Scott Zemser, who was hired by U.K. firm Allen & Overy less than two years ago in a major play to boost its finance team in the United States, has left to join Mayer Brown. He will be a partner and co-leader of Mayer Brown's global lending group.

Zemser had joined Allen & Overy from White & Case in 2016 to become co-leader of the British firm's leveraged finance practice. Two other finance partners, Alan Rockwell and Judah Frogel also made the move at the time. Those two remain at Allen & Overy.

At the time they joined, Allen & Overy promoted it as a “major strategic addition to its global finance practice that will significantly expand its U.S. presence.”

Scott Zemser.

Zemser's exit demonstrates continuing challenges of Magic Circle firms competing in the United States. Legal Week previously reported that Allen & Overy broke lockstep to bring in the team, and global banking co-head Philip Bowden at the time said the group hire was a “game-changer” for the firm's finance practice.

Zemser's arrival at Mayer Brown serves partly as a homecoming, since he started his career there as an associate. He later spent 11 years at White & Case, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He was unavailable to immediately comment on the move.

In a prepared statement Thursday, Zemser pointed to Mayer Brown's “strong U.S. presence” as one factor in his decision to rejoin the firm. “Mayer Brown's sophisticated global finance and restructuring platform, coupled with the firm's collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to solving clients' complex business needs and its strong U.S. presence, were the key factors in my decision to rejoin the firm,” he said.

Allen & Overy provided a statement from its senior partner in the U.S., Tim House: “Our U.S. finance and corporate practices experienced substantial growth in 2017, and we expect that trend to continue this year. 2018 will be a significant year for the firm as we continue to serve our clients, integrate new talent and expand our presence in the U.S. market.”