Linklaters suffers Giuliani raid in NYC

Linklaters New York office has suffered what is understood to be its first group defection after three lawyers, including US head of corporate Mark Palmer, left to join US firm Bracewell & Giuliani.

Palmer joins Houston-based Bracewell as head of its New York corporate practice, along with Jonathan Gill and Robb Tretter who join as partners effective 1 May. Gill and Tretter were previously associates at Linklaters.

Linklaters partners Andrew Mackie and Larry Vranka will replace Palmer as co-heads of the New York corporate team. Vranka, currently based in London, will relocate to New York next month.

The loss of Palmer comes just two years after he joined Linklaters from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in August 2004. He first joined as a restructuring and bankruptcy partner before moving into the corporate practice.

The loss also follows Linklaters finance specialist Kevin Hall’s defection to Reed Smith earlier this month. Hall had been a partner in Linklaters’ New York office since 1999.

Before joining Linklaters Gill was with Sullivan & Cromwell, while Tretter started his legal career at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz. Palmer also started his legal career at Sullivan.

All three lawyers represent private investment firms, financial institutions and corporations on M&A, corporate governance issues, private/public takeovers, joint ventures, investments and reorganizations in the US and abroad.

Bracewell & Giuliani was formerly known as Bracewell & Patterson, but was renamed last year after bringing aboard former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a name partner to launch its Manhattan office.