Mid April Round-up: Deals, partner hires and promotions by US and UK International Firms

Mid-Month Deal Round-Up

By mid-April there were over 50 deals announced by firms, spanning sectors such as energy and infrastructure, technology, financial services, and healthcare. Below is a snapshot of some of these.

Amongst the Magic Circle firms we saw that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised on a series of transactions, including advising Kee Safety and Intermediate Capital Group plc on a new investment by Inflexion and 65 Equity Partners, Getlink SE’s €600 million senior secured green bond issuance, and Strava’s acquisition of running app Runna. A&O Shearman advised Providence on the acquisition of Tax Systems, private equity investor MidEuropa on the sale of Regina Maria Group, and Ageas on its strategic acquisition of esure. Clifford Chance acted for Pool Re on a £100 million insurance-linked catastrophe bond issuance and for JP Morgan Asset Management on the redevelopment and pre-letting of 65 Gresham Street in London, the largest prelet in the City since 2023.

Among the US Elite firms, Cleary Gottlieb advised WPP on its acquisition of InfoSum, while White & Case advised EQT on two major transactions: the sale of Karo Healthcare to KKR and the sale of a minority stake in IFS to Hg, ADIA, and CPP Investments. Weil Gotshal & Manges, Goodwin Procter, and Proskauer Rose advised across a series of financial services transactions, including bond issuances, fundraisings, and private credit financings.

Silver Circle firms were also active across a range of sectors. Herbert Smith Freehills advised WH Smith on a £200 million US Private Placement issuance and the sale of its UK high street business, as well as acting for OX2 on a €700 million investment in two Finnish wind farms and advising Lupin Healthcare on its acquisition of Renascience Pharma. Ashurst advised Barclays on financing Alchemy's acquisition of a stake in Barons Eden, a luxury hotel and spa group. Macfarlanes advised Partners Group on establishing its first Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) focused on private credit and separately advised CBPE on the closing of Fund XI at £714 million. Travers Smith advised Inflexion and 65 Equity Partners on their joint investment into Kee Safety, as well as acting for InvestAcc Group on its acquisition of AJ Bell’s Platinum SIPP and SSAS businesses.

International and national firms, including DLA Piper, CMS, and Addleshaw Goddard, also featured in a number of notable transactions. DLA Piper advised Santander on a €600 million financing for Finnish wind farms, provided counsel to Afreximbank on a $450 million facility for industrial park development in Africa, and acted for Archer Hotel Capital on a major hotel refinancing. CMS advised ITV Studios on the acquisition of a majority stake in Moonage Pictures and acted for Piper Private Equity on its investment into Yard Sale Pizza. Addleshaw Goddard advised AJ Bell on its sale of its Platinum SIPP and SSAS business to InvestAcc Group.

Partner hires

In the first half of April, there were 17 notable hires by US and UK international firms.  Below are the main highlights:

US firms:

Fried Frank has expanded its London tax department with the addition of Oliver Currall as a partner. He joins from Sidley where he led the the firm’s UK Tax practice and co-headed the Tax group in Europe.

Greenberg Traurig has strengthened its infrastructure practice in London with the addition of Richard Ceeney, who joins as a shareholder from Reed Smith. After an eighteen-year tenure at his former firm, Ceeney brings extensive experience in infrastructure transactions. His move supports GT’s strategic expansion in the infrastructure sector.

At Latham & Watkins, Franz Ranero and James Smallwood are set to join the Structured Finance Practice in London as partners. Both lawyers are highly regarded for their work advising investment funds, financial institutions, and asset managers on structured finance transactions, particularly CLOs and bespoke funding structures. Their hire further deepens Latham’s strength in structured products and cross-border finance.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison has further expanded its London office with the hire of Richard Hornshaw from Akin. Hornshaw, a seasoned litigation partner, joins to establish and lead the firm’s U.K. litigation practice. His move marks another step in Paul Weiss’s aggressive growth strategy in the London market.

At Proskauer, Duncan Woollard has joined the London office as a partner in the Private Funds Group. Woollard is widely recognised in the European market for his expertise across private equity, private credit, and real assets. His appointment helps strengthen Proskauer’s position in private fund formation and structuring.

At Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Simon Saitowitz has joined as a partner in the Private Equity team in London. Saitowitz, who previously began his career at Weil, is a specialist in secondaries and asset manager transactions and is highly ranked in The Legal 500 UK. His hire strengthens Weil’s growing London private equity offering, following the recent arrivals of Nicola Noël and Simon Caridia.

White & Case has made a significant expansion to its European litigation practice by hiring David Stone, Adrian Dykes, and Karla Hughes as partners in London. The team, previously at A&O Shearman, is led by Stone, the former global head of IP at Allen & Overy. Their arrival enhances White & Case’s IP litigation capabilities both in London and across its European offices.

UK international / Global Firms

At Addleshaw Goddard, Paul Anderson has rejoined as a partner in the Financial Regulation team, based in Leeds. Anderson, who earlier spent six years at the firm, returns from Squire Patton Boggs where he advised financial institutions on regulatory compliance and investigations. His return marks a strengthening of Addleshaw’s regulatory practice at a time of increasing client demand.

Ashurst has expanded its London real estate practice with the hire of Lee Foxcroft as a partner. Foxcroft’s arrival enhances Ashurst’s capabilities in real estate transactions and development projects. His appointment reflects the firm's ongoing investment in its global real estate offering.

CMS has appointed Amélie Chollet as a partner in its Life Sciences & Healthcare Regulatory group in London. Chollet joins from Abbott Laboratories where she served as Legal Regulatory Counsel, and she brings over a decade of experience advising leading life sciences companies on multijurisdictional regulatory issues. Her arrival aligns with CMS’s strategic plan to expand its regulatory capabilities in the life sciences sector.

DLA Piper has appointed Charles Rix as a partner in its International Insurance team in London. Rix brings nearly 30 years of experience advising leading global insurers on cross-border M&A, business transfers, restructurings, and regulatory matters. He has previously held senior leadership roles, including as Global Head of Insurance and Head of UK M&A at other international firms.

At Eversheds Sutherland, Simon Kenyon has joined from DLA Piper as a partner in the Technology, Media, and Telecoms team. Kenyon, formerly the Co-Head of UK Tech Disputes at DLA, is expected to enhance Eversheds' presence in the UK tech disputes market. His arrival signals the firm’s investment in growing its technology sector expertise.

Taylor Wessing has added Matt Williams as a partner in its Banking and Finance team in London. Williams, who joined the firm in April 2025, advises on distressed debt, structured finance, and special situations. His experience broadens Taylor Wessing’s finance capabilities, particularly in complex cross-border transactions.

At Travers Smith, Mandip Englund has joined the Finance team as a partner to enhance the firm's Restructuring & Insolvency practice. Englund, who previously worked at Fried Frank, advises clients on financial restructurings, distressed investments, and formal insolvency matters. Her hire supports Travers Smith’s strategy to deepen its offering in special situations.

London Partner Promotions 2025

As the 2025 promotion season unfolds, several more leading City firms announced their new partner cohorts. Of the magic and silver circle firms we have now seen recent announcements by Slaughter and May, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills, and Macfarlanes.   Of other UK international firms, Eversheds, Charles Russell Speechlys, CMS, Penningtons, Clyde & Co, Pinsent Masons, Taylor Wessing, Fieldfisher and HFW have also made recent announcements.

Undoubtedly more firms will be making announcements in the second half of April and early May and once all announcements are made, we will be able to see whether the promotions this year shed any light on any strategic directions of firms going forward.