Robert Weekes, Crowell & Moring

Crowell & Moring's new London managing partner Robert Weekes has made quick work of boosting the office's headcount, after just three months at the helm.

Since he took up the role in January 2019, he has brought across five partners from his former shop Squire Patton Boggs – and has said the firm's hiring spree from across the City is set to continue.

Weekes is targeting several key practice areas for growth that will compliment the firm's U.S. strengths, he told Legal Week.

"[Former Squire Partner] Andrew Knight is arriving in banking, but you wouldn't want to have just one banking partner in London so I'll want to grow a team around him. International trade is strong in the U.S. but we have one partner here, so will build around her. The same goes for insurance. We're bulking up in the core areas."

He added: "You can see that there is an opportunity to mark this as a strong office for litigation. It is easy to see the opportunities that can grow from having a stronger London office and working with the guys in the U.S. and Brussels."

Last month, U.K. litigation head Laurence Winston, London insolvency head Cathryn Williams, insolvency partner Paul Muscutt and infrastructure partner Robin Baillie all left Squire to join Crowell's London outpost, while Squire debt finance partner Knight also joined the firm this week (18 March).

Crowell's intention to bolster its London office can be put down to the firm's current "expansionary appetite" – as demonstrated by the firm's planned launch in Shanghai – and requests for a greater City presence from clients, said Weekes, adding: "My vision for the office is not narrow – absolutely there will be more people joining us from other firms."

A financial litigation partner, Weekes said the Squire hires reflected a "strong synergy" between him and his former colleagues.

Restructuring partner Muscutt had been Weekes' trainee while the two were at Wilde & Partners, and fellow litigator Winston worked closely with Weekes while the two were at Squire.

Weekes had been the managing partner of Squire's London office for a decade until global managing partner Stephen Mahon relocated to London to take over leadership of the office last year.

This week, Legal Week revealed that Squire held exploratory merger discussions with U.K. firm Addleshaw Goddard last year.