Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has hired a long-standing partner from Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York as the firm continues to ramp up its U.S. growth strategy.

Mary Eaton joins Freshfields as its co-head of securities and shareholders litigation, after over 18 years at Willkie Farr.

Her hire follows the launch of Freshfields' new Silicon Valley office earlier in July, led by a plethora of big names at U.S. firms.

In a statement, Freshfields senior partner Edward Braham said: "Mary is one of the country's top litigation lawyers, having handled numerous high-profile and complex cases involving board processes, M&A, securities law and commercial disputes.

"She is an invaluable addition to our litigation and transactional work in New York, Washington D.C. and across the firm."

Eaton will co-lead the securities and shareholders litigation practice alongside Meredith Kotler, who joined as part of a four-person hire from Cleary Gottleib Steen & Hamilton in 2019.

Freshfields currently operates offices in New York and Washington D.C. It has seen mixed fortunes in its attempts to scale up in the U.S. in recent years.

In 2019, it made waves with the hire of the four-partner team from Cleary, but suffered a blow to its operations with the departure of U.S. head of M&A and global transactions, Mitchell Presser in April.

In May, it added Latham & Watkins employment partner Lori D Goodman to its New York base, which followed the departure of Dechert-bound employee benefits and executive compensation partner Howard Klein in January.

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