Kirkland & Ellis snaps up Hurlock

Kirkland & Ellis' London office has lured Matthew Hurlock, the son of retiring White & Case chairman James Hurlock, to join the firm from Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Hurlock joins Kirklands as a partner from Davis Polk in New York on 3 April. Stuart Mills, head of Kirklands' London corporate practice, says Hurlock will be doing a mixture of M&A and securities work, specialising in private equity.

"He's a fabulous catch. He speaks a number of different languages and is very personable," says Mills.

Hurlock is a seven-year-qualified associate at Davis Polk. "We make partners after six years, which is earlier than the Wall Street firms, and it would be unfair to bring him in at a position that is lower than his class," says Mills.

His arrival will give Chicago-based Kirklands' London office five partners. Mills says the office will beef up its M&A practice further with the arrival of two partners from the US over the summer. Mills says the office has no plans to take on English lawyers.