Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, which recently announced its 27th consecutive year of financial growth, has hired a pair of corporate partners from Hogan Lovells and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips to bolster its bench in the Bay Area.

John Booher joined Sheppard Mullin in Palo Alto, California, on May 1 after more than 14 years at Hogan Lovells, where he was promoted to partner in 2007. Eric Newsom, most recently co-chair of the corporate and finance group and chair of the private equity and venture capital group at Manatt Phelps, headed to Sheppard Mullin's San Francisco office on May 9.

“Sheppard's health care team is a great platform when you combine it with the traditional corporate strength that Sheppard enjoys nationally,” said Newsom about his recent move. “Those two things were kind of compelling reasons for coming over.”

Newsom and Booher both have extensive experience in M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions, as well as corporate securities offerings, complex joint venture deals and corporate governance and compliance matters. The duo said they were particularly attracted to Sheppard Mullin's health care group, which has 140 lawyers nationwide.

“Within the health care space, we both work with private equity firms,” Booher said. “We have a similar backgrounds in health care transactions [and] I think there will certainly be synergies in our practice. That was certainly part of the draw in joining Sheppard in the Bay Area.”

Beginning in January, when Sheppard Mullin forged a strategic alliance with a Saudi Arabian shop, the Los Angeles-based Am Law 100 firm has brought on at least 19 lateral partners in six offices. Sheppard Mullin also opened an office in Dallas last month with 18 lawyers, including 10 partners recruited from six other firms.

“Growing our corporate practice in the Bay Area—and nationally—has been an ongoing strategic goal for us, so John and Eric are ideal additions,” said a statement from Sheppard Mullin vice chairman Jon Newby, a former co-leader of the firm's corporate practice. “They both have significant experience in health care, which dovetails nicely with our strong national health care practice, and their overall deep skills across the spectrum of corporate work further strengthens our capabilities.”

Newsom has been practicing in San Francisco his entire legal career. Since he graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1996, Newsom was hired as an associate at Walnut Creek, California-based boutique Buchman Provine Brothers Smith. He joined Foley & Lardner in 2000 before making the jump to Manatt Phelps seven years later.

Booher moved to the Bay Area about six years ago with Hogan Lovells. Prior to that, he spent four years as an associate at King & Spalding.

“It was particularly exciting for me because I work with many early stage and emerging companies in the California market,” said Booher, whose clients include the aerospace, defense and telecommunications industries. “Having the bench strength of Sheppard Mullin came behind me here in California was particularly beneficial.”

According to the firm, Sheppard Mullin has 32 lawyers in Palo Alto, where it set up shop a decade ago after taking on a team from now-defunct Thelen, and another 100 lawyers in San Francisco. Firmwide, Sheppard Mullin's corporate practice group has more than 170 lawyers.