Firm recruits SJB partner in boost for financial regulation practice

Nabarro has moved to replenish its financial services advisory capacities with the hire of SJ Berwin partner Adrian Brown.

Brown is joining the top 30 City law firm in December to head the financial services regulation group. He will replace Rob Moulton in the role, who is leaving next month to join Ashurst as a partner.

The financial services regulation practice sits within Nabarro's corporate department, which is headed by City partner Iain Newman and currently has 19 partners and around 30 associates.

Commenting on the hire, Nabarro senior partner Simon Johnston said that it comes as part of an investment strategy to build in the area.

He said: "Adrian's hire is a strategic investment. It will allow us to develop our regulatory financial services practice and support our growing funds and corporate finance practices, where we have continued to successfully develop and build our client base."

Brown qualified as a solicitor in SJ Berwin's financial markets group in September 1998 and became a partner in 2005. Prior to that, he worked in the City as an equity derivatives trader. His practice centres on property funds work, although he also has experience advising on offshore trusts and limited partnerships.

For SJ Berwin, the departure marks the fifth partner loss in the last month after the firm's real estate head Jon Vivian and a three-partner team – consisting of Lewis Myers, Rob Thompson and Jo Footitt – announced their intention to join Irwin Mitchell at the end of September. The real estate departures came partly on the back of SJ Berwin's advanced plans to merge with New York's Proskauer Rose.