Five London associates are leaving White & Case to follow private equity partner Richard Youle to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, after the announcement of his move last month.

Youle – who was global private equity co-head at White & Case – started work at Skadden yesterday (13 June) along with fellow private equity partner Katja Butler.

A team of five associates is making the move across to Skadden with the pair. It is understood that White & Case is also in discussions with around five more associates who worked closely with Youle, about their career options at the firm following his departure. No redundancies are expected.

Youle moved to White & Case in 2014 with fellow Linklaters partner Ian Bagshaw, with the pair jointly leading the private equity practice at both firms. They joined the US firm as EMEA private equity co-heads before being promoted to global co-heads in 2015.

Youle's clients include CapVest, HgCapital, Terra Firma, Global Infrastructure Partners, Montagu Private Equity and Oaktree Capital. Before joining White & Case, he played a key role building up Linklaters' private equity practice, having been a partner there since 2006.

Speaking after Youle's departure, Bagshaw said: "In terms of our growth trajectory, we have built a large business with multiple clients and we will make sure they all get looked after.

"We've got a five-year plan as part of the 2020 strategy. Richard is a great partner but the private equity practice globally does not depend on Richard Youle. We have built an institutionalised business and there are plenty of other partners committed to it."

Youle's hire ends a long hunt for a big-name London private equity partner for Skadden, which has been on the lookout for a suitable candidate since the retirement of City private equity veteran Allan Murray-Jones in 2014.

According to its website, the firm has four London partners listing private equity as their first practice, but it has lacked the heavy-hitting names boasted by many of its rivals, despite a client list including Doughty Hanson, LetterOne Technology, AXA Private Equity, Blackrock and Equistone Partners Europe.

Skadden and White & Case declined to comment.