Canada's Gowlings continues London expansion with Simmons hire

David Shasha joined Gowlings as a partner earlier this month and will head the firm’s energy, infrastructure and mining group in London.

Shasha is Gowlings’ third partner hire since the beginning of October and his hire is part of the firm’s strategy to make London a hub for energy and infrastructure work in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Shasha is a former head of energy and infrastructure at Simmons, joining the firm as a partner in 2003. Before that he was a partner at Clifford Chance, where he helped set up offices in Budapest, Prague and Warsaw.

“I was taken by the opportunity this affords me because the firm has a number of international clients and the potential here’s considerable - and that’s an exciting prospect for me,” said Shasha about joining Gowlings.

As head of energy, infrastructure and mining for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Shasha’s job is now to build up a team in London and he says the firm is “in ongoing discussions with a number of people at the moment,” with the ultimate aim of building the London office to 30 lawyers within the next 18 months.

In London Gowlings now has six lawyers. On 1 October the firm hired British Energy Group general counsel Robert Armour (1 October 2010) and followed that up with the hire of former Norton Rose partner Michael Taylor (6 October 2010).