LG raids Bird & Bird to beef up banking ahead of merger

Corporate collapse specialist Brett Israel has been brought in to lead Lawrence Graham’s international restructuring and insolvency team as the firm flexes its financial muscles ahead of a potential merger.

Israel is leaving a role as finance partner and UK-based co-head of Bird & Bird’s international corporate restructuring and insolvency group to join LG.

The move is part of a hiring strategy which has already seen John Fox, Matthew East and Simon Elphick recruited to the finance team as partners in recent months, all from Stephenson Harwood.

Israel will work alongside UK head of restructuring and insolvency Robert Paterson in a practice group led by Nick Turner.

The firm has hailed the capture of Israel as capping off a “powerful unit”.

The move to swell the finance ranks comes as LG discusses a potential merger with Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW).

It also announced a tie-up in Brazil last week with MFRA.

In September 2011 DLA Piper took team of three financial litigation partners - Jeremy Andrews, Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry and James Curle - from LG to join its specialist litigation team. (28 Sept 2011)

Turner said: “Brett is one of the most experienced and respected insolvency lawyers in the market. We have been extremely pleased with the performance of the team and Brett’s hire caps off what we fully expect to be a powerful unit within the ever-growing finance practice at LG.”

Israel said: “LG’s finance and restructuring and insolvency practices have a strong presence already – the quality and number of partners hired in recent months is a clear statement of intent to grow significantly.