Mayer Brown exodus continues as reinsurance litigator heads to Locke Lord
Mayer Brown has seen another partner departure from its City base, with high-profile reinsurance litigator Ian McKenna leaving to join US rival Locke Lord.
McKenna, who has been a partner at Mayer Brown since 2003, is set to join the Texan firm’s London office as the third partner in an insurance group that currently includes Damian Cleary and Gavin Coull, who joined from Steptoe & Johnson earlier this year (29 May 2012).
McKenna, who previously worked in reinsurer Munich Re’s London office, moved to Mayer Brown in 2003 from Holman Fenwick & Willan (9 June 2003). He is one of the leading legal figures in the City in the contentious insurance scene.
His practice covers coverage disputes, reinsurance recoveries, breach of contract, avoidance and related disputes both in the commercial courts and in arbitration, encompassing E&O coverage issues and disputes, reinsurance run-off, restructuring and insolvency matters.
He advised on the California fires in 2007, Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita in 2005, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.
Locke Lord global insurance and reinsurance chair Nick DiGiovanni said in a statement: “Ian’s addition to our insurance and reinsurance group makes our international platform that much stronger. Our bench strength in the London, European and Bermudian insurance and reinsurance markets offers our growing client base even more capabilities and service.”
Mayer Brown has suffered a string of partner exits in London in 2012, including most recently structured finance partner Stephen Day to join Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft (24 August 2012).
It has carried out two redundancy rounds for London staff this year, putting fewer than 20 employees in consultation last month (21 September 2012).
A Mayer Brown spokesperson said in a statement: “We confirm that Ian McKenna is leaving the firm. We’re grateful for the significant contribution he made during his time here and wish him all the best in his new role.”
Mayer Brown London litigation head David Allen commented: “There are very few clients that Ian will be taking with him but there are one or two, and they will go with our blessing.”
Locke Lord’s City launch, first reported by The Lawyer, saw six partners and two consultants join the US firm from Salans alongside a partner from Rochman Landau (7 November 2011). The office has since grown to 14 London partners following a major latering hiring spree.
Readers' comments (9)
Anon | 29-Oct-2012 2:04 pm
The Mayer Brown implosion continues...
BTW far more associates have gone by "stealth".
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Anonymous | 29-Oct-2012 4:11 pm
dear oh dear...run for the hills!
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Anonymous | 29-Oct-2012 4:42 pm
They are heading for the hills! A typical response from Allen to a departure of talent, McKenna will do well away from that. Apparently more "right sizing" and de-equitisation in corporate, Charnleys departure has hit hard is the rumour.
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Anon | 29-Oct-2012 11:19 pm
At least he only has to move downstairs as Locke Lord are renting empty offices from MB! Unfortunately it is also true about stealth redundancies of associates too.
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Anonymous | 30-Oct-2012 11:24 am
Plus ca change! Insurance at MB is actually relatively solid, it's corporate which is the dead weight: a number of coasting partners, a dearth of quality associates, juniors running too much of the deals they have and low quality, low margin work. Everything's done on the cheap and as quickly as possible just to keep the dept from sliding into the mire. Someone needs to take a well-oiled scythe to the partnership.
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Anonymous | 30-Oct-2012 4:09 pm
I've worked in the firm's london office for over 10 years now. I've noticed a rapid decline in the quality of leadership over the last 3 years. Senior managemnet is not good enough, the firm lacks an individual with vision and conviction needed to orchastrate and implement an effective growth strategy. Leadership in the corporate department is particularly bad. Most of my colleagues are of the same opinion.
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Anonymous | 31-Oct-2012 8:46 am
I am not in a position to comment on the individuals within the corporate department. But clearly something is wrong with some of these comments when Mayer Brown is ranked 7th by value and 11th by volume in the Thomson Reuters M&A league tables for the first 9 months of 2012.
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Anonymous | 31-Oct-2012 9:06 pm
London has contributed nothing to the league tables, MB don't even feature in the UK or European tables. Not really a Corporate department in any event, most of the work is outsourcing these days.
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Anonymous | 1-Nov-2012 2:16 pm
Its funny but everytime a partner leaves MB it is portrayed as armegeddon. They must have had so many fantastic partners ! Fact is, in the last three years a few rainmakers have left, and Charnely is a loss no doubt, but most that have left my bet is MB wont have been sad to see them go. And its not all about corporate - MB has a stellar and top ranked pensions, Insurance and construction teams. For those of us lucky enough to have worked there it was and is a great law firm despite what the repeat MB bloggers may have u believe.
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