Move of the week 

Tom O’Neill
Tom O’Neill

Herbert Smith Freehills has recruited US securities lawyer Tom O’Neill to join its capital markets practice as a partner. O’Neill will head its US securities practice having previously been a corporate partner at King & Spalding. His practice focuses on corporate finance and securities offerings, including the representation of underwriters, issuers, sponsors and other sellers on cross-border equity and debt offerings. Prior to joining King & Spalding, O’Neill was a partner at Linklaters for more than 17 years. 

UK

London

Ropes & Gray has appointed Ruchit Patel, the first antitrust partner at the firm’s London office. He joins from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, where he was an associate. 

Gerald Kelly is joining Macfarlanes as a partner from Ashurst’sreal estate practice. He has been a partner there since 2001.  

Partner Daniel Skinner has joined Capsticks from Batchelors, where he was head of its social housing team. 

Howard Kennedy partner Rajan Shori has become Dorsey & Whitney’s head of real estate finance in London. 

Spears: joins Volterra Fietta as counsel
Spears: joins Volterra Fietta as counsel

Arbitration lawyer Suzanne Spears has joined Volterra Fietta as counsel after spending eight years as counsel at WilmerHale

Serena Tierney has joined Veale Wasbrough Vizards’ London office as a partner, having been head of IP at Bircham Dyson Bell since 2012. 

Hodge Jones & Allen has strengthened its personal injury team with the acquisition of solicitors Emma Lythell and Steven Violet. Violet was previously a solicitor at SGS Legal Services while Lythell served in the same role at Universal Law.

South 

Trethowans has announced the appointment of new banking partner Sophie Eales. Before joining the Southampton-based firm, Eales was a senior associate at Bond Dickinson

Howes Percival has recruited James Howarth to its Milton Keynes office as a partner specialising in IP and media litigation. He joins from Penningtons Manches in Oxford where he was a senior associate.

Midlands 

Eversheds partner Mark Surguy has joined Weightmans’ commercial dispute resolution team in Birmingham as a partner.

North 

Beaumont Legal has announced Libby Holding as its latest recruit, who starts at the firm as head of wills and probate. She joins from Kenna Kay & Co where she was an associate solicitor. 

Cotton: employment partner at JMW
Cotton: employment partner at JMW

Manchester-based JMW Solicitors has strengthened its employment team with the appointment of partner Liz Cotton. Cotton was previously head of employment at Cassell Moore

Europe 

Oppenhoff & Partner has hired Christof Gaudig as a partner in the firm’s Cologne corporate and M&A practice. Gaudig joins from Mayer Brown where he was a partner. 

Clifford Chance’s Düsseldorf office has moved to strengthen its German offering with the appointment of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringers global co-head of energy and natural resources, Anselm Raddatz. Raddatz will co-head the firm’s German corporate group alongside Thomas Krecek. 

Latham & Watkins has lost its third Munich partner in four months as corporate specialist Kilian Helmreich moves to German boutique Gütt Olk Feldhaus

Middle East

Gateley is expanding its offering in Dubai with the appointment of dispute resolution partner Mark Hoyle. Hoyle joins from King & Wood Mallesons’ Dubai office where he was a partner specialising in commercial dispute resolution.

US

Covington & Burling has announced that partner Richard Rainey has rejoined the firm’s IP practice having previously served as executive counsel for global IP litigation at General Electric. 

Lynn Neils, a former chief of the major crimes unit in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, has been appointed to Baker Botts’ New York office as a partner. The firm has also recruited David Weaver, formerly an IP litigation partner at Vinson & Elkins, to join its Austin office as a partner. 

Dechert has announced that Michael Barta has joined the firm in its Washington office as a partner in the litigation group. Barta was most recently a partner and chair of the white-collar crime and corporate investigations group at Baker Botts

Asia 

Ropes & Gray has hired partner Jieni Gu in its Shanghai M&A practice. She was previously counsel at Weil Gotshal & Manges

Kirkland & Ellis has expanded its restructuring team in Hong Kong with the hire of partner Kelly Naphtali. She joins from insolvency and litigation boutique firm Lipman Karas’ Hong Kong office, where she was a partner.

Promotions

Murray Beith Murray has appointed Andrew Paterson to partner and Sean Cockburn to tax director within the Edinburgh-based private client law firm. Paterson was previously a senior associate, while Cockburn was a senior tax manager.  

Latham & Watkins has announced its 2015 partner promotions, with four partners being made up in London out of 25 across the world. Corporate associates Robbie McLaren and Farah O’Brien are being promoted from the start of next year, while associates Adrian Chiodo and Helena Potts have been made up in the firm’s finance department.  

White & Case has increased the number of partners promoted in London to eight, while announcing a slightly reduced global round of 31 partners. M&A lawyers Victoria Landsbert and Emma Parr have been promoted, with Carina Radford and Ben Wilkinson becoming partners in the project finance and banking groups respectively. Global commercial litigation lawyers Edward Attenborough and Rory Hishon have also been made up, while Clare Connellan and Julian Bailey complete the line-up in the international arbitration group.  

McDermott Will & Emery has appointed 30 new partners across its practice areas. The majority of promotions are from the US. 

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has announced its 2015 partner promotions, with five partners being made up in New York and one coming from both Washington DC and Moscow.