Bingham raids Bryan Cave for hedge funds team

Bingham McCutchen is continuing its aggressive expansion campaign by launching a nine-strong New York hedge fund practice following a raid on US rival Bryan Cave.

A team of nine lawyers, including partners Robert Leonard and Michael Mavrides, have moved across from Bryan Cave’s New York office to launch Bingham’s local hedge fund practice. The team will support Bingham’s existing hedge fund practices in London and Boston

The hires almost double the firm’s global hedge fund expertise to 19 lawyers, and follow the hires of partners Richard Goldman and Steven Giordano in the Boston office last year.

At the same time, the losses leave Bryan Cave’s New York hedge fund practice in tatters. Leonard, who specialises in structured-product transactions, private investment partnerships and offshore funds, led Byran Cave’s hedge fund team.

Bingham has been conducting an aggressive lateral hire campaign in the last 12 months. Most recently appointing corporate finance specialist John Clark from Jones Day and litiagation expert Peter Bibby from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary to the firm’s London partnership.

Bryan Cave were unavailable for comment.