Lawyer Monthly Magazine - September 2021 Edition

LAWYER MOVES Leveraged finance lawyer Adrian Chiodo has joined Paul Hastings as a partner in its London- based finance and restructuring practice. Chiodo spent over a decade at Paul Hastings’ US rival Latham & Watkins, where he was a partner prior to his new hiring. Before that, he worked at Australian firm Gilbert + Tobin and also spent stretches of time at Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and Allens Arthur Robinson. Chiodo specialises in advising financiers, issuers and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on cross-border leveraged finance across the capital structure, in addition to handling public-to-private transactions, restructurings and post-IPO, and project and infrastructure financings. Paul Hastings said that the arrival of Chiodo marked a step in the growth of its London office. Said office is currently staffed by 30 partners and more than 100 lawyers. The firm also stated that Chiodo would add depth to its global leveraged finance offering. Paul Hastings chairman Seth Zachary said that Chiodo’s experience in debt finance matters and “deep understanding” of market trends and versatile capabilities in bank work and private credit made him a “strong addition” to the firm’s global finance and restructuring practice. Paul Hastings Adds Latham Talent to London Finance Practice Big Four accounting firm EY hired a four-partner team from Eversheds Sutherland to join its energy, climate and environmental, social and governance law practice. The team comprises Michelle T Davies, Eversheds’ global head of clean energy and sustainability; Jean-Pascal Boutin, head of Eversheds’ energy regulatory team, and Rob McNabb and Iwan Walters, both energy partners. Three of the four team members are based in the UK; Davies in London, Boutin and McNabb in Cardiff, and Walters in Dubai. In a statement to Legal Week, Philip Goodstone, EY’s UK head of law, said that the hiring of the four partners represented “ a significant investment in our capabilities in sustainability and energy transition.” As part of EY’s ESG practice, the new partners will help the firm’s legal clients to decarbonise their businesses and find solutions to the obstacles presented by a changing global ESG climate. The appointments come on the heels of EY’s loss of its associate partner and business development leader Andrew Leck, who was hired by MSI Global Alliance in London. Leck joined the independent legal and accounting firm as its new chief executive officer, replacing incumbent Tim Wilson. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer appointed Sarah Solum as its newest regional managing partner in the US, in a continuation of its expansion into the country’s legal market. Solum left her prior position at Davis Polk & Wardwell to co-found Freshfields’ Northern California office last year. She will continue to hold her position as office managing partner in Silicon Valley and head of Freshfields’ US capital markets practice. Freshfields' US-based global co-managing partner Alan Mason described Solum as the “ideal choice” to lead the firm as it continues its expansion in the US. “ She has been vital to the success of Freshfields’ Silicon Valley office, bringing in diverse, top-tier lawyers and serving our tech and life sciences clients, for whom our ability to advise on complex M&A, global antitrust and other boardroom issues is critical to their strategies,” he explained . “In her new role, Sarah will play an even greater part in steering us into the future.” Freshfields also recently recruited data privacy and security partner Christine Lyon, formerly of Morrison & Foerstar, to its Silicon Valley bench. The firm also hired cybersecurity specialist Brock Dahl away from the National Security Agency in May. EY Hires Sustainability Specialists from Eversheds Freshfields Gains New Silicon Valley Leadership 10 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | SEP 2021