Sullivan & Cromwell has made a twin partner hire in London from Kirkland & Ellis to boost its private equity, M&A and tax practices.
The incoming duo are Aprajita Dhundia and Ian Ferreira, with Dhundia joining the firm’s private equity and M&A practices and Ferreira joining the tax practice. Dhundia advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on a range of corporate transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures across multiple industries.
Ferreira is one of Europe’s leading transactional tax advisers, particularly in private equity and debt market-related deals. He regularly advises sponsors and investors on UK and international tax matters, including on funds and restructuring issues.
The arrivals continue a notable run of senior lateral hires this year in London for a firm previously known for its conservative approach to lateral hiring.
It has now taken on five partners since June, starting with the arrival of the global co-head of A&O Shearman’s financial services regulatory group, Barnabas Reynolds.
This was followed in September by the hire of renowned M&A and private equity specialist Mike Francies, who was lured out of retirement after stepping down as managing partner of Weil’s London arm in December 2024, and Kon Asimacopoulos, who joined from Kirkland as co-London managing partner and co-leader of S&C’s restructuring group.
However, it hasn’t been one-way traffic; in March, Gibson Dunn hired senior restructuring partners Chris Howard and Presley Warner alongside senior associates Simone Benton and Matthew Squire.
Commenting on the latest arrivals, S&C co-chairs Robert Giuffra and Scott Miller said: “[Dhundia and Ferreira’s] exceptional reputations, technical sophistication and deep experience in private equity and tax align perfectly with our strategic priorities and the needs of our financial sponsor clients around the world.
“Aprajita’s and Ian’s experience will enhance the expansion of our private capital practice and allow us to provide the best service to our clients in this exceptionally growing area.”
Dhundia joins after almost 13 years at Kirkland, having joined as an associate in 2013 and making partner in 2015. She previously spent five years at legacy SJ Berwin, including two years as a graduate solicitor.
Ferreira arrives after a decade as a partner at Kirkland. Prior to that he had stints at Weil Gotshal & Manges and Clifford Chance.
Asimacopoulos and fellow co-managing partner in London, John Horsfield-Bradbury, said: “As we continue to execute on our growth plan in London, we remain focused on attracting only the very best lawyers who will add value to our clients as key parts of our integrated global team.”
The duo said that Dhundia’s client-minded approach, technical strength and ability to manage complex deal dynamics make her an “outstanding” addition to the firm’s private equity team, while Ferreira’s ability to deliver innovative, commercially grounded solutions across the full spectrum of transactional tax matters will significantly enhance the firm’s global tax offering.
“Both Aprajita and Ian are standout practitioners whose arrival will further strengthen our position in the European market and put us in an even stronger position to support clients in their most complex, mission-critical matters,” they added.
Aprajita and Ferreira’s exits from Kirkland follow the US giant earlier this month adding competition duo Nafees Saeed and Chris Thomas from Weil in London.
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