Addleshaws recruits DLA Piper partner for regulatory strategy

Addleshaw Goddard has bulked up its financial regulation group with the lateral hire of a partner from DLA Piper.

John Ahern is set to join Addleshaws just as the firm finalises the departures of 19 partners from its ranks.

In January the firm announced that it was trimming its partnership after deciding it had too many partners for its business needs (TheLawyer.com, 21 January).

According to Paul Devitt, managing partner of Addleshaws’ corporate division, Ahern’s appointment is seen as a strategic move for the firm.

He added: “The changing regulatory landscape which is emerging from the credit crisis presents considerable challenges for clients across the financial services sector.”

Ahern, who has been a partner at DLA Piper since 2005, formerly spent eight years as an in-house lawyer at Merrill Lynch, first in Singapore then as a director in the bank’s office of general counsel in London.