Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has hired Kirkland & Ellis private equity partner Nick Appleton, the latest of a series of lateral hires in London.
Appleton is the second Kirkland partner to cross over to Simpson Thacher in recent months, following the arrival of funds partner Joanne Mak.
He leaves Kirkland after eight years, having made partner in 2023. Appleton’s practice incorporates the structuring of private equity transactions, leveraged buyouts, commercial contracts and general corporate advisory matters.
His deals include advising Advent on the acquisition of a majority stake in Reckitt’s Essential Home, representing KKR and Kito Crosby on the sale to Columbus McKinnon, and acting for Apollo on the purchase of a stake in BP Pipelines TAP.
More recently, he advised Finastra on the sale of its treasury and capital markets business unit to funds advised by Apax Partners and Strategic Value Partners, as well as on a public offer to shareholders of Nordic Paper Holding, involving a share sale to Coniferous Bidco in 2024.
“Nick is an extremely talented and highly regarded lawyer with a wealth of experience advising top-tier financial sponsors on strategically significant M&A deals,” said James Howe, co-head of Simpson Thacher’s European M&A group.
Geoff Bailhache, co-head of Simpson Thacher’s European M&A group, said Appleton’s expertise “incorporates a broad range of capabilities, and we’re confident he’ll be an asset to our European corporate practice”.
Prior to joining Kirkland, he trained and qualified at Addleshaw Goddard, while also undertaking secondments at Bain Capital – a key client of Kirkland – and HSBC, earlier in his career.
Simpson Thacher prides itself on its work in the private equity sector, targeting clients across the full PE lifecycle. The firm has handled more than $1.5trn of PE-related deals from 2020 to 2024 alone, according to Bloomberg. It counts Nordic Capital and Oakley Capital, among others, as clients that Appleton has previously advised.
European managing partner Wheatly MacNamara said: “Nick will complement our robust and thriving European M&A practice, and we welcome him to the firm.”
Simpson Thacher has made a series of lateral partner hires in London in recent months. Alongside Mak’s recruitment, the firm also added a funds specialist from Macfarlanes in September, Sam Brooks. In July, securitisation partner Rick Hanson joined the finance and capital markets group.
Fellow Kirkland alumni, Bryan Robson and William Gwyn, joined from Sidley Austin in January, while Paul Hibbert and Emma Serginson moved over from Weil Gotshal last year, as did Linklaters’ Dan Peach. The hires replenished Simpson Thacher’s London leveraged finance bench following the exit of senior partners Ian Barratt and Sinead O’Shea to Kirkland in 2023.
Appleton’s move follows Kirkland & Ellis’s recent decision not to publicise its 2025 partner round, which was estimated to have elevated at least 225 partners.
Ex-Kirkland restructuring partner Kon Asimacopoulos, meanwhile, joined forces with former Weil Gotshal & Manges London managing partner Mike Francies at Sullivan & Cromwell’s London office in September.
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