US firm follows up on 2008 union with Kendall Freeman to launch UK PE practice

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge has launched a private equity practice in the City just over a year after opening in London through a merger with Kendall Freeman.

The Boston-based law firm has hired David Ramm from legacy firm Campbell Hooper to launch the practice.

Ramm, who has a broad-based private equity and venture capital practice, joined the firm on 1 July having been a partner with Campbell Hooper since 2006. He previously worked with both Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr and Gouldens.

Edwards Angell has been planning a move into private equity since it launched in London in early 2008 to complement its existing practice in the US.

Ramm, who has previously acted for the likes of Citibank and Carlyle, will head the new team, which also includes two lawyers who have recently qualified with Edwards Angell.

In the US, the firm has around 60 private equity-focused lawyers across Boston and New York.

Edwards Angell London office head Laurence Harris told Legal Week: "Private equity and venture capital is an area in which we have had an eye on since the merger. A lot of the private equity work we do in the US has an international element to it, so having David in London will be very attractive to a number ofour clients."

Ramm's hire comes shortly after Edwards Angell hired former Field Fisher Waterhouse trademark partner John Olsen. Olsen joined along with a 15-strong team of lawyers and brought around 80 clients with him including MasterCard, Elizabeth Arden and Tumi.

Ramm's departure from Campbell Hooper comes only weeks after the firm formally merged with 200-lawyer Speechly Bircham. The merger went live at the beginning of this month, with the deal giving Speechly 88 partners and some 250 lawyers and combined revenues which should propel it into the UK top 50.