Banking and finance

NatWest

NatWest names new GC as Moore departs

NatWest’s general counsel – and Linklaters’ former managing partner – Gideon Moore has left the bank after two years, making way for a new chief. Moore has been replaced by NatWest’s litigation general counsel Will Luker. He has worked at the bank since 2003, became litigation general counsel in 2010 and subsequently managed and integrated […]

Daniel Shurman, Clifford Chance

A&O Shearman partner moves over to Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance has hired a structured finance partner from A&O Shearman after the two firms’ merger last week.  Daniel Shurman joins Clifford Chance in London from legacy Allen & Overy, becoming a partner in its derivatives and structured products practice.  Emma Matebalavu, global head of financial markets, commented: “Daniel’s appointment is a testament to our commitment to […]

Davis Polk lands finance partner in rare hire

Davis Polk & Wardwell has recruited from Paul Hastings’s finance team, expanding its partnership ranks in the City to nine. The small City outfit has hired Luke McDougall from Paul Hastings. McDougall focuses on UK and cross-border acquisition finance and restructuring, acting for senior lenders, junior lenders and borrower groups on a variety of capital […]

London towers, office City

Travers exits continue as infrastructure partner departs

A week after losing a private equity duo, Travers Smith is set for another partner exit – this time from its infrastructure finance team to Sidley Austin. Partner Ben Thompson has exited the firm and is joining Sidley Austin. Thompson joined the firm in September 2021 from Weil Gotshal & Manges, where he was a […]

allen & overy

A&O merger: Prominent Shearman finance partner left ahead of go-live date

One of Shearman & Sterling’s London partner contingent left the firm ahead of its merger with Allen & Overy today. Leveraged finance partner Sanjeev Dhuna has not made the move to the new A&O Shearman. He joined Shearman during the firm’s hiring spree of 2021. Dhuna was previously at A&O, where he had spent the […]

A&O banking partner to lead UK operations post-merger

Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling have unveiled two additional leadership roles ahead of their merger tomorrow. Denise Gibson, A&O’s leveraged finance co-head, becomes the managing partner for the UK business. A&O’s Dave Lewis meanwhile has been named as co-managing partner of the US along with Shearman’s Doreen Lilienfeld. Shearman’s senior partner Adam Hakki […]

barclays

Who’s in and who’s out at Barclays

Barclays’ legal team was once among the most influential in the UK. That power has diminished over the last decade, yet the banking giant still packs a punch when it comes to talent management. Some 40 lawyers are understood to have left Barclays in the UK last year. There are cost-cutting measures at play here, […]

barclays

Barclays exodus: 44 lawyers leave as strategic overhaul kicks in

Barclays lost 44 lawyers in its legal team over 2023, almost four times the average number of leavers across the UK’s top banks. The banks with the second highest number of leavers is tied between HSBC and NatWest, with 12 lawyer exits each, according to indicative data. On the other end of the scale, Royal […]

Zurich

UBS and Zurich swap lawyers in new secondment scheme

Two Swiss powerhouses have collaborated to offer their in-house legal teams a two-way secondment programme. Private bank UBS and insurer Zurich Insurance have agreed to swap two secondees each for a three-month placement. Intakes happen in the spring and autumn of each year, meaning that four secondment swaps occur per year. The programme is spearheaded […]

SocGen

Société Générale GC exits after 17 years

European bank Société Générale has lost its general counsel after 17 years at the business. Sarah Linstead has announced that she has left the bank for financial services firm TP ICAP as general counsel for EMEA. Lindsay Sides, chief operating officer in the London legal department at Société Générale, has stepped up to fill the […]

Linklaters

Skadden swipes second finance partner from Linklaters

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has hired another finance partner from Linklaters in London. The US firm has snapped up financial regulation partner Sebastian Barling, who has spent the last 12 years at the magic circle firm. He was promoted to partner in 2018. Before his time at Linklaters, Barling spent several years at […]

Claim spotter: EasyGroup takes on more “brand thieves”, while Barclays and NatWest team up

EasyGroup takes on “brand thieves” again in new suit EasyGroup, the owning group of budget airline EasyJet, has filed a part 7 “passing off and trade marks claim” in the Intellectual Property List, continuing its long-running campaign against what it calls “brand thieves”. Stephenson Harwood has been called in to represent EasyGroup in this latest […]