SJ Berwin loses duo of funds partners to Proskauer
Up-and-coming funds star Nigel van Zyl has quit SJ Berwin for the City firm’s former merger suitor Proskauer Rose, bringing fellow funds partner Oliver Rochman with him.
Nigel van Zyl
Van Zyl, a private equity fund formation expert, joins partners Peter McGowan and Robert Barry in the US firm’s funds team. He is understood to have resigned yesterday (26 July), but the timescale of the departure is not known.
The scoop follows Proskauer’s hire of corporate partners Russell Carmedy and Michael Nouril from Jones Day in the spring (11 April 2011).
Van Zyl made partner at SJ Berwin in 2007 and had been linked with firms including Clifford Chance, where he was tipped as a candidate to fill the gap left by the funds team headed for Weil Gotshal & Manges (13 June 2011). Rochman has been a partner since May this year (6 May 2011).
SJ Berwin was in protracted merger talks with Proskauer last year in a six-month courtship that was seen as unsettling for the British firm. Negotiations were called off in November (12 November 2010).
The firm has seen key partner losses in the past year, with Jon Vivian leading a four-partner real estate exodus to Irwin Mitchell in September (27 September 2010).
Last month competition head Stephen Kon is understood to have resigned from the firm after being voted into the partnership at Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, only to be persuaded to stay (14 July 2011).
Jonathan Blake, senior partner st SJ Berwin, said: “Whilst we’re sorry that they’re [van Zyl and Rochman] leaving, we remain the undisputed market leader for funds with more partners and associates dedicated to this area in the UK and across Europe than any of our competitors.
“Our deep expertise across a very broad team has been built over many years and we’re committed to maintaining and developing that for the benefit of our clients.”
View results 10 per page | 20 per page | 50 per page
Readers' comments (24)
James Holden | 28-Jul-2011 11:38 am
I don't believe more than one or two people could possibly be posting about this with such persistence and venom.
It doesn't take a genius to see that someone is campaigning here - a competitor by the look of it.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Batman | 28-Jul-2011 11:44 am
SJB is learning the hard way that a hyperactive marketing department is a poor substitute for legal and commercial excellence.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Doogie Hauser MD | 28-Jul-2011 11:48 am
SJ's main problem is rather the same as News Corp's. The firm was built by certain key partners who brought with them a 'certain' culture. The firm needs these senior people to leave so a renewal of the firm's direction and culture can take place - just as happens in MC and other leading firms. But, as is so often the case in smaller firms the 'founders' would rather take the ship down with them, shouting from the bridge: 'This is my firm, I built it......' without noticing the world has moved on.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
SJB Employee | 30-Jul-2011 1:35 pm
While some of the comments here have varying degrees of validity to them, I would take issue with the underlying them that SJB is a horrible place to work. Perhaps the comments are coming from people who got treated badly in the downturn. Fair enough. Those people probably have the right to be pissed off with how the firm treated them (though I doubt it was any worse than how other firms acted). However, having worked there for nearly 4 years now, I can honestly say that it is a really nice working environment, with a pretty young, vibrant and fun employee base. Of course, as with any business, there are some people you'd rather not work with, but on the whole I think it is one of the best environments I have worked in.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment