Arnold & Porter in eight-partner swoop on Dorsey NY

Washington DC’s Arnold & Porter is dramatically beefing up its New York capability after a devastating eight-partner raid on Dorsey & Whitney.

The group, boasting senior partners and a number of practice heads, will bolster Arnold & Porter’s New York offering in litigation and corporate transactions and will add a hedge funds practice for the first time.

Head of financial services and hedge funds at Dorsey, Michael Griffin, is joining Arnold & Porter alongside fellow hedge funds experts JP Bruynes and Robert Holton. They are joined by corporate transactions and private equity specialist partner Robert Wessely.

At the same time, three litigation partners are jumping ship for the DC giant. Former co-head of Dorsey’s international litigation and arbitration group, Ramon Marks, is joining Arnold & Porter alongside securities litigation co-head Stewart Aaron and IP litigator James Swire, who formerly headed Dorsey’s New York office.

Grant Vingoe, formerly the partner in charge of Dorsey’s Toronto office has also quit for Arnold & Porter.

In a statement, Arnold & Porter chairman Mike Sohn said: “This is a significant step in our strategy to grow and diversify our New York office. We are adding a top-tier hedge funds practice and increasing our depth in core transactional and litigation practice areas.”

Dorsey & Whitney was unavailable for comment.