Vargas Partners Newswatch: Big Law news, all regions

Mintz names Mike Fantozzi managing member to succeed Bob Bodian

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Mintz has named Boston corporate chief Mike Fantozzi to succeed Bob Bodian as managing member after 18 years, during which revenue rose to $780m.

Mintz has named Boston office managing member and corporate division head Mike Fantozzi to succeed Bob Bodian as the firm's managing member, effective 1 July 2027, according to Mintz. Law.com reported the change after Bodian's 18 years running the firm. Bodian becomes Chair.

Bodian's 18 years took Mintz revenue from $280m to $780m

Bodian became managing member 18 years ago as the first leader appointed from outside Boston, a New York native running a firm built in Massachusetts (Boston Globe). Over his tenure Mintz's gross revenue rose from $280m in 2009 to $780m in 2026, a 179% increase, while profits per equity partner climbed from $835,000 to $2.75m (Mintz). The firm now runs eight offices and more than 600 attorneys.

His move to Chair fills a seat vacant since founder Bob Popeo died in 2023 (Boston Globe). In the role Bodian will keep his litigation practice while concentrating on client relationships, lateral recruitment and strategic growth (Bloomberg Law).

Fantozzi returns the top job to Boston and to corporate work

Fantozzi has spent three decades at Mintz and led the Boston office for more than a decade (Boston Globe). He heads the firm's Corporate, Tax, Private Client and Immigration division, with a practice focused on corporate and transactional work for life sciences, healthcare, technology and financial services clients (Mintz). His appointment returns the top job to Boston and to the corporate side of the firm.

Cravath historically treated lateral hiring as a rarity (Above the Law). That began to change in March 2023, when it entered London by hiring leveraged-finance partners Korey Fevzi and Philip Stopford from Shearman & Sterling, later adding Linklaters finance partners Chris Medley and Rohan Saha (LawFuel). In January 2025 it hired Paul Weiss antitrust co-chair Andrew Finch, a former deputy at the DOJ antitrust division (The American Lawyer). The Aiello group extends that pattern into high-value corporate work.

Cravath also added a salaried non-equity partner tier in 2023, a break from pure lockstep that now numbers roughly five to ten partners and underpins its lateral recruiting (HHF Legal Search).

Weil has lost about 30 partners in 2026 across several rivals

Weil has lost roughly 30 partners globally since the start of 2026, with exits including David Avery-Gee and Sarah Flaherty to Sullivan & Cromwell, Murray Cox and Stephanie Srulowitz to Simpson Thacher, Neil Devaney to Akin and Chris Machera to Paul Weiss (LawFuel). Within five days of Aiello's departure, Weil named Kyle Krpata and Michael Lubowitz co-chairs of its corporate department.

According to LawFuel, the firm said it has "long believed an ambitious growth strategy is in the firm's best interest" and intends to "accelerate execution of that strategy going forward," and Weil is reportedly weighing options that could include a possible combination while publicly denying formal merger talks. Aiello's exit leaves Weil "reeling and relieved," with incoming executive chair Ramona Nee, who takes over on 1 January 2027, gaining room to build private equity and recruit (Bloomberg Law).

M&A hiring intensifies as 2025 deal volumes carry into 2026

The hire centers on board-level M&A for public companies and financial sponsors, Cravath's traditional stronghold, where it reports roughly $3.8M revenue per lawyer (PYMNTS) and has advised on more than 800 M&A transactions worth over $4 trillion in the past decade (Cravath). Law firms posted one of their strongest M&A years on record in 2025 and expect 2026 to be as active or more.

That demand has drawn competing moves across the US legal market. Latham, Simpson Thacher, Willkie and O'Melveny added M&A and private equity partners in January 2026, poaching from firms including Weil, Kirkland and Cravath (PYMNTS). Cravath has itself been a target: Davis Polk hired a Cravath civil litigator, and Latham and Paul Weiss each took former Cravath partners in 2023 (Bloomberg Law). Commentators called the exchange the two firms "just trading partners at this point" (Above the Law).

A firm that built its partnership by promotion from within has made a six-partner lateral hire from one rival's corporate department, added a non-equity tier, and opened in London through lateral recruiting. The targets have been practice areas where deal volume is rising: corporate M&A, antitrust and leveraged finance.

Sources: Law.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz), Pulse 2.0, Bloomberg Law, Above the Law, LawFuel, The American Lawyer, HHF Legal Search, LawFuel, Bloomberg Law, PYMNTS, Cravath, Bloomberg Law, Above the Law

Cooley adds Menno Goedman from DOJ National Security Division to DC litigation practice

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cooley announced on October 5, 2026 that Menno Goedman has joined its global litigation department in Washington, DC, from DOJ's National Security Division, where he prosecuted national security offenses with an emphasis on sanctions and export controls. Cooley's DC litigation practice has added six partners since 2025.

Confirmed · United States · Washington DC

Sources: Cooley — media feed

Clifford Chance hires Greenhill CFO Mark Lasky as Americas CFO in New York

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Lasky joined Clifford Chance on Monday in New York from investment bank Greenhill, where he had been chief financial officer since 2023. The headline describes the role at Clifford Chance as Americas CFO.

Confirmed · United States · New York

Carlton Fields elects new CEO after two decades

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Carlton Fields elected a new CEO after two decades. The firm has turned down merger opportunities in the past and is eyeing Texas for growth. The new CEO's name is not given in the item.

Confirmed · United States · Washington DC

Sources: Law.com — The American Lawyer, Attorney at Law Magazine, Bluesky — Big Law search

Buchalter combines with Griffith Davison in Texas

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Buchalter's combination with construction boutique Griffith Davison adds three Texas offices and builds a four-office statewide platform as construction and real estate work expands in the state.

Buchalter has combined with Griffith Davison, a Texas construction, real estate and commercial litigation boutique. The deal strengthens its Dallas office and adds offices in Fort Worth, Austin and Houston, The Texas Lawbook reported on 2 October. The Los Angeles firm now has nearly 40 lawyers in Texas.

Griffith Davison's founders take Texas leadership roles at Buchalter

Scott Griffith, who founded Griffith Davison in 1993 and is Board Certified in Construction Law, now chairs Buchalter's Construction Litigation Group, and co-founder Kimber Davison, dual Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate and Construction Law, becomes Texas Regional Managing Partner across all four offices, Buchalter said. Partners Jason L. Cagle, Tyler Frankel, James Hicks, Ryan W. Lione, J.P. Neyland and Brian J. O'Toole joined with roughly 17 additional attorneys and professional staff.

Both founders are Baylor Law graduates, and the firm had grown to four Texas offices by the time of the deal (Griffith Davison). The entire leadership moved as a group rather than disbanding. Buchalter absorbed the full firm instead of making selective lateral hires.

Latham, Weil and Paul Hastings expanded in Texas before the combination

Buchalter, founded in Los Angeles, now has more than 685 lawyers across 10 states and 17 cities. It opened a Chicago office in January 2025 with 25 attorneys from Robbins DiMonte, and added nine lawyers to its Nashville office from Barton LLP in August 2026.

The Texas move comes as national firms expand across the state. Weil, Gotshal & Manges opened an Austin office in February 2026, its third in Texas, anchored by IP litigation co-head Jeff Homrig (Weil). Paul Hastings has leased a new Dallas office and is relocating its Houston space, having more than tripled its Texas headcount in a year and expecting over 100 lawyers in the state (Paul Hastings). Latham & Watkins opened in Dallas after reportedly paying a Kirkland partner about $20 million to lead the launch (The Texas Lawbook).

Construction and real estate work expands on Texas data-center demand

The combination centers on construction law, commercial real estate and commercial litigation (Buchalter). That work is expanding in Texas on data-center construction, corporate campus building and relocations, concentrated in the DFW metroplex and the Austin-San Antonio corridor (Texas Construction Estimating). Chambers notes Texas real estate development has continued despite high interest rates because long-term confidence in the market holds (Chambers and Partners).

Legislation has reinforced the local nature of the work. Texas enacted construction reforms in 2025, including SB 841, effective 1 September 2025, which expanded construction trust fund protections, along with a rule requiring disputes over Texas property to be litigated in Texas (Peckar & Abramson). Those rules keep construction disputes in-state, where firms with Texas offices and board-certified construction lawyers handle them.

Texas legal demand rose while firm headcount grew slowly in 2026

Corporate lawyers in Texas were busier on M&A and capital markets in the first half of 2026 than in any six-month period since 2021, per Citi data released to The Texas Lawbook. Demand for legal services rose about 2 percent and corporate-firm headcount grew 2.6 percent over the same period, with fees charged up by double digits.

Against that demand, headcount has grown slowly, a gap group combinations like this one address directly (The Texas Lawbook). Griffith said the firm joined for a national platform (Buchalter). That makes it a boutique seeking scale as national firms expand around it.

The combination gives Buchalter offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and Houston in a single move, a four-office platform built on construction and real estate practices at the point those practices are expanding fastest in the state.

Sources: The Texas Lawbook, Buchalter, Griffith Davison, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Paul Hastings, The Texas Lawbook, Texas Construction Estimating, Chambers and Partners, Peckar & Abramson, The Texas Lawbook

Choate hires 11-lawyer Kasowitz litigation team in New York

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

An 11-lawyer litigation team led by Sheron Korpus has left Kasowitz for Choate's New York office, breaking the firm's 120-year single-office model.

An 11-lawyer complex commercial litigation team led by Sheron Korpus has left Kasowitz for Choate Hall & Stewart's New York office, the New York Law Journal reported on 1 October. Korpus, a Kasowitz litigation partner of more than 20 years, is now co-head of business and financial litigation at Choate.

The group is sizeable. Choate said it brings six partners, including Korpus, Seth Davis, Seth Moskowitz, Andrew Schwartz, Jordan Beltz and Sarah Gibbs Leivick, counsel David Max and Alycia Regan Benenati, and associates Elliott Wolf, Emily Lowe and Daniel Furey. The team's matters include the antitrust case Comcast Corp. v. Behrend at the U.S. Supreme Court and a $420 million Teva Pharmaceuticals securities settlement.

Choate breaks a 120-year single-office Boston model for New York

Choate built its reputation on staying small. The firm has run a single-office Boston model for more than 120 years, cutting its practice areas from about 30 to five and concentrating on complex trial litigation, private equity and M&A, and financing and restructuring. That discipline produced figures Mestel reported as profit per equity partner of roughly $2.3 million and 184 percent revenue growth.

A standing New York litigation team is a departure from that model. Choate framed the hire as "accelerating its growth in New York," with co-managing partner Rob Kole citing the team's record on consequential litigation and Korpus calling the firm's transactional strength "a natural fit."

Kasowitz loses another New York litigation group after a year of exits

The Korpus departure follows a run of senior losses. Kasowitz Benson Torres shortened its name to Kasowitz LLP in June 2025 after co-founder Dan Benson left, amid broader senior attrition addressed by Marc Kasowitz, who told Law.com the firm had "experienced some attrition — all law firms do."

Other litigators have gone in different directions. New York boutique Pallas Partners hired Kasowitz partners Michael Hanin and Jill Forster; litigation partner Jonathan Algor moved to Lowenstein Sandler's New York office; and Herschmann, Bowen and Benson launched their own firm. The exits sit alongside litigation over the firm's finances: a December 2025 suit by Eric Herschmann alleged mismanagement, falling profits and undisclosed debt taken on to fund partner distributions, and a second former partner sued in late December.

Litigation led Am Law 200 lateral hiring through 2026

The work the team carries is the most contested in the market. Litigation led Am Law 200 lateral partner hiring in the first quarter of 2026, with 388 litigation-focused partners hired, and again in the second quarter with 286. New York recorded 358 lateral partner moves in the first half of 2026, its highest first-half volume yet and a third consecutive first-half of growth.

The team's book sits squarely in that demand: securities and antitrust class actions, structured finance and lender liability disputes, real estate finance litigation and internal investigations. Choate says the hire lets it offer a "single, integrated team" pairing that litigation with its private equity and finance transactional work, a pitch aimed at sponsors, funds, lenders and boards.

Hiring in the senior ranks is largely firm-to-firm across the US lateral market. Sixty percent of first-quarter Am Law 200 lateral hires came from within the Am Law 200, with New York the busiest at 203 hires.

Choate's break with its Boston model lands in 2026's busiest practice

A litigation team that Choate valued enough to break a century of single-office practice came from a firm managing public disputes over its finances and a steady outflow of partners. The group's work falls in the practice leading lateral hiring across 2026, in the market absorbing the most lateral movement. The move pairs Choate's transactional base with litigation strength in the city where that competition is sharpest.

Sources: Law.com — The American Lawyer, Choate Hall & Stewart, Mestel / Elevate, Above the Law, Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg Law, Law.com — New York Law Journal, Pirical, Pirical, Macrae

LIV Golf paid Gibson Dunn over $7.1 million in discounted fees, per bankruptcy records

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

LIV Golf Inc. paid more than $7.1 million to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in discounted legal fees while the once Saudi Arabian-backed golf circuit was shedding much of its workforce, according to bankruptcy court records. Source is a social post.

Confirmed · Middle East

Sources: Bloomberg Law, Bluesky — Big Law search

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader makes four lateral hires to build Middle East corporate and finance

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, described as a "sleeping giant" in the Gulf, is investing in its corporate and finance practice to catch up with rivals, following four lateral hires.

Confirmed · Middle East

Sources: Law.com — The American Lawyer, Above the Law, Law.com — The American Lawyer, Law.com — The American Lawyer, Law.com — The American Lawyer, Law.com — International Edition, Law.com — Daily Business Review, Legal Business, The Texas Lawbook, Freshfields — news, The Texas Lawbook, Pulse 2.0 — Law, Morgan Lewis — news sitemap, Law.com — The Legal Intelligencer, Law.com — The American Lawyer, The Texas Lawbook, Above the Law, Bloomberg Law, The Lawyer, Bloomberg Law

Debevoise and Paul Weiss lead on Schneider Electric's $22.6bn acquisition of PTC

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Confirmed · Middle East

Sources: Legal Business

Covington promotes Marc Norman to Dubai partner in 15-lawyer class

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Covington's new partnership class adds a Dubai data center and project finance specialist as Gulf infrastructure capital draws rival firms.

Covington has promoted 15 lawyers to its partnership, including Dubai-based project development and finance partner Marc Norman, The Oath reported. The class took effect on 1 October across Brussels, Dubai, New York, San Francisco and Washington, with Washington taking 10 of the 15, two in New York and one each in Brussels, Dubai and San Francisco (Pulse 2.0).

Norman advises on project development and finance across energy, infrastructure and technology, and is recognised for data center work in the Middle East, Europe and the US (The Oath). Chair Doug Gibson said the promotions "reflect our commitment to succession planning" (Pulse 2.0).

Norman's promotion builds on Covington's 2017 Dubai project finance office

Covington opened its Dubai office in 2017 after absorbing a project finance team from Chadbourne & Parke, building a Middle East practice spanning renewables, oil and gas, infrastructure, compliance and disputes (Covington). Norman joins Haykel Hajjaji and Antonio Michaelides, promoted to partner in the same office the prior year (The Oath).

The office has a regional track record. Covington was named Project Finance Team of the Year at the 2024 IFLR Middle East Awards, having closed almost a dozen regional deals worth over $12bn between July 2023 and June 2024 (Covington). In November 2025 it advised on financial close for two Saudi solar plants totalling 1.4 GW (Covington).

Middle East data center spend above $100bn drives project finance demand

The work sits in a market expanding fast. Middle East data center investment reached $7.61bn in 2025 and is forecast to hit $20.74bn by 2031 (Research and Markets). Saudi Arabia and the UAE are committing over $100bn to next-generation data centers, including the HUMAIN platform at $77bn and the Stargate UAE campus at over $30bn (Research and Markets).

Saudi Arabia's renewable energy program targets about 50% renewables in the power mix by 2030, with ACWA Power-led consortia investing roughly $8.2bn in 15,000 MW of projects (Public Investment Fund). That pipeline is the energy and infrastructure financing a Dubai project finance desk exists to capture.

Kirkland, Mishcon and A&O Shearman expand across Riyadh and Dubai

Rivals are building in the same region. Mishcon de Reya opened its Dubai office at One Za'abeel in June 2026, months after announcing simultaneous UAE entry (Legal Business). Kirkland & Ellis, which entered the Gulf with a Riyadh office in October 2023 (Kirkland & Ellis), has registered with the Abu Dhabi Global Market toward a possible second office (The Lawyer) and hired a funds partner from Morgan Lewis for Riyadh (Global Legal Post). A&O Shearman is building in Riyadh amid a flurry of Gulf and City hires (Legal Business).

Covington's 15-partner class against Kirkland's 225 and Latham's 40

The round is modest beside the firm's largest competitors. Kirkland made at least 225 partners in its October 2026 round, 90% in the US (Global Legal Post); Latham & Watkins promoted 40 associates, nearly double its start-of-year intake, with Washington its second-largest hub (Global Legal Post). The size gap reflects different partnership models.

Covington lost a seven-person London private equity team to Paul Hastings (The Lawyer). Promoting from within, in a year when London partner moves hit a record 668 (Sartori Global), is one answer to that pressure. The class also deepens contested regulatory work: Mark Clifford and Lisa Ann Johnson in US sanctions and export controls, Jayne Ponder in privacy and AI regulation (Pulse 2.0).

Gulf infrastructure and data center capital is drawing both the mandates and the firms that compete for them. A single Dubai promotion against a Washington-weighted class shows where Covington is choosing to hold a regional bench it has spent nearly a decade building.

Sources: The Oath (Middle East), Pulse 2.0 — Law, Covington & Burling, Covington & Burling, Covington & Burling, Research and Markets, Public Investment Fund, Legal Business, Kirkland & Ellis, The Lawyer, Global Legal Post, Legal Business, Global Legal Post, Global Legal Post, The Lawyer, Sartori Global

Weil London corporate partner Max Oppenheimer to join Paul Weiss

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A single corporate partner follows a four-partner finance departure out of Weil's City office, the latest in a run of London exits.

Max Oppenheimer's move to Paul Weiss follows a four-partner finance departure at Weil

Max Oppenheimer, a corporate partner in Weil Gotshal's London office, is set to join Paul Weiss, according to Law.com International Edition, the latest in a run of departures from the firm's City practice.

His exit lands just after Tom Richards, who runs Weil's London leveraged finance practice, entered advanced talks to join Simpson Thacher & Bartlett with a team of partners, per Legal Business. Secondaries partner Charles Cooper-Isow is also moving to Simpson Thacher. Weil has seen more than 30 exits worldwide since January, with London described by Legal Business as a story in its own right.

The London departures began at senior level. Co-managing partner David Avery-Gee and UK corporate partner Sarah Flaherty are heading to Sullivan & Cromwell, with another M&A partner in exit talks, Law.com International Edition reported in September.

Paul Weiss grew its London office from three partners in 2023 to more than 40

Oppenheimer joins an office built almost entirely by lateral hiring. Paul Weiss had three partners in London in summer 2023 and has since reached roughly 35 to 52, per Scottish Legal News. Bloomberg Law put the headcount above 250 lawyers and over 40 partners, housed in 87,000 sq ft at 20 Air Street with plans to expand around 25 percent.

Neel Sachdev, who left Kirkland to co-head the office in August 2023, added more than 140 lawyers in eight months, Bloomberg Law reported. The firm has kept hiring since, taking Paul Foote from Simpson Thacher as head of European infrastructure M&A in January 2026 and Francesca Storey-Harris from Kirkland in November 2025, according to Nonbillable. Oppenheimer's corporate practice sits inside that private equity and infrastructure build-out.

Private equity, leveraged finance and corporate M&A drive the Weil exits

The departures cluster in private equity, leveraged and debt finance, and corporate M&A, the most contested practices in London, per Legal Business. Oppenheimer works in PE and corporate; Richards leads leveraged finance. Those are exactly the areas US firms have spent most to capture: private equity partner hiring nearly doubled across 2025 trackers, Scottish Legal News reported, the single biggest driver of American expansion in the City.

That spending has moved pay. Heavy US investment has distorted compensation, with some London partners doubling or tripling their numbers on a move, per Scottish Legal News. Paul Weiss has the balance sheet for it: 2023 revenue of $2 billion, up 11 percent, with average partner compensation around $3.75 million, according to Bloomberg Law. The firm runs a black box compensation system that widens the pay spread to recruit rainmakers, Scottish Legal News noted.

Weil has lost more than 30 partners since January across London and New York

The outflow isn't confined to one office. In New York, private equity co-head Christopher Machera left for Paul Weiss with five others, including Timothy Burns, Noah Beck and Amanda Rotkel, per Above the Law. Corporate department chair Michael Aiello went to Cravath with M&A co-head Matthew Gilroy and four more, Bloomberg Law reported. London finance partners Chris McLaughlin, Alastair McVeigh and Jenny Choi moved to Sullivan & Cromwell, and a restructuring trio went to Akin, per Above the Law.

Weil is backfilling, hiring PE partners from Dechert and Kirkland and welcoming back a Freshfields private credit co-leader, the same report noted. The firm has also held preliminary talks on a possible merger, though it says it "is not engaged in merger discussions with any firm," per Bloomberg Law.

Paul Weiss has been called a new apex predator targeting London's top-tier firms, mostly Kirkland, for talent, per Global Legal Post. Oppenheimer adds one more Weil partner to Paul Weiss, which earlier took the six-partner New York private equity team around Christopher Machera, while the London finance teams left for other firms. Across a market that saw 546 partner hires in 2024, up from 480 two years earlier per Scottish Legal News, citing recruiter Edwards Gibson, the Weil exits concentrate in the practices where that hiring is heaviest.

Sources: Law.com — International Edition, Legal Business, Legal Business, Law.com International Edition, Scottish Legal News, Bloomberg Law, Nonbillable, Above the Law, Bloomberg Law, Global Legal Post

Thirupathy and Sim follow Kennedys marine partners who left for DWF and Wotton Kearney

This is the second time Wotton Kearney has drawn marine talent from Kennedys in Singapore, after Nicholson and Morrison in 2024. Thirupathy had been a Kennedys partner since 2011 and is representing Swiss commodities trader Gunvor in an LCIA dispute over delayed LNG deliveries, Global Arbitration Review reported.

Kennedys has lost marine lawyers elsewhere too. DWF recruited four of its marine insurance partners in London in early 2025, including marine practice head Chris Dunn, DWF said. Kennedys moved to rebuild in Singapore by hiring marine, offshore energy and trade credit specialist Iain Anderson from RPC in October 2025, as it marked 25 years in Asia Pacific, Law.asia reported. The firm held leading Insurance and Shipping rankings for Singapore and Australia in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025, per Kennedys, which is what the departures are targeting.

Singapore arbitration quantum reached US$208 million in 2025, up 112%

The moves track a rise in Singapore maritime dispute work. The Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration and SIAC recorded 168 maritime arbitrations in 2025, with total quantum of case references reaching US$208 million, a 112% increase year on year, Asian Legal Business reported. Singapore's maritime arbitration caseload grew from around 5% of London's volume in 2022 to 9% in 2024, according to Hellenic Shipping News.

A global trade war has driven that demand, with sanctions and cross-border commodity disputes central to the caseload. Global marine cargo premiums reached US$22.64 billion in 2024, with Asia premiums up 8.8%, Insurance Business reported. That feeds claims and disputes work for the insurers, P&I clubs, traders, owners and charterers the Wotton Kearney team advises.

Shipping and commodities disputes draw lateral competition in Singapore

The practice covers LNG and commodity sale contracts, contracts of affreightment, charterparties and marine insurance policies. That work is growing in Singapore, and the lawyers who do it are contested.

New entrants add to the competition. Ming Law Asia, set up in Singapore in 2025 with three directors and nine fee earners, focuses on shipping and international trade disputes, Asian Legal Business reported.

Wotton Kearney has drawn marine talent from Kennedys in Singapore twice in roughly two years, integrated a New Zealand maritime boutique and flagged further hires, while Kennedys has lost partners to DWF and Wotton Kearney and rebuilt with a lateral from RPC. The hiring is concentrated in shipping and commodities arbitration, in a market where recorded case quantum more than doubled in a year.

Sources: Australasian Lawyer, Insurance Business, Lawyers Weekly, Law.asia, Wotton Kearney, Global Arbitration Review, DWF, Law.asia, Kennedys, Asian Legal Business, Hellenic Shipping News, Asian Legal Business

Wilson Sonsini to open Singapore office, hire two partners

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Wilson Sonsini is entering Singapore 18 months after closing Beijing, joining Simpson Thacher and King & Wood in a crowded 2026 funds market.

Wilson Sonsini will open a Singapore office and hire two partners on the ground, expanding its Asia footprint beyond Greater China roughly 18 months after it closed its Beijing office, The American Lawyer reported. The Silicon Valley firm, known for technology and venture work, enters a Singapore market already crowded with US private equity and funds practices.

Wilson Sonsini closed Beijing in 2025 and built in Hong Kong

Wilson Sonsini announced in March 2025 that it would close its Beijing office, its largest Greater China outpost by partner head count, by not renewing the lease, while keeping Shanghai and Hong Kong (The American Lawyer).

It has since added partners in Hong Kong. Jennifer Liu joined as a China and capital markets partner in September 2026 from Morgan Stanley's investment banking division, after 13 years at Davis Polk (Legal Business Online). Jocelyn Chow arrived in April 2026 as a national security and antitrust partner, after nearly 13 years at Eversheds Sutherland as Asia head of competition, trade and foreign investment (Wilson Sonsini). Yang Chu joined as a corporate partner in May 2025, working on Hong Kong IPOs, equity and debt offerings and M&A across healthcare, life sciences and technology (Bloomberg Law).

The Beijing closure also cost the firm a team. A four-lawyer capital markets group led by Greater China capital markets head Dan Ouyang, with partners Winfield Lau and Ronnie Li and senior counsel Zhenzhen Bao, moved to Baker McKenzie affiliate FenXun (The American Lawyer).

Simpson Thacher, King & Wood and Loeb & Loeb opened Singapore in 2026

The Singapore entry follows a run of arrivals. Simpson Thacher said on 2 April 2026 that it would open a Singapore office, reopening more than 20 years after it left, with partners Theodore Heng and Carolyn Wong resident and private funds partner Tony Liu relocating; its stated focus is private equity, funds, M&A, real estate, energy and digital infrastructure (Simpson Thacher). China's King & Wood Mallesons is set to open in Singapore in early October 2026 (Law.asia). Loeb & Loeb launched its Singapore office, its third in Asia after Beijing and Hong Kong, with partner Xavier Amadei relocating from Hong Kong alongside partner Lewis Ho (Law.asia). Greenberg Traurig bolstered its Singapore office in November 2025, adding partners including Ashok Lalwani and Chi Pan (Greenberg Traurig).

These openings run against a retreat from mainland China. At least 16 US firms have closed Chinese offices since 2024, among them Milbank, Paul Weiss, Skadden, Weil, Sidley, Morgan Lewis, Fenwick and Dechert, amid geopolitical tension, a slow deal market and regulatory pressure (ABA Journal). Cleary Gottlieb moved to shut Beijing by July 2025, with Seyfarth Shaw and Taylor Wessing also announcing Shanghai and Beijing closures (Nikkei Asia), and Weil Gotshal exited Beijing while in discussions to close Shanghai (Legal Business Online). Firms increasingly treat Singapore, Southeast Asia and Japan as the safer growth bets, consolidating what remains in Hong Kong rather than the mainland (Law.asia).

Singapore funds, private equity and venture work drives the US-firm build-out

Singapore's pull is the growth in family offices and private equity and venture funds setting up locally, helped by the 2020 Variable Capital Company structure (Chambers). Venture activity underpins demand for emerging-companies and financing lawyers, with recent rounds including Airwallex's $330 million Series G and Supabase's $200 million Series D, core Wilson Sonsini technology and venture territory (Chambers).

The practices the incoming firms want overlap. Simpson Thacher named private equity, funds, M&A, energy and digital infrastructure as its Singapore focus (Simpson Thacher), and Wilson Sonsini's recent Asia hires cluster around capital markets and IPOs, corporate M&A and national security and antitrust (Wilson Sonsini). With Simpson Thacher and King & Wood arriving in the same year, the competition for private equity, funds and technology partners has tightened (Legal Business Online).

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Legal Business

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advises Morgan Stanley on ADIA affiliate's Lenskart share sale

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised Morgan Stanley on the sale of Lenskart shares by ADIA. Platinum Jasmine A 2018 Trust, an ADIA affiliate acting through trustee Platinum Owl C 2018 RSC Limited, sold 35,000,000 equity shares of Lenskart Solutions for ₹2,390.5 crore.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Bar & Bench

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advises Cerberus on Indian aspects of Goodwin PLC division acquisition

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised Cerberus Capital Management on the Indian legal aspects of its acquisition of a substantial part of Goodwin PLC's mechanical engineering division, for up to approximately £1.1 billion. Davis Polk & Wardwell was principal legal adviser. Closing is expected in Q1 2027, subject to approvals.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Bar & Bench

Big Law Weekly: United States, 28 September – 4 October 2026

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cravath lands a six-partner Weil team, Wachtell takes a rare Cleary lateral, and Wiley loses 21 insurance lawyers to a new D.C. boutique.

The U.S. lateral market moved in groups this week rather than in single hires. Cravath, a firm known for rarely buying talent, took Weil, Gotshal & Manges corporate chair Michael Aiello and five M&A partners, according to Bloomberg Law. A 21-lawyer insurance team left Wiley to form a Washington boutique, The National Law Journal reported, and an 11-lawyer litigation group exited Kasowitz for Choate, per the New York Law Journal. Read more.

Texas drew new entrants, three firms named chairs and managing members, and the bonus cycle reopened with Munger Tolles raising clerkship payments and Cahill matching the Milbank scale.

Cravath, Wachtell, Gibson Dunn and Freshfields add partners in New York and Silicon Valley

The incoming Cravath team includes M&A partners Matt Gilroy, Eoghan Keenan, Amanda Fenster, Michelle Sargent and Megan Pendleton alongside Aiello, all from Weil. Weil described the departure as a move to "a smaller platform," while Cravath's leader credited the group for "embracing our values," The Lawyer reported.

Wachtell hired Joon Kim from Cleary Gottlieb, a rare lateral that followed the summer exit of former co-chair Bill Savitt, Legal Business reported. Kim began his career as a Cleary associate before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Gibson Dunn added energy and infrastructure partner Raymond Azar from White & Case, the latest in a run of energy hires, according to the New York Law Journal. Freshfields expanded its capital markets practice with Justin Michael in New York and Jeffrey Gould in Silicon Valley, the firm said, citing convertible bonds and equity-linked securities work.

Wiley, Kasowitz and McKool Smith lose teams to Tyka, Choate and Gibson Dunn

Twelve partners from Wiley's insurance practice led the 21-lawyer group out to launch Tyka, a Washington boutique that will bring roughly 50 clients and more than 1,500 matters, per Above the Law and The National Law Journal.

Sheron Korpus, a Kasowitz litigation partner of more than 20 years, led the 11-lawyer team to Choate, where he is now co-head of business and financial litigation in New York, the New York Law Journal reported. In Dallas, Gibson Dunn added patent trial lawyers Nicholas Mathews and Erik Fountain from McKool Smith after their third consecutive trial win in the Eastern District of Texas, The Texas Lawbook reported; they follow several partner departures from McKool Smith over the summer.

Fisher Phillips entered Miami with seven lawyers from Zumpano Castro who will split their practices between the two firms for two years before deciding whether to join full time, the Daily Business Review reported. Saul Ewing built a new Atlanta team with lawyers from Squire Patton Boggs, Holland & Knight and Arnall Golden Gregory joining two of its veterans, the Daily Report reported.

Mori Hamada and Buchalter expand in Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth

Mori Hamada, a Japanese Big Four firm, will open in Dallas and Houston in the first half of 2027 and in Kyoto that spring, Law.com International reported, adding to a New York launch in 2023 and two Bay Area offices in 2025. The Texas offices will advise Japanese and Asian companies on M&A, energy and investment.

Buchalter combined with Griffith Davison, adding offices in Fort Worth, Austin and Houston and bringing the Los Angeles firm to nearly 40 lawyers in Texas, The Texas Lawbook reported.

Morgan Lewis, Crowell & Moring and Mintz name new firm leaders

David McManus, Morgan Lewis's global labor and employment leader, began a five-year term as chair on 1 October, succeeding Jami McKeon, the American Lawyer reported; the firm also promoted 32 lawyers to partner.

Crowell & Moring elected New York litigation chair Glen McGorty as management board chair for a three-year term starting 1 March 2027, its first chair based outside Washington, according to the American Lawyer. Mintz named Boston managing member and corporate head Mike Fantozzi to succeed Bob Bodian, who moves to chair after 18 years leading the firm, Bloomberg Law reported.

Munger Tolles raises clerkship bonuses to $200,000 as Cahill matches Milbank

Munger Tolles & Olson raised its clerkship bonuses to $180,000 for one qualifying clerkship and $200,000 for two or more, Law360 reported. Separately, Above the Law reported that a litigation firm, which it did not name, is offering a $180,000 signing bonus to former federal clerks.

Cahill matched the Milbank associate bonus scale two months after it was set, the ABA Journal reported. A since-removed White & Case job posting listed a $270,000 to $385,000 associate pay range tracking the Milbank scale, though the firm had not announced a match, Above the Law reported.

WilmerHale adds ex-SEC enforcement chief as Jackson Walker faces new sanctions threat

WilmerHale added the former chief counsel of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, named by Pulse 2.0 as Sam Waldon, to its Washington team after more than 16 years at the agency.

In Houston, Jackson Walker faces a fresh threat of sanctions for not disclosing the romantic relationship between a former partner and a former U.S. bankruptcy judge in another Chapter 11 case, The Texas Lawbook reported.

The week's moves show U.S. firms adding partners in groups rather than one at a time: Cravath's six-partner Weil hire, the 21-lawyer team that left Wiley, the 11-lawyer team that left Kasowitz. Texas and the South drew new offices from Mori Hamada and Buchalter, three firms named new leaders, with the Crowell & Moring and Mintz transitions taking effect in 2027, and the associate and clerkship bonus cycle reopened at Munger Tolles, Cahill and firms tracking the Milbank scale.

The full list of the week's moves is on the United States week page.

Big Law Weekly: Middle East, 28 September – 4 October 2026

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Baker McKenzie's funds head joined Ashurst in Abu Dhabi, Linklaters added a Riyadh corporate partner, and Pinsent Masons named its Abu Dhabi head.

The week's Gulf news turned on investment funds and corporate partners, the two practices closest to sovereign capital. James Burdett, who led Baker McKenzie's Middle East and Africa Funds Group, left as the firm's third practice-group head to depart since late August, which Law.com International framed as a Middle East retention problem.

Burdett did not stay off the market. He resurfaced at Ashurst Perkins Coie as head of investment funds for the Middle East and Africa in Abu Dhabi, The Oath reported, a single move that took a practice head from Baker McKenzie to a direct competitor.

James Burdett leaves Baker McKenzie for Ashurst Perkins Coie in Abu Dhabi

The move follows a surge in regional sovereign capital. MENA sovereign wealth funds are forecast to invest $136bn across 327 deals in 2026, down from a $176bn peak in 2025 but still their second-busiest year on record, per AGBI, with Abu Dhabi's Mubadala the most active Gulf investor over the first nine months at $26.2bn.

Those funds hold more private capital than their peers. Middle East sovereign investors allocate 43 per cent of their exposure to private markets against 35 per cent for global peers, Executive Moves reported, the demand that firms advising on fund formation and outward deployment are chasing. Baker McKenzie has continued to invest in the Gulf despite the exits, adding a banking and finance partner in January.

Linklaters adds Clyde & Co's Almarzouki in Riyadh as US firms open there

Linklaters announced that Mohammed Almarzouki, a Clyde & Co corporate partner with more than a decade advising on M&A and joint ventures, joined its Riyadh practice on 1 October, Law.com International reported. He is the firm's second Middle East lateral this year, following the departure of its former Saudi managing partner, as it rebuilds a Riyadh corporate bench around Vision 2030 deal flow, per Legalcommunity MENA.

The Riyadh build-out runs wider than one firm. Morgan Lewis opened a Riyadh office on 3 November 2025, and Bird & Bird and Reed Smith both opened there across 2025, part of a run of US and international firms establishing on-the-ground Saudi presence chronicled by AGBI. Clyde & Co, which lost Almarzouki, has seen partner mobility across the Gulf, with departures to DWF and CMS tracked by Legalcommunity MENA.

Pinsent Masons and Covington name leaders and partners in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Pinsent Masons appointed William Reichert, a corporate partner with more than 30 years advising multinational corporations, private equity sponsors, institutional investors and founders, as head of its Abu Dhabi office, The Oath reported. The firm pointed to its 20-year UAE presence, with Middle East head Catherine Workman calling Abu Dhabi one of the most exciting global markets today.

Covington promoted 15 lawyers to partner across five offices, among them Marc Norman in Dubai, Pulse 2.0 reported. Norman is a project development and finance lawyer active in Middle East data-center work. Energy and infrastructure are a second Gulf growth line alongside funds and corporate. Read more.

Squire Patton Boggs and DSK Legal advise on sovereign and cross-border deals

The deal flow matched the hiring. Squire Patton Boggs advised sovereign-wealth fund Arab Invest on acquiring a 15 per cent stake, worth $37.5m, in regional healthcare operator AKDITAL KSA, alongside AKDITAL Group and private equity firm Mediterrania Capital Partners, The Oath reported.

DSK Legal and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu advised Japanese logistics group KRS Corporation on acquiring a majority stake in Coldrush Logistics, a deal that involved a secondary purchase from UAE-based shareholder Hydra Commercial Investments, Law.asia reported.

Fasken reshuffles South African leadership as BonelliErede reviews the UAE Civil Code

Across the broader region, Fasken named pensions partner Ludwig Frahm-Arp to lead its South African team and rehired finance partner Bontle Bopape less than a year after she left for an in-house role, Law.com International reported.

On the technical side, Letizia Santin of BonelliErede examined how the new UAE Civil Code, Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 which entered into force on 1 June 2026, reshapes construction arbitration across hardship, termination, liquidated damages and risk allocation, The Oath reported.

Read together, the week's moves point to one source of demand. A funds head lost by one firm and gained by another in Abu Dhabi, a corporate lateral into Riyadh behind a run of new Saudi offices, and office and partner appointments across Abu Dhabi and Dubai all sit on the same sovereign capital that AGBI measures in the hundreds of billions, concentrated in the private-market and project work those lawyers advise on.

The full list of the week's moves is on the Middle East week page.

Sources: Law.com — International Edition, Pulse 2.0 — Law, The Oath (Middle East), Law.com International — Middle East & Africa, The Oath (Middle East), Law.com International — Middle East & Africa, Law.asia, The Oath (Middle East), The Oath (Middle East), Legalcommunity MENA, Morgan Lewis, Bird & Bird, AGBI, AGBI, Executive Moves, Baker McKenzie

Sullivan & Cromwell joins the rush to Abu Dhabi

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

S&C's first Middle East office, led by alumnus Ahmed el-Gaili from Latham, follows Skadden and Kirkland into ADGM as sovereign capital drives demand.

Sullivan & Cromwell has opened its first office in the Middle East. The firm announced on 14 September that it has full authorisation from the Registration Authority of ADGM, Abu Dhabi's international financial centre, and that Ahmed T. el-Gaili is rejoining as a partner to lead its Middle East practice.

El-Gaili spent six years at S&C in London before moving to the Gulf. He arrives from Latham & Watkins, Law360 reported, where the firm's own deal announcements described him as a Riyadh partner. His practice covers M&A, private equity, joint ventures, project finance and restructuring for sovereign wealth funds, state-owned enterprises and governments, across energy, infrastructure, telecoms and technology. Partners Garth Bray and Umberto Hassan, the latter focused on UAE-based clients, will work alongside him, and the office will cover the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider region.

"Sovereign capital, private equity and infrastructure investment in the Middle East is fueling some of the most high-profile and complex transactions anywhere in the world," el-Gaili said. Bloomberg reported the opening as a move to win work on Gulf deals.

Abu Dhabi is Sullivan & Cromwell's 14th office, alongside London hires

S&C opens offices infrequently; Abu Dhabi is its 14th. The firm has historically promoted most of its partners from within, and its Middle East office is led by a returning alumnus rather than a lateral team. In the same week it announced David Avery-Gee and Sarah Flaherty as new M&A partners in London, adding partners in two markets at once.

Skadden, Kirkland and Simmons entered ADGM before Sullivan & Cromwell

S&C is one of several firms to open in ADGM since the start of 2025. Skadden opened there in January 2025 under Michael Hilton, a senior Freshfields hire, and in June took three investment management partners from Akin, two of them in Abu Dhabi, to advise sovereign wealth investors. Greenberg Traurig launched in Abu Dhabi in October 2025 with two Latham partners. Simmons & Simmons opened in ADGM in January with a funds and asset management focus. Kirkland registered in ADGM in April, and Pérez-Llorca set up there in June.

Riyadh licenses 35 foreign firms as DWF closes its office

Saudi Arabia has taken a different path. More than 35 international firms have been licensed in Riyadh since the kingdom opened its legal market in 2023, Law.com counts. In August DWF became the first Global 200 firm to close its Riyadh office, shortly after Saudi Arabia relaxed its rules on foreign ownership.

ADGM assets up 54% as Bain Capital, EQT and Pantheon arrive

ADGM reported assets under management up 54% year on year in the first half, with 190 fund and asset managers based there, against 154 a year earlier. Bain Capital opened in April; EQT and Pantheon followed in September. These managers are clients for funds, private equity and regulatory work. Abu Dhabi capital also invests abroad: Mubadala Capital took part in the $6bn Clear Channel takeover, a US public-company deal of the type at the centre of S&C's practice.

Iran attacks and a 20.5% fall in Gulf promotions preceded the openings

In March, Iranian missile and drone attacks led firms including White & Case and Baker McKenzie to tell staff to work remotely, and up to 70% of staff at some international firms left the region before a ceasefire allowed them back in April. Gulf partner promotions at Global 200 firms fell 20.5% in the first quarter. Kirkland registered in April, weeks into the ceasefire, and S&C opened in September; both committed to Abu Dhabi after the disruption.

Latham and Baker McKenzie lose Gulf partners to new entrants

The work behind these openings is sovereign M&A, private equity, fund formation, disputes and project finance for energy, infrastructure and data centres. Partners in those practices are moving between firms. Latham has lost a Riyadh partner to S&C and two partners to Greenberg Traurig's Abu Dhabi launch. Baker McKenzie has lost its Middle East investment funds head, James Burdett, to Ashurst Perkins Coie in Abu Dhabi, its third partner exit since late August; the departure comes as the number of fund managers in ADGM is rising. In disputes, Three Crowns has hired Freshfields' Saudi disputes head Amani Khalifa in Dubai.

The US firms entering ADGM have done so with small partner teams built around existing relationships with sovereign investors such as ADIA, Mubadala, ADQ and PIF, and have filled those teams largely by hiring from firms already in the region.

Sources: Sullivan & Cromwell, Law360, Bloomberg, Latham & Watkins, Sullivan & Cromwell, Skadden, The Global Legal Post, Law.com International, The Global Legal Post, Simmons & Simmons, Law.com International, The National, Law.com International, Law.com International, ADGM, Bain Capital, ADGM, ADGM, Law.com International, Law.com International, Law.com International, Law.com International, Law.com International

Big Law Weekly: Europe, 28 September – 4 October 2026

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Stephenson Harwood and Taylor Wessing weigh a £500m merger as US firms take London and continental partners at WilmerHale and Paul Weiss.

Stephenson Harwood and Taylor Wessing spent the week in early-stage talks over a combination, while US firms kept pulling partners out of London and the Continent. The two are discussing a single-profit-pool merger of about £500m across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with a partnership vote targeted for the end of 2026 and completion on 1 May 2027, The Global Legal Post reported.

Across the City, WilmerHale rebuilt its disputes practice with two senior hires, a Weil corporate partner prepared to join Paul Weiss, and A&O Shearman added partners in secondaries and patents.

Stephenson Harwood and Taylor Wessing weigh a £500m merger across Europe, the Middle East and Asia

The talks come months after Taylor Wessing's own restructuring. Its UK, Dutch, Irish and Belgian arms broke away in June 2026 to form Winston Taylor, a £1.2bn, 1,400-lawyer transatlantic firm, with Winston & Strawn, RollOnFriday reported. What remained is an independent European Taylor Wessing of about 700 lawyers across 16 offices.

The financials are modest. Stephenson Harwood's revenue fell 2% to £303m in 2025/26 and profit dropped 12% to £105m, while Taylor Wessing's German offices booked €243m for 2025, Legal Business reported. Stephenson Harwood had earlier framed organic and bolt-on European growth, including a return to Madrid, as an alternative to a full US merger.

The firm is also losing people as it talks. A&O Shearman's two new global secondaries co-heads, Gabriel Boghossian and Sarah de Ste Croix, came from Stephenson Harwood, The Global Legal Post reported.

WilmerHale, Paul Weiss and Sullivan & Cromwell take London partners from Clifford Chance, Cooley and Weil

WilmerHale hired Clifford Chance's UK commercial disputes head Jeremy Kosky as its disputes practice head, alongside Cooley's arbitration chair Charlie Lightfoot, months after a disputes team left WilmerHale for King & Spalding, Legal Business reported.

Weil faced further London losses. A UK corporate partner is set to join Paul Weiss, following an impending four-partner finance departure. London co-managing partner and M&A head David Avery-Gee and a cluster of finance partners are moving to Sullivan & Cromwell, part of more than 30 exits worldwide since January 2026, LawFuel reported.

Other London hires ran the same way. Haynes Boone added Louise Woods as a partner and Chair of International Disputes, Pulse 2.0 reported. Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer added a team head from Sidley, its second London lateral of the week into life sciences, and hired life sciences regulatory partner Marie Manley, Legal Desire reported.

The pattern has a longer record. US firms took 80% of 129 private equity partner moves in London since 2020, with 21 in the first half of 2025, Law.com reported, and Edwards Gibson counted 668 announced London partner moves in 2025, about 21% above the prior record, Nonbillable reported. Mayer Brown and Latham & Watkins both added London partners this year to build private equity and leveraged finance platforms.

Jones Day, Weil and DLA Piper hire in Milan, Frankfurt and Vienna

Continental hiring ran in parallel.

In Germany, Weil added David Jansen as a private equity partner in Frankfurt, extending a German build-out across financial regulation and secondaries, Legal Business reported, and CMS hired financial markets specialist Tobias Bauerfeind in Frankfurt from Ashurst, LTO reported. In Vienna, DLA Piper appointed Carmen Redmann as a finance partner from Taylor Wessing, effective 1 October, Extrajournal reported. A&O Shearman took DLA Piper's leading European patent partner Constanze Krenz, JUVE Patent reported.

France and Spain saw partner moves and new boutiques. King & Spalding hired disputes partner Julie Chapuy in Paris with her team, Le Monde du Droit reported; Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier added partners Philippe Guibert and Alexandre Eberhardt, Décideurs Juridiques reported; and Franklin added restructuring partner Arnaud Moussatoff, Le Monde du Droit reported. In Spain, Andersen Iberia integrated Martín & Parés to add litigation partners Eva López Parés and Víctor J. Martín in Barcelona, Lawyerpress reported, while Uría Menéndez alumni Rafael Sebastián and María Noguera launched the M&A and restructuring boutique Noguera Sebastián in Madrid, Lawyerpress reported.

Covington elects 15 partners including Marc Norman in Dubai, KWR promotes five in Vienna

Covington elected 15 new partners across five offices, including Marc Norman in Dubai, Pulse 2.0 reported. In Austria, KWR Karasek Wietrzyk promoted five counsel to partner in Vienna, including energy team head Sarina Illo Ortner, Extrajournal reported. Read more.

Wim Dejonghe launches flat-fee firm Falcon as CMS cuts UK business services

The week also brought a new model and a cost cut. Wim Dejonghe, former global senior partner of Allen & Overy, co-founded Falcon, a Belgium-based, AI-native firm built on flat fees that plans to charge €1,000 to review six high-friction contracts, with work checked by a lawyer; he argues technology will accelerate "the death of the billable hour", Legal Business and Legal IT Insider reported. CMS began cutting its UK business services teams as it moves toward greater use of technology, with no headcount given, Legal Business reported.

Rankings and financials showed the established order. Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Linklaters took the most top-tier London rankings in the latest Legal 500 UK research, Legal Business reported, and Germany's 100 largest commercial firms passed €11bn in revenue, with Freshfields the leader and Gleiss Lutz and Latham recording double-digit growth, LTO reported.

The European market is moving two ways at once. Mid-sized firms are discussing consolidation under flat or falling profits, while US and global firms add partners in London, Frankfurt, Milan, Vienna and Paris, concentrated in private equity, disputes, finance and life sciences.

The full list of the week's moves is on the Europe week page.

Sources: Legal Business, Legal Business, Pulse 2.0 — Law, Legal IT Insider, Legal Business, Law.com — International Edition, JUVE Patent, Legal Business, Pulse 2.0 — Law, Décideurs Juridiques — Nominations, Le Monde du Droit — Nominations, Law.com — International Edition, LTO — Kanzleien & Unternehmen, Legal Business, Legal Desire, Lawyerpress, Extrajournal (Austria), Le Monde du Droit — Nominations, Lawyerpress, Extrajournal (Austria), Legal Business, LTO — Kanzleien & Unternehmen, The Global Legal Post, RollOnFriday, LawFuel, The Global Legal Post, Law.com, Nonbillable, Mayer Brown, Latham & Watkins

Big Law Weekly: Asia, 28 September – 4 October 2026

hello@vargaspartners.com (Vargas Partners Newswatch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

US and international firms pressed into Australia, Singapore and Tokyo, with Jones Day and Freshfields adding disputes and M&A partners and Wilson Sonsini opening in Singapore.

US and international firms spent the week extending across the Asia-Pacific, with Australia and Japan drawing the heaviest activity. Jones Day added five partners in Sydney and Brisbane drawn from Norton Rose Fulbright, MinterEllison, Gilbert + Tobin, Baker McKenzie and Clayton Utz, according to Lawyers Weekly. Wilson Sonsini set plans to open in Singapore, Freshfields appointed a Tokyo M&A partner, and Withers launched a Tokyo disputes practice.

Disputes and M&A ran through most of the week's hires. Capital-markets mandates across India, Hong Kong, the Philippines and South Korea drew large firm line-ups.

Jones Day adds five Australian partners from domestic market leaders

Jones Day's five Australian partners are Dylan McKimmie (disputes, Brisbane, from Norton Rose Fulbright), Leigh De Jong (real estate and financial markets, from MinterEllison), Christopher Flynn (energy, from Gilbert + Tobin), Lance Sacks (M&A, from Baker McKenzie) and Ken Saurajen (IP, from Clayton Utz), all in Sydney except McKimmie, per Jones Day. The firm frames the five practices around cross-border M&A, energy and infrastructure, complex litigation and arbitration, real estate and IP.

The hires take Jones Day to 18 lateral partners in Australia since mid-2024, and 10 in 2026 alone, growing it from 90 to 120 lawyers across Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, Lawyers Weekly reported. The firm earlier hired Milbank's APAC restructuring head Nicholas Dunstone in Sydney under the same plan, Law.asia reported.

The pattern tracks the US lateral market, where moves hit 3,009 in 2025, a five-year high up 17.8 per cent, with litigation taking the largest share at 26 per cent, per NALP. Kirkland & Ellis was the most active firm, with 116 hires, The Global Legal Post reported. An appointments roundup for 30 September named Jones Day, Hall & Wilcox and Gilchrist Connell among firms changing their ranks, Australasian Lawyer; Ashurst Perkins Coie, Clayton Utz and Gilbert + Tobin rolled out Launchpad 2 Law, a pathway into law for students from rural and regional New South Wales, Australasian Lawyer.

Wilson Sonsini enters Singapore while Withers launches Tokyo disputes

Wilson Sonsini will open a Singapore office with two on-the-ground partners, extending its Asia footprint beyond Greater China some 18 months after closing its Beijing office, Law.com reported. Withers launched a Tokyo arbitration and litigation practice with Hiroko Nihei, who co-founded Hillford Law after O'Melveny & Myers closed its Tokyo office in 2025, per Conventus Law. Wotton Kearney, a Sydney insurance firm, hired a shipping and commodities disputes team in Singapore, two months after absorbing a New Zealand maritime boutique, Australasian Lawyer reported.

Freshfields appointed Gregory Salathé to its Global M&A and Capital practice in Tokyo from 1 October, joining from PAG, where he was Partner and Group General Counsel, Freshfields said. DLA Piper's Japan international arbitration head Tony Andriotis is leaving after six years to become global head of disputes and regulatory at a newly launched firm, Law.com reported. Mori Hamada will add Dallas, Houston and Kyoto in 2027, after moving into New York, California and London, Law.com reported. A regional roundup noted senior hires across Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Australia at firms including Wilson Sonsini, Sparke Helmore and Yoon & Yang, Law.com.

Clifford Chance and CMS add Hong Kong partners as Commerce & Finance names a senior adviser

Clifford Chance hired Jonathan Chu (朱玮骅), former head of CMS's Beijing representative office and a CMS Hong Kong partner from 2020, as its Asia-Pacific IP practice head, Law.asia reported. CMS promoted Candy Tong and Mengyi Chen to partner in its IP and technology practice in Hong Kong from 1 October, working across its integrated Hong Kong and Beijing platform, Asia Law Portal reported. Commerce & Finance (通商) brought in 张恺欣, former head of listed-company advisory at Freshfields, as a senior adviser in Hong Kong, Law.asia reported.

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Morgan Lewis promotes 32 lawyers to partner.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: Morgan Lewis — news sitemap

Mintz picks Boston office head to succeed Bob Bodian as managing member

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Confirmed · Europe · London

Sources: Weil — latest articles sitemap

Weil Gotshal UK corporate partner set to join Paul Weiss

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe · Frankfurt

Sources: LTO — Kanzleien & Unternehmen

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier advised Hivest Capital Partners on the sale of Rail Europe to Omio Group.

Confirmed · Europe

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: JUVE Patent

Wotton Kearney hires shipping and commodities disputes team in Singapore

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Anne Collins, KPMG International's top lawyer since 2016, is retiring. The item says KPMG faces continuing scrutiny over its handling of misconduct allegations in Australia.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Law.com — Corporate Counsel

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Law.asia

DLA Piper Tokyo partner Tony Andriotis launches disputes practice at new firm

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Tony Andriotis spent six years at DLA Piper leading its international arbitration practice in Japan. He will now serve as global head of disputes and regulatory at a newly launched firm.

Confirmed · Asia · Tokyo

Clifford Chance hires former CMS Beijing head 朱玮骅 as Hong Kong partner

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

高伟绅律师事务所 (Clifford Chance) hired 朱玮骅, former head of CMS's Beijing representative office, as partner in its Hong Kong office and head of its Asia-Pacific intellectual property practice.

Confirmed · Asia · Hong Kong

Sources: Law.asia (简体中文)

CAM, TT&A, Trilegal and Hogan Lovells act on Rentomojo USD130.8m IPO

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, TT&A, Trilegal and Hogan Lovells acted on Rentomojo's INR12.56 billion (USD130.8 million) IPO of 31,080,978 shares on the NSE and BSE. It is described as the first online furniture and appliances subscription platform to debut on India's stock markets.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Law.asia

CAM, Trilegal and Sidley Austin advise on NSE of India's USD2.36bn IPO

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Trilegal and Sidley Austin guided parties involved in the National Stock Exchange of India's USD2.36 billion (INR225.62 billion) IPO. The IPO is the largest in India in 2026, the biggest financial services listing in the country and the second-largest in the nation to date.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Law.asia

Ashurst Perkins Coie, Clayton Utz and G+T roll out Launchpad 2 Law

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Ashurst Perkins Coie, Clayton Utz and G+T have rolled out Launchpad 2 Law. The initiative gives students from rural and regional NSW a pathway to a career in law.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Australasian Lawyer

APAC moves roundup: Wilson Sonsini, Sparke Helmore, Yoon & Yang among regional hirers

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Firms across Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Australia made senior hires and leadership appointments spanning capital markets, intellectual property, disputes, energy and real estate. Wilson Sonsini, Sparke Helmore and Yoon & Yang are named in the title.

Confirmed · Asia · Hong Kong, Singapore

Ankit Jain joins JSA as disputes partner in New Delhi

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Ankit Jain has joined JSA Advocates & Solicitors as a partner in its New Delhi office, strengthening its disputes practice. He has more than a decade of experience in complex litigation and alternative dispute resolution, focusing on infrastructure-related disputes, particularly in renewable energy and EPC.

Confirmed · Asia · New Delhi

Sources: Law.asia, Bar & Bench

A&O Shearman and Linklaters advise on Hong Kong's record $2.6B digital bond

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A&O Shearman and Linklaters advised on Hong Kong's record $2.6B digital bond. They have now advised on all four of the Hong Kong government's digital green bond offerings since the programme launched in 2023.

Confirmed · Asia · Hong Kong

Sources: Law.com — International Edition, Law.asia

Puerto Rican lender asks 11th Circuit to overturn verdict for Florida law firm in

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A Puerto Rican microcap lender asked the Eleventh Circuit on Friday to overturn a trial verdict favoring a law firm it accused of botching financial transactions, arguing the firm committed malpractice by failing to secure the company's assets in bankruptcy proceedings.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: Law360 — Legal Ethics

Houston bankruptcy judge criticizes Jackson Walker and U.S. Trustee over another Chapter 11 case

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Jackson Walker is facing potential sanctions for failing to disclose the romantic relationship between its former partner Elizabeth Freeman and former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones in another corporate bankruptcy case. This case is not one of the 33 where the U.S.

Confirmed · United States · Houston

Sources: Law360 — Legal Ethics, Law360 — Legal Industry, Bluesky — Big Law search, The Texas Lawbook, Bluesky — Big Law search

CMS Francis Lefebvre advised Auchan Retail in Conseil d'État ruling on group-level job-protection plan

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe

Cahill matches Milbank’s special bonuses

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Firms continued to match Milbank’s special bonuses, with Cahill matching, LawFuel reported on October 2. Above the Law reported on the matches earlier.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: LawFuel

Covington promotes Marc Norman to partner

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Covington has promoted Marc Norman to partner in the Middle East, The Oath reported on October 2.

Confirmed · Middle East · Middle East

Sources: The Oath

Noerr hires a Freshfields private equity partner

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Noerr has hired a private equity partner from Freshfields, LTO reported on October 2.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: LTO

Heuking hires a McDermott employment partner in Germany

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Heuking has hired an employment partner from McDermott in Germany, JUVE reported on October 2.

Confirmed · Europe · Germany

Sources: JUVE

CMS brings in an Ashurst senior associate as partner

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

CMS has made a senior associate from Ashurst a partner, LTO reported on October 2.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: LTO

Withers sets up a Japan disputes team

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Withers has established a disputes team for Japan, Conventus Law reported on October 2.

Confirmed · Asia · Japan

Sources: Conventus Law

Mori Hamada plans three new offices in the US and Japan

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Mori Hamada plans to open three new offices in the US and Japan, Law.com International reported on October 2.

Confirmed · Asia · United States, Japan

Legaltech company Harvey announces Boston office and plans to hire at least 40 people

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

AI-powered legaltech company Harvey announced its Boston expansion Thursday and intends to hire at least 40 people for the location. The headline links this to Big Law's movement into the Bay State.

Confirmed · United States · Boston

Sources: Law.com — New York Law Journal, Law.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)

Gibbs & Bruns promotes two in Houston; Kelley Drye and Duane Morris make appointments

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Gibbs & Bruns promotes two in Houston. The roundup also notes Kelley Drye adds a special counsel and Duane Morris names a managing partner. No names or further details are given.

Confirmed · United States · Houston

Sources: Lawdragon, Law.com — Texas Lawyer, The Texas Lawbook

Cooley adds Nicholas Caselli as securities litigation partner in New York

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Cooley announced on October 1, 2026 that Nicholas Caselli joined as a partner in its securities litigation + enforcement practice and global litigation department in New York. He defends securities class actions, shareholder derivative and M&A-related claims, including for technology and life sciences clients.

Confirmed · United States · New York

Sources: Law.com — The American Lawyer, Cooley — media feed

Linklaters appoints Mohammed Almarzouki as corporate partner in Riyadh

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Linklaters announced Mohammed Almarzouki will join as a partner in its corporate practice on 1 October, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has over a decade's experience advising on M&A, joint ventures and corporate matters.

Confirmed · Middle East · Riyadh

Sources: Law.com International — Middle East & Africa, The Oath (Middle East)

Legal 500 takes site offline after UK Bar 2027 testimonials published in error

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: LawFuel

DLA Piper appoints Carmen Redmann as Finance partner in Vienna from Taylor Wessing

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe · Vienna

Sources: Extrajournal (Austria)

CMS promotes Candy Tong and Mengyi Chen to partner in Hong Kong

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

CMS announced the promotion of Candy Tong and Mengyi Chen to partner in its Intellectual Property and Technology practice in Hong Kong, effective 1 October 2026. They work across the firm's integrated Hong Kong and Beijing platform. Candy focuses on IP protection and disputes.

Confirmed · Asia · Hong Kong, Beijing

Sources: Asia Law Portal

Wachtell Lipton hires former SDNY U.S. Attorney Joon Kim from Cleary Gottlieb

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Joon Kim, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has joined Wachtell Lipton from Cleary Gottlieb. Law360 and Bloomberg Law reported the move on October 1.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: Law360, Bloomberg Law

Twenty-one former Wiley lawyers launch insurance boutique Tyka

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Twenty-one lawyers formerly at Wiley have launched Tyka, an insurance boutique in Washington, DC, Law360 reported on October 1.

Confirmed · United States · Washington DC

Sources: Law360

Gibson Dunn adds two McKool Smith partners in Dallas

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Gibson Dunn has added two partners from McKool Smith in Dallas, the firm announced on October 1.

Confirmed · United States · Dallas

Sources: Gibson Dunn

Fisher Phillips enters Miami with a team from a local boutique

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Fisher Phillips has opened in Miami with a team from a local boutique, The American Lawyer reported.

Confirmed · United States · Miami

Sources: The American Lawyer

Crowell & Moring names its litigation head as firm chair

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Crowell & Moring has appointed the head of its litigation group as firm chair, Law360 reported on October 1.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: Law360

Cooley hires a Freshfields partner in New York

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A Freshfields partner has moved to Cooley in New York, The American Lawyer reported.

Confirmed · United States · New York

Sources: The American Lawyer

An 11-lawyer litigation team leaves Kasowitz for Choate

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

An 11-lawyer litigation team has moved from Kasowitz to Choate, The American Lawyer reported.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: The American Lawyer

Buchalter adds more than 40 attorneys and three offices in a Texas combination

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Buchalter has combined with a Texas firm, adding more than 40 attorneys and three offices, Law360 reported on October 1.

Confirmed · United States · Texas

Sources: Law360

Baker McKenzie’s Middle East investment funds head departs

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Baker McKenzie’s head of investment funds in the Middle East has left, the third such exit reported, Law.com International said on October 1.

Confirmed · Middle East · Middle East

Taylor Wessing and Stephenson Harwood confirm merger talks

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Taylor Wessing and Stephenson Harwood have confirmed they are in merger talks. Law.com International, The Lawyer, RollOnFriday, Legal Business and JUVE all reported the firms’ statement on October 1.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: Law.com International, Legal Business

Freshfields hires a partner in Tokyo

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Freshfields has hired a partner in Tokyo, the firm announced on October 1.

Confirmed · Asia · Tokyo

Sources: Freshfields

Weil Gotshal loses London leveraged finance and private equity partners

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Weil Gotshal is losing partners from its London leveraged finance and private equity practices. Several are reported to be moving to Simpson Thacher, and one UK corporate partner to Paul Weiss.

Confirmed · Europe · London

Sources: Legal Business, Law.com International

Pinsent Masons elects a new managing partner

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Pinsent Masons has elected a new managing partner, Legal Business reported on September 30.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: Legal Business

Covington partners seated behind Jack Smith at Senate Judiciary testimony

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Covington partners Peter Koski and Lanny Breuer were seen seated behind former special counsel Jack Smith during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: Law.com — The American Lawyer, Law.com network — Legal News (FeedBlitz)

Law firms advise on RoboTechnik's HKEX main board listing

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

RoboTechnik Intelligent Technology listed on the HKEX main board on 29 September 2026, raising HKD5.18 billion (USD660 million), creating an A+H dual-listing after its 2019 Shenzhen debut. Freshfields, Grandall Law Firm, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Latham & Watkins and Jia Yuan Law Offices are named; their roles are not stated.

Confirmed · Asia · Hong Kong

Sources: Freshfields — news, Law.asia

Linklaters hires a Clyde & Co partner for Riyadh corporate

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Linklaters has hired a partner from Clyde & Co for its corporate practice in Riyadh. Law.com International reported the hire on September 29 and The Oath on September 30.

Confirmed · Middle East · Riyadh

Sources: Law.com International, The Oath

Latham and Wilson Sonsini advise on AMD's agreement to acquire World Labs

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Advanced Micro Devices, a US chipmaker, entered a definitive agreement to acquire World Labs, an AI model and research laboratory founded by Li Feifei. Latham & Watkins and Wilson Sonsini advised. AMD announced the agreement on 28 September 2026.

Confirmed · United States

Sources: Law.asia

Freshfields appoints Michelle Holford Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe

Sources: Freshfields — news

Legal Cheek publishes 2027 NQ pay data for 113 UK firms

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Legal Cheek’s data on what UK firms will pay newly qualified solicitors in 2027 covers 113 firms. At the top of the market Sullivan & Cromwell pays £181k and Quinn Emanuel £189k from July 1, 2026; the Magic Circle rate is £150k.

Confirmed · Europe · United Kingdom

Sources: Legal Cheek

Rajah & Tann adds an IP partner

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Rajah & Tann has added an intellectual property partner, the firm announced on September 28.

Confirmed · Asia

Sources: Rajah & Tann

Jones Day adds five partners in Australia

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Jones Day has added five partners in Australia, the firm announced on September 28.

Confirmed · Asia · Australia

Sources: Jones Day

HSF Kramer grows in Tokyo with a hire from Nishimura & Asahi

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

HSF Kramer has added to its Tokyo office with a hire from Nishimura & Asahi, Asian Legal Business reported.

Confirmed · Asia · Tokyo

Sources: Asian Legal Business

Ashurst’s Singapore head exits as Asia departures continue

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The head of Ashurst’s Singapore office is leaving, continuing a run of Asia departures from the firm, Asian Legal Business reported.

Confirmed · Asia · Singapore

Sources: Asian Legal Business

White & Case advises banking syndicate on Soitec's €500 million ORNANE issue

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe

A&O Shearman advises Soitec on €500 million convertible bond issuance

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe · Paris

Freshfields’ Saudi disputes head joins Three Crowns

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The head of Freshfields’ Saudi disputes practice has joined Three Crowns. Law.com International reported the move on September 23 and Global Legal Post on September 24.

Confirmed · Middle East · Saudi Arabia

Sources: Law.com International, Global Legal Post

KWR advises Porr AG on €150m hybrid convertible bond; Dorda, Linklaters act for banks

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Confirmed · Europe · Vienna, Frankfurt

Sources: Extrajournal (Austria)

Gulf IPO drought pushes firms to diversify

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A drought in Gulf IPOs is pushing Baker McKenzie, Akin and other firms to diversify their work, Law.com International reported on September 22.

Confirmed · Middle East · Gulf

King & Wood launches a Singapore office

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

King & Wood has launched an office in Singapore, the firm announced on September 21.

Confirmed · Asia · Singapore

Sources: King & Wood

Sullivan & Cromwell launches in Abu Dhabi with a Latham partner

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Sullivan & Cromwell has opened in Abu Dhabi, hiring a partner from Latham to launch the office, Law.com International reported on September 14.

Read the full article →

Confirmed · Middle East · Abu Dhabi