Winston & Strawn and Reed Smith set to hire KWM finance partners as exits continue
Finance partners Borman and Calligan set to be latest exits from troubled firm
December 21, 2016 at 11:35 AM
3 minute read
King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) finance partner Ian Borman is set to join Winston & Strawn, while fellow US firm Reed Smith is set to hire KWM financial regulatory partner David Calligan.
Both firms are currently in discussions with other KWM partners.
Borman has been a partner in the finance group at KWM since joining from Allen & Overy in 2009.
He specialises in leveraged finance, institutional lending and real estate finance. He also acts as global coordinator for the firm's acquisition finance group.
A small number of KWM partners are understood to still be in talks with Winston, with a source close to the matter saying that at one point the US firm was in discussions with around 20 partners.
Calligan joined legacy SJ Berwin in 1989 and acts principally for banks, broker dealers and investment management firms.
In a statement, Reed Smith Europe and Middle East (EUME) managing partner Tamara Box confirmed the firm is in discussions with a number of KWM partners: "We continue to have positive discussions with a number of impressive European KWM partners. We remain committed to investing in top legal talent and, at this time, are optimistic that we will be joined in 2017 by some great ex-KWM lawyers," she said.
However, she added that "at this time, I am unable to confirm any definitive hires".
Earlier this month, Legal Week revealed that Winston & Strawn was viewed as "a frontrunner" by several former KWM partners to take on a large number of European partners, however since then a number of team moves to other firms have been announced.
Today, it was announced that KWM former European senior partner Stephen Kon is to join Macfarlanes as a consultant along with three other partners from the stricken business.
Fellow KWM competition partners Tom Usher, Cameron Firth and Christophe Humpe are all set to join Macfarlanes as partners.
Meanwhile, two six-partner KWM teams are set to join Greenberg Traurig and DLA Piper respectively.
Real estate funds partners Steven Cowins and Marc Snell, real estate partner Matthew Priday, corporate finance partners Michael Goldberg and David Fitzgerald and tax partner Clive Jones are all set to join Greenberg's City base, with around 25 lawyers potentially moving with the partners.
A separate team of real estate partners is set to move to DLA Piper. William Naunton, Cornelius Medvei, Edward Page, Jeremy Brooks, George Burrha and Bryan Pickup are all set to join DLA along with managing associate Omer Maroof, who is to join the firm as a partner.
They will join the firm, subject to a partner vote, along with eight lawyers and three trainees.
A host of firms have held discussions to take on various partners from KWM EUME, which is heading towards a pre-pack administration that is likely to happen next month.
KWM's China arm is in discussions to take on partners in multiple international offices including Germany, Spain and Dubai, as well as corporate and litigation teams in London.
Dentons had previously been talking to KWM's European management about a potential deal to take over the EUME business but pulled out of discussions recently, leaving no single-firm takeover of the business on the table.
KWM and Winston & Strawn both declined to comment.
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