Rachel Moloney

Rachel is deputy editor (City) of The Lawyer and primarily covers corporate and the City

Claim spotter: Axiom Ince saga continues with fresh SRA matter

SRA files new claim over Axiom Ince collapse The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has filed a new matter with the courts. Listed on the public filing system against the former boss of collapsed firm Axiom Ince, Pragnesh Modhwadia, the suit is listed as a Part 8 miscellaneous matter, which usually seeks the court’s decision on […]

Latham & Watkins logo

Latham set to hire Cahill finance trio

A team from Cahill Gordon & Reindel’s finance practice are set to move firms to Latham & Watkins. It is understood that Jonathan Brownson, Joydeep Choudhuri and Prue Criddle are switching across, having joined Cahill during a significant period of growth for the firm. Brownson moved with Jake Keaveny in a much touted move from […]

Linklaters

Linklaters matches Freshfields with NQ pay hike

Linklaters has increased its newly-qualified lawyer salary by £25,000, a fortnight after Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer did the same. The firm has increased its NQ pay from £125,000 to £150,000. Alongside this, trainee salaries have risen by £6,000 across both years to £56,000 and £61,000. Solicitor apprentice pay is now £28,000, growing from £25,000. The firm […]

Cleary hires from Kirkland as recruitment drive continues

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which up until 18 months ago had steered clear of the lateral hiring market, has added a new London partner from Kirkland & Ellis. Alexander van der Gaag is joining Cleary from Kirkland’s debt finance team. He worked at Kirkland for nine years, arriving as an associate from Baker McKenzie. […]

Race running to finish

Here’s one solution to Linklaters’ departures

Thanks to Paul Weiss, Skadden and Kirkland & Ellis (but mainly Paul Weiss), Linklaters has a few empty chairs at Silk Street. One way a firm can replenish its ranks is through lateral hiring – enter Travers Smith corporate partner Richard Spedding – or internal promotions. Last month, a total of 14 lawyers were made up […]

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 Moore has been replaced by NatWest’s litigation general counsel Will Luker.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 […]

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 […]

All change at McDermott: Corporate duo take the reins in London

Having returned to the legal market after seven years in retirement, Graham White has been named as senior partner of McDermott Will & Emery’s London office, along with a new managing partner. Private equity lawyer White, who joined McDermott this year after leaving Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson in 2017, has taken on the […]

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 […]

Today’s not just A&O day

1 May is a big day for many in the legal industry, not just the thousands of people at Allen & Overy and Shearman who have now combined officially. Scores of lawyers become partners today after a wave of promotions, meaning that also – in the great circle of life – plenty of veterans are […]