London-founded Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is expanding its presence in the U.S., launching a new Silicon Valley office and hiring away some notable names from stateside competitors.
British Are Coming: The move is the latest signal that Freshfields is making a serious play at widening its footprint, despite the pandemic-related economic crisis. The firm handled $77 billion worth of transactions nationwide in the first quarter this year, second only to Skadden.
Big Law Raid: Former Davis Polk corporate lawyer Sarah Solum is making the jump to Freshfields, along with Wilson Sonsini securities litigators Boris Feldman and Doru Gavril. They join technology and life sciences attorney John Fisher from Sidley Austin and former Latham & Watkins corporate transactions partner Maj Vaseghi, as well as current Freshfields partners Pamela Marcogliese and Alan Ryan.
Roy Strom has the story.
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In-House
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Business of Law
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Covid Will Boost Medtech Defense, Greenberg Lawyer Says
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WORKFLOWS
Debevoise & Plimpton said that Jason Auerbach, Megan Bannigan, Sally Bergmann, Elliot Greenfield, Winston Paes, Daniel Priest, and Alisa Waxman will become partners of the firm, effective July 1 | Mintz hired litigation partner Courtney Rockett from Boies Schiller & Flexner as a member in New York | Williams & Connolly counsel and former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement lawyer Rachel Rodman joined Cadwalader as a partner in its White Collar Defense and Investigations practice in Washington | Fenwick hired Alston & Bird privacy and cybersecurity lawyer Helen Christakos as counsel in the San Francisco area | Eversheds Sutherland’s Chicago office added Ruth A. Schoenmeyer as a partner and Stephanie J. Kim as counsel (both arrive from White & Case); and in-house real estate attorney Kathleen Dempsey Boyle joins as counsel from Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle | Skadden announced that Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will rejoin the Washington office as a partner in its CFIUS and National Security Group, effective August 2020 | McDermott Will & Emery hired insurance litigator Jane M. Byrne in New York from Quinn Emanuel.
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