Giuliani's firm set to make a splash in City

Bracewell & Giuliani, the firm of former New York Mayor and prospective presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani, is launching in London and is on track to be fully operational by the end of the year.

Managing partner Pat Oxford told The Lawyer that the firm was recruiting a "handful of solicitors" for the office, whose purpose is to support the firm's burgeoning energy practice in Kazakhstan, which boasts clients such as Bank of America, Société Générale and Shell.

Former Slaughter and May lawyer Martin Hunt will be managing partner of the new City-based office. Oxford said the firm's expansion was linked to London being increasingly used as a financial centre by its clients.

The firm is expanding fast. In April the 400-lawyer firm raided Linklaters for three lawyers, including US head of corporate Mark Palmer.