice and our platform.”

Visser’s arrival is the M&A and private equity practice’s third hire in as many months, following the arrival in September of former SoftBank Vision Funds senior in-house counsel Daniel Elefant in the firm’s San Francisco office and the arrival in August of Justin Macke from Jones Day in New York. In July, the firm also hired M&A partner Juan Delgado in Miami from Morrison & Foerster and Tony Downes in London from Proskauer.

Meantime this month, Sidley lost energy and infrastructure partner Ron I. Erlichman to Linklaters in New York.

In other M&A and private equity-related moves, magic circle firm Allen & Overy earlier this month hired private equity partner Joshua Birenbaum from Winston & Strawn in Los Angeles to further strengthen its US West Coast coverage. Birenbaum is the firm’s 48th US lateral hire in the past two years.

And last month Kirkland & Ellis hired London M&A partner Toby Parkinson from Clifford Chance, where he was co-head of its global infrastructure group.