Simmons & Simmons has boosted its employment litigation offering across London and Dublin through a partner hire and the acquisition of a local boutique.
Partner Vicky Wickremeratne has rejoined the firm in London following stints in-house at Millennium Capital Partners and at legacy Allen & Overy, leaving the firm late last year after its merger with Shearman & Sterling.
The firm has also launched a dedicated employment practice in Ireland through the acquisition of Dublin employment boutique CC Solicitors, in the process bringing on firm founder Colleen Cleary as a partner alongside senior lawyers Regan O’Driscoll and Bernadette Daly.
Laurence Renard, partner and head of Simmons’ international employment practice, said the hires would enable the practice to advise a wider pool of clients.
“Our international practice will gain immensely from these two partner hires, who will service influential global clients,” Renard added.
Wickremeratne’s practice focuses on litigation including discrimination, whistleblowing, trade secret and business protection claims as well as workplace investigations and strategic people risk management. She has counselled clients across the financial institutions, TMT and professional services sectors.
Wickremeratne joined Allen & Overy in 2019, having practised for a decade at Simmons, including four years as a partner. She broke up her time at Simmons with a six-year stint at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, where between 2007 and 2013 she was a managing director and senior counsel, overseeing the bank’s employment law group for Asia-Pacific.
Meanwhile, Cleary’s practice covers the full spectrum of employment law advice, and includes expertise in the financial institutions, TMT and healthcare and life sciences sectors. A former chair of the Employment Law Association of Ireland, she will lead Simmons’ Dublin employment practice.
Her arrival follows the firm hiring funds partner Declan O’Sullivan in Dublin in March from Dechert while last year it hired banking lawyer Kate Curneen from DLA Piper.
The office, which was launched in 2018 as part of the firm’s growth strategy focused on the asset management and investment funds sector, has grown to 12 partners and 18 further lawyers, including the latest hires.
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