Newswatch · Europe
The week's lateral moves, promotions, offices, mergers and pay across London, Frankfurt, Paris, sourced and checked.
This week · 5–11 October 2026
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Michavila Acebes Abogados has hired lawyer Rocío Guerrero, who comes from Ceca Magán. She will take charge of the direction and development of a strategic advisory area for companies; the headline describes it as the labor practice.
SourceExpansión — Jurídico
Armin Kühne joins Fish & Richardson's Munich office as a principal, a role equivalent to salary partner. He joins from Noerr, where he spent ten years, most recently as associate partner. He has SEP and life sciences litigation experience.
SourceJUVE Patent
Baker Tilly is strengthening its Corporate/M&A practice in Frankfurt. Carlos Robles y Zepf (47) is joining as a partner from Mayer Brown. The hire is described as part of a broader expansion of the firm's transaction advisory work.
SourceJUVE
Novara launched a global disputes and regulatory practice led by newly hired partner Tony Andriotis, who will divide his time between Tokyo and New York. He joins from DLA Piper, where he spent six years and led the international arbitration practice in Japan.
SourceLaw.asia
Two Freshfields New York private equity partners are leaving the firm, less than three years after joining from Latham & Watkins. Private capital co-head Neal Reenan and US private capital head Ian Bushner arrived from Latham in March 2024. They are understood to be moving to Debevoise.
CMS Francis Lefebvre announced the arrival of Christophe Pourreau, a conseiller d'Etat en disponibilité and former director of tax legislation at the economy and finance ministry. He joins as partner in the tax department, advising corporate and executive clients on domestic and international tax.
Squair is strengthening its IT and personal data and its intellectual property, media and entertainment teams in Paris with the arrival of Nina Khalfi as partner (associée).
SourcesLe Monde du Droit — NominationsDécideurs Juridiques — Nominations
Weil has hired a senior finance partner in London. The hire is described as expanding the firm's funds and capital solutions offering. The partner's name is not given in the text.
Luigi Verga and Giulio Politi will join Jones Day as partners in the Corporate division, working from the Milan office. Both come from Freshfields. Verga's practice focuses on private equity and public and private M&A.
SourceTopLegal — Lateral
Broseta has hired Víctor Fernández as partner in procesal y concursal. He has acted as independent expert in major restructuring processes, including those of Celsa and Duro Felguera.
SourceExpansión — Jurídico
Dorean Avocats is strengthening its real estate law department with the arrival of Franck-Olivier Klein as partner (associé).
A&O Shearman hired Band 1 secondaries partners Gabriel Boghossian and Sarah de Ste Croix as global co-heads, expanding its private capital offering. Their previous firm is not stated.
SourceA&O Shearman — news
Jeantet welcomes Luca Chevallier as a new partner in its intellectual property department. The excerpt does not state his previous firm.
Mérimée Avocats, founded in 2021 by Pauline Borczuch, announced the arrival of Sarah Madi as a new partner (associée) to create its IP/IT department. She previously practised at Reed Smith, Simmons & Simmons and Blanche Avocats.
SourcesDécideurs Juridiques — NominationsLe Monde du Droit — Nominations
Tobias Bauerfeind is joining CMS in Frankfurt as a partner. He is a financial markets law specialist. The title describes him as a senior associate at Ashurst; the summary names his previous firm as Ashurst Perkins Coie.
Lieke van der Velden joins Loyens & Loeff as a corporate M&A partner, per the page title. No further details are provided, including her previous firm and date.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
HSF Kramer has added a team head from Sidley in London, its second London lateral this week. The addition is the latest hire into the firm's life sciences practice. The individual is not named in the item.
LCA announces Francesca Villa as partner in its Corporate M&A department in the Rome office. She comes from Chiomenti, where she was of counsel. She has over fifteen years of experience in private equity and M&A transactions, domestic and cross-border.
SourceTopLegal — Lateral
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has lost a tax partner to Proskauer. It is the latest legacy Cadwalader partner to leave since the firm's merger went live at the beginning of July.
A&O Shearman has poached DLA partner Constanze Krenz (41), described as the most prominent figure in DLA Piper's European patent practice. After a number of departures she steered the practice into the UPC era and represented Dyson in its case against Dreame.
SourceJUVE Patent
Maximilian Kind is joining Noerr and will be part of the team in its Hamburg office. He is a Rechtsanwalt (lawyer) who was previously at Freshfields. The headline says Noerr is strengthening its private equity practice.
A UK corporate partner at Weil Gotshal is set to join Paul Weiss. The exit follows news of an impending four-partner finance team departure in London.
Rafael Sebastián and María Noguera, both from Uría Menéndez, founded Noguera Sebastián, an independent boutique based in Madrid. Its practice covers corporate transactions, financing, company law, real estate and financial distress situations.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges announced that Dr. David Jansen will join its Frankfurt office as a partner in the Private Equity practice, expanding German capabilities across financial regulation, asset management, private equity transactions and secondaries.
Franklin announced the arrival of Arnaud Moussatoff as partner in its restructuring team. He is accompanied by Allan Ghosn, an associate (collaborateur).
Opinion piece. Lateral hiring is described as reaching new heights, with guarantees passing $40m. Lexington's Moray McLaren argues the real choice for partnerships is not how much to pay stars but what it means to be a co-owner.
SourceThe Global Legal Post
Zadal has added José Magán Ayuso as a partner in its banking and finance area. The department now has three partners, expanding its advice on national and international financing operations.
SourceEconomist & Jurist
Employment lawyer Dr. Christian Driessen-Rolf has been an equity partner at Heuking in Frankfurt since October. He moved from McDermott Will & Schulte, where he had been a partner since 2019.
SourceJUVE
Andersen Iberia has integrated Martín & Parés Abogados to strengthen its procesal practice in Catalonia. Eva López Parés and Víctor J. Martín join as Procesal partners, together with a team of four other professionals.
SourcesLawyerpressConfilegal
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (HSF Kramer) has hired Marie Manley as a life sciences regulatory partner in London. The source gives no prior firm.
SourceLegal Desire
King & Spalding is expanding its Paris practice by recruiting Julie Chapuy as partner (associée). She specialises in complex disputes, notably financial and corporate, and joins with her team. The source gives no prior firm.
SourcesLe Monde du Droit — NominationsDécideurs Juridiques — Nominations
WilmerHale made two senior hires in London to rebuild its City disputes bench after the recent exit of a large team of partners. Jeremy Kosky, Clifford Chance's UK commercial disputes head, will join as disputes practice head. The headline says the second hire comes from Cooley.
Philippe Guibert and Alexandre Eberhardt join Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier as partners (associés), accompanied by their four collaborateurs. The source gives no prior firm, practice area or location.
SourcesDécideurs Juridiques — NominationsLe Monde du Droit — Nominations
Proskauer has taken on a new partner, Edouard de Rancher, in its tax department. The source gives no prior firm, location or date.
SourcesLe Monde du Droit — NominationsDécideurs Juridiques — Nominations
Haynes Boone has added Louise Woods as a partner and Chair of International Disputes in its London office, strengthening the firm's international arbitration and energy disputes capabilities.
SourcePulse 2.0 — Law
DLA Piper appoints Carmen Redmann (35) as partner in its Finance practice in the Vienna office, effective 1 October 2026, per a press release. She comes from Taylor Wessing. The firm is expanding its Finance practice in Austria.
SourceExtrajournal (Austria)
María Ángeles Ugalde, until now Of Counsel, joins Gaona's partnership, which reaches 20 equity partners. The decision was taken at a general partners' meeting held in Málaga. It strengthens the firm's presence in Extremadura, where it has an office in Badajoz.
SourceLawyerpress
Law firm SBL announced Johanna Segalis has been made associée (partner) in its tax department, alongside Philippe Schmidt, the firm's founding partner.
KWR Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte promotes five counsel into the partnership, including the head of the energy team. The firm says this strengthens public business law, construction and real estate, procurement, dispute resolution and energy. Sarina Illo Ortner, on the energy team since 2014, is among the new partners.
SourceExtrajournal (Austria)
Covington has promoted 15 new lawyers to its partnership. Marc Norman takes the partnership role in the firm's Dubai office. Covington chair Doug Gibson said the new partners practice across a range of areas critical to clients.
Clifford Chance has decided to concentrate its transactional practices in the Madrid office, while the litigation and intellectual property area will continue operating from Barcelona.
SourceExpansión — Jurídico
Stephenson Harwood is in talks over a merger with Taylor Wessing, following the latter's breakaway from the transatlantic firm now known as Winston Taylor. Taylor Wessing became an independent European firm in June after its UK arm merged with US firm Winston & Strawn.
SourcesJUVELaw.com — The American LawyerLaw.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)Legal Business
Legal Cheek published exclusive data on what the UK's top law firms are paying newly qualified solicitors in 2027. The excerpt names no firms and gives no figures.
SourceLegal Cheek
Wim Dejonghe, former global senior partner of Allen & Overy, has co-founded Falcon, a new AI-native law firm built on a flat-fee model. He argues technology will accelerate 'the death of the billable hour'. Falcon plans to charge a flat €1,000 for review of six high-friction contracts.
Perry Shwachman, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer for non-contentious insurance, was instructed in 2008 to act on the formation of a new insurance carrier aspiring to become a leading retirement services company. The transaction proved pivotal for him and Sidley Austin.
SourceLegal Business
KPMG appointed Konstantin von Busekist, described as a company veteran, as new global head of legal services, replacing outgoing legal head Stuart Bedford. Bedford joined KPMG in 2023 from Ahren Innovation Capital, where he was general counsel for just over a year.
SourceLegal Business
Freshfields announced Michelle Holford as Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer. She has more than 25 years' experience and previously held senior roles at Freshfields, including Head of Client Solutions and Head of Marketing and Business Development for London. She will lead global marketing and business development strategy.
SourceFreshfields — news
CMS has begun rolling out cuts to its business services teams in the UK as it focuses on greater use of tech. The firm aims to 'redesign' those teams to meet client demand for faster, tech-enabled advice. The source gives no headcount.
According to Juve, the 100 largest commercial law firms in Germany generated more than €11 billion in the last financial year. Freshfields remains revenue leader. Gleiss Lutz and Latham recorded double-digit growth rates.
SourcesLTO — Kanzleien & UnternehmenBluesky — Big Law search
Loyens & Loeff Belgium is ranked in the Legal 500 EMEA 2020.
Loyens & Loeff reports excellent results in the Chambers Global 2020 rankings.
SourcesLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
Loyens & Loeff reports top scores in the Legal 500 2019 rankings.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
Loyens & Loeff reports excellent results in the Chambers Europe 2019 rankings.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating Loyens Loeff affirms its leading position with the Chambers Partners Europe 2023 rankings. No further detail is given.
SourcesLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating Loyens Loeff earns top rankings in the Chambers Partners HNW guide 2023. No further detail is given.
SourcesLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating a top ranking in the Chambers Global 2024 rankings. No further detail is given.
SourcesLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title referring to Loyens Loeff in the Legal 500 2024 EMEA rankings. No further detail is given.
SourcesLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemapLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating recognition in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth guide 2024 for the seventh year in a row. No further detail is given.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating a top ranking in Chambers Europe 2025. No further detail is given.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating a top ranking in Legal 500 EMEA 2025. No further detail is given.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
The firm's own site posts a title stating a top ranking in the Chambers Partners High Net Worth guide 2025. No further detail is given.
The firm's own site posts a title stating top rankings in the Chambers Global guide 2026. No further detail is given.
The firm's own site states it is shortlisted for the Chambers Europe Awards 2026. No categories or further detail are given.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
Loyens Loeff's own site states that Chambers Europe 2026 confirms top tier rankings for the firm. No further detail is given.
SourceLoyens & Loeff — sitemap
Legal 500 released results of its latest UK legal market research. Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Linklaters scored the most top-tier rankings in London. The research assessed over 12,000 submissions and contacted nearly 180,000 referees.
SourceLegal Business
Title states Weil receives recognition across the London office in Legal 500 UK 2026. No further details provided.
The Legal 500 site was taken down after a negative review fiasco. One barrister was described as 'adequate but disorganised and indecisive', while another was said to offer 'nothing of note'.
SourceLaw Society Gazette
Legal 500 took its site down for "maintenance" after negative reviews were mistakenly published alongside its top lawyer rankings. The publisher evaluates law firms, solicitors and barristers across 100 countries. The article quotes the phrase "It's a s**t show".
SourceCity A.M.
Legal 500 apologised after publishing very harsh reviews of barristers because of an error in a website update, according to Legal Cheek.
SourceLegal Cheek
Legal 500 published its UK Bar 2027 rankings on 1 October. Some barrister profiles carried unflattering client testimonials, and the site was then 'down for maintenance'. Legal 500 says an upload error published 'a small amount of testimonial information' incorrectly.
SourceLawFuel
Bradley announced that William S. "Buddy" Cox, a partner in its Birmingham office, was elected to the American College of Environmental Lawyers Board of Regents. He was inducted as an ACOEL Fellow in 2022 and will serve a two-year term on the 2026-2027 board.
SourceAttorney at Law Magazine
Stanford Law School chose HSF Kramer for its AI pilot program. The initiative aimed to identify how AI can facilitate new services and ways of generating value for clients.
SourceExpansión — Jurídico
Freshfields advised HELM AG on the sale of its finished dosage form business, HELM Pharmaceuticals, to Noucor. The team was led by Partner Steffen Kleefass (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), with partners from Antitrust, Tax, Commercial/IP and Employment Law, plus principal associates and associates across Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg and Düsseldorf.
SourceFreshfields — news
Freshfields advised Banner Ridge on acquiring limited partner interests representing about $280 million of capital commitments in True Green Capital Fund III, L.P., via a tender offer to existing investors. The transaction closed in September 2026. The team was led by Partner Ivet Bell; Partners Sarah Katz and David Nicolardi advised on tax and regulatory matters respectively.
SourceFreshfields — news
Clifford Chance is advising BT on its acquisition of TalkTalk. Freshfields and DLA Piper are advising on the sell side. BT buys TalkTalk's consumer and wholesale operations out of administration for around £400m.
SourceLegal Business
Andersen advised Reinsberg Group, BHM Group's vehicle for healthcare investment, on acquiring the companies of Grupo Tedisel, a maker of medical equipment for intensive care units, critical care areas, hospital wards and operating rooms. The team was led by Federico Belausteguigoitia, partner and co-head of Mercantil/M&A.
SourceLawyerpress
Freshfields advised Phoenix Tower International (PTI) on the Spanish-law aspects of a $6.5 billion multi-jurisdictional financing. The financing is described as the largest of its kind for a privately held telecom tower company. It will refinance existing debt and fund future investments and acquisitions.
SourceLawyerpress
Paul Weiss and Debevoise & Plimpton have taken the lead roles as Schneider Electric agrees to acquire PTC for $22.6bn in an all-cash acquisition. Debevoise is leading on the buy side. Paul Weiss head Barshay is on the sell-side team.
SourceLegal Business
The U.K. firm laid groundwork for an IPO but later abandoned the idea. More than half of its equity is now owned largely by partners who have left. The question is how to solve this without creating a bigger problem.
Görg, led by Hamburg partner Jan-Henric M. Punte, advised Vivonio group on selling all shares in fm Büromöbel GmbH to Orlando Capital. The seller, Vivonio Furniture GmbH, is insolvent.
SourceExtrajournal (Austria)
Paul Hastings (Europe) LLP advised Blackfuel, an AI compute infrastructure and inference platform, from its creation and on its European launch. The team is led by partner Xavier Petet and Of Counsel Valentin Morichon, with US support and a London partner on financing.
Quinn Emanuel's settlement with Union Bank is one of at least eight fee disputes the firm has pursued against clients or former clients since late 2023.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader advised Andera Partners on the acquisition of the Sotralu group, a European maker of high-end aluminium joinery solutions. The team spanned corporate, tax, restructuring and financing, with partners Stéphane Huten, Philippe Druon and Alexander Premont named. Sotralu was founded in 1978 and has about 200 employees.
Gide advised the Caisse de Retraite complémentaire du Personnel Navigant Professionnel de l'Aéronautique Civile (CRPN) on the sale to Brownfields of the Seine Saint-Germain office building in Issy-les-Moulineaux. The Gide team on the real estate aspects was Antoine Mary, associé, and Cécile Régnier, collaboratrice senior.
CMS Francis Lefebvre advised the management of Sotralu group on its acquisition by Andera Partners. The deal marks Bridgepoint's exit from Sotralu. The CMS team was led by counsel François Bossé-Cohic and included corporate/M&A and tax lawyers, among them partner Philippe Gosset.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader advised EDF on a buyback offer for perpetual super-subordinated social bonds, with €150 million nominal repurchased, and a new €1 billion perpetual super-subordinated green bond issue. White & Case LLP advised the banks. The team was Sharon Lewis and Vincent Fidelle (partners) and Amandine Guillin (associate).
Ashurst Perkins Coie advised lenders including Proparco and the African Development Bank on limited-recourse financing of two solar PV plants with battery storage in Chad, developed by Qair. Team led by partner Mark Barges and counsel Cédric Gamambaye Dionmou. Kreich Avocats advised on Chadian law.
Mills & Reeve kept 26 of 29 autumn qualifiers. The summary gives a figure of 90%.
SourceLegal Cheek
Gide advised the bank syndicate on Orange's multi-tranche bond issue of €4.1 billion.
Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier advised Hivest Capital Partners on the sale of Rail Europe to Omio Group.
DLA Piper advised Omio on its acquisition of Rail Europe.
Gleiss Lutz advised Hornbach Baumarkt AG on acquiring six store sites from insolvent German DIY chain Hellweg, per a press release. The six stores are due to open as new Hornbach locations in spring 2027.
SourceExtrajournal (Austria)
Morgan Lewis advises Biolevate on its Series A fundraising round.
McDermott Will & Schulte is advising Schneider Electric on its voluntary public takeover offer for Shelly Group.
Clyde & Co advised Esyasoft Holding Ltd on its acquisition of 100 per cent of the share capital of Project Corvalis TopCo Limited. Through subsidiaries, the target indirectly owns Correla Limited and the wider Correla group in the United Kingdom.
SourceThe Oath (Middle East)
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader is advising Activa in connection with its reinvestment in Arche MC2.
Goodwin is advising Libeo in connection with its acquisition by Shine.
McDermott Will & Schulte is advising Shine in connection with its acquisition of Libeo.
Eversheds has kept 31 of its 38 autumn qualifiers, a retention rate of 82%.
SourceLegal Cheek
Wim Dejonghe, described as an ex-A&O senior partner, has launched an AI-native law firm. The Belgium-based start-up will charge clients a flat fee for contract reviews, with work checked by a lawyer.
SourceThe Global Legal Post
Clifford Chance is advising Covage Infra Concessions Holding and Covage Infra Concessions on the refinancing of their debt, combining floating-rate and fixed-rate instruments.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader is advising Groupe VALOREM on a refinancing of nearly EUR220 million for a multi-asset portfolio of 192 MW in France.
McDermott Will & Schulte advises Mérieux NutriSciences on its acquisition of Certified Group.
Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati, Studio S.L.A. & Partners, Studio Legale Sutich Barbieri Sutich and Deloitte Legal advised on the sale of a majority of Ruini Marco Group to Mollo. Pirola Corporate Finance was exclusive financial advisor to the selling shareholder.
SourceTopLegal
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader assisted Credito Emiliano (Credem) in updating and renewing its multi-currency commercial paper programme of one billion euros. The programme was originally set up in 2023 to diversify funding sources. The title also names Chiomenti, but the summary does not describe its role.
SourceTopLegal
PowerCo and Gotion High-tech are expanding their partnership, in place since 2020, with three joint ventures in Spain, Slovakia and Morocco to build a regional LFP battery supply chain in Europe. PowerCo is investing about 470 million euros by 2030 in the Slovakia and Morocco sites. Clifford and Dentons are named in the headline.
SourceJUVE
Law.com reports that former A&O and Freshfields lawyers have launched AI-native European firms. Falcon's founders argue the billable hour rewards time spent rather than problems solved, making it nearly impossible for traditional firms to embrace AI-driven efficiency.
CMS Francis Lefebvre advised Auchan Retail in litigation over a plan de sauvegarde de l'emploi arising from a collective agreement of 19 March 2025. By a ruling of 2 October 2026, the Conseil d'État confirmed the procedure's validity. Laurent Marquet de Vasselot led the team.
A&O Shearman advised Soitec on a €500 million issue of cash and/or share-settled convertible bonds (ORNANEs) due September 2033. Settlement took place on 25 September 2026. The Paris-based team was led by partner Olivier Thébault.
White & Case advised the banking syndicate on Soitec's €500 million ORNANEs due 2033 and the simultaneous delta share placement via accelerated bookbuilding. The issue was completed on 25 September 2026. BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs were global coordinators.
KWR advised listed Porr AG as issuer's counsel on its first hybrid convertible bond, nominal €150 million, offered to institutional investors via accelerated bookbuilding (Reg S only) on 22 September 2026. Dorda Rechtsanwälte (Vienna) and Linklaters (Frankfurt) advised the joint global coordinators and bookrunners. Christian Temmel and Christian Knauder-Sima led for KWR.
SourceExtrajournal (Austria)
Confirmed items are announced by the firm or reported as fact by the cited outlets. Unconfirmed items are reports the firms have not confirmed. Every item links to its sources; we add nothing the sources do not say.
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