Fulbright raids BLG for sub-prime litigation partner

Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has been raided by US law firm Fulbright & Jaworski for litigation partner Melanie Ryan.

For BLG, Ryan's defection is the second from commercial litigation to a US firm in as many months after BLG's former commercial litigation head Clare Canning completed her move to Mayer Brown in January, as first reported by The Lawyer, 1 October 2007.

Ryan commented: "The firm's global platform will allow me the opportunity to develop my practice, both domestically and internationally."

Ryan is currently representing large financial institutions in several cases involving securities linked to the sub-prime sector. She joins the US firm as a partner, less than two years after being made up to the BLG partnership. She was the only woman to be made up in the firm's 2006 round.

The UK-Australian qualified lawyer will be based in Fulbright's London office and will continue to focus on representing financial institutions and insurers in commercial litigations as well as alternative dispute resolution and regulatory.

Lista Cannon, the head of Fulbright's London office said: "Her legal acumen, experience and language skills make her a good addition to our experienced and expanding global team."

BLG was unavailable for comment.