McDermott bags Ashurst finance star

McDermott Will & Emery has hired one of the founding partners of Ashurst's securities and structured finance group Kate Lamburn.

Lamburn, who has been a professional development lawyer at Ashurst since returning from maternity leave, wants to return to fee-earning.

"Professional development is a great role but inherently restricted," said Lamburn. "I still have the same drive and ambition I had before and am keen to return to full-time fee-earning."

Lamburn, who joins McDermott as a partner, joined Ashurst in 2001 as part of a three-partner structured finance team that came from Weil Gotshal & Manges. She left to have a baby three years later.

Lamburn joins McDermott's structured finance team with a particular remit to help develop its growing collateralised debt obligation practice.