Jonathan Ko of Paul Hastings in Los Angeles.

Corporate attorney Jonathan Ko has ended his two-decade tenure with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, joining Paul Hastings as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

Ko officially starts at Paul Hastings on Monday. Before the move, he spent nearly 21 years at Skadden’s Los Angeles office, having joined the firm right out of law school in 1998.

As a veteran attorney in the Los Angeles market, Ko said he was attracted to Paul Hastings because of the investments the firm has made across the platform and in practice areas including M&A, private equity, entertainment and capital markets. And he was drawn to “the opportunity to partner with the team there and continue to build on the firm’s growth,” he said.

Ko focuses his practice on capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as general corporate matters, including counseling clients on SEC reporting and compliance obligations and other corporate and securities matters. According to his biography from Skadden’s website, Ko has represented debt and equity financings for a long list clients including AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc.; American Homes 4 Rent; Freescale Semiconductor Ltd.; Hanmi Financial Corp.; Maiden Holdings Ltd.; Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.; Public Storage Inc.; Quiksilver Inc.; Viking Cruises Ltd.; Westfield Corp.; and numerous special purpose acquisition companies.

He was also on the team that advised internet giant Yahoo Inc. in its $7.1 billion sale of a 20% stake to China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., along with Leif King, a former leader of Skadden’s corporate M&A practice in Silicon Valley.

King also made a move from Skadden Monday, joining Baker McKenzie.

While he is based in Los Angeles, Ko said his practice has become more national and international as more companies look to raise capital in the U.S.

“I think they’re looking for attorneys that kind of can see both the forest and the trees,” said Ko of the changing legal landscape in Los Angeles. “I think oftentimes now clients look for value in terms of firms that can provide more of a one-stop-shop for legal services and providing value across their business.”

Ko’s addition follows Paul Hastings’ recent expansion in São Paulo with partners Jonathan Kellner and David Flechner from Shearman & Sterling. Throughout the year, the Los Angeles-based firm has been expanding its securities and capital markets practice by adding corporate partners in London, New York and the Bay Area.

“We have been focused on expanding our capital markets practice over the past several years, in response to our clients’ needs and the dynamics of the global markets,” said Paul Hastings chair Seth Zachary in a statement. “This includes adding top talent like Jonathan to our global securities and capital markets team, enabling us to offer even greater value and insights to our clients.”

Paul Hastings added a second Los Angeles office in Century City last year to extend its practice into the media and entertainment space. While it has been looking to grow in that region, it also suffered a loss last week, as real estate partner Robert Keane Jr., a former vice chair of the firm’s real estate practice, left to join Kirkland & Ellis.

Ko worked with legal recruiters Divya Bala and Sabina Lippman of Lippman Jungers in his move to Paul Hastings.

In a statement responding Ko’s departure, Brian McCarthy, head of Skadden’s Los Angeles office said: “Jonathan has been an asset to our capital markets group in Los Angeles and we wish him continued success.”

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