Stewarts announces the launch of a new Media Disputes department.

The newly established department will be led by partners Patrick Dunaud and Ryan Dunleavy who has recently joined the firm from DMG Media (Associated Newspapers Limited) where he was Group Legal Advisor.

Patrick was admitted to the Paris Bar in 1979. His practice encompasses a broad range of complex, cross border litigation and regulatory issues for US and European media and telecommunications clients.

UK law firm Shoosmiths has cemented its ambitious new strategy for the growth of its corporate division with the appointment of four new partners.

With 70 years of combined experience across the full spectrum of corporate financing, M&A and private equity, the senior hires will further boost Shoosmiths’ market-leading capability. This bold move sparks just the beginning of an extended period of investment in the team, already recognised as the venture capital specialist firm of the year by The Legal 500 Awards.

Pillsbury welcomes partner Jorge Medina, who joins the firm’s Tax practice and Energy Industry team in Los Angeles. Following closely on the hires of corporate and project finance partners in New York and London, his arrival supports the firm’s aggressive focus on providing a market-leading, international service platform to clients in the energy industry.

Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that it has opened an office in Boston to further extend its market-leading technology and life sciences capabilities. The move also expands the firm’s premier Finance and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital (ECVC) practices. Additionally, the new office will strengthen existing transactional, private equity, real estate, and intellectual property (IP) practices.

Morgan Lewis has added a three-partner labor and employment team from Sidley Austin headed by Douglas Hart, one the leading class action litigators in the United States who serves as national counsel for several Fortune 100 companies. Joining Doug from the same global law firm are Jennifer Zargarof, who co-led her prior firm’s global labor and employment practice, and Max Fischer. All three are resident in Los Angeles.

Mayer Brown announced that Fritz Lark has joined the firm’s Corporate & Securities practice as a partner in New York. Mr. Lark was a partner at Bracewell.

Dechert LLP has hired litigation partner Robin Nunn in Washington, D.C. Ms. Nunn is a financial services specialist who, drawing on her experience as in-house counsel at some of the country’s top banking institutions, will lead the firm’s consumer finance litigation practice.

Ms. Nunn joins Dechert’s global litigation practice, which, since January 2018, has seen a wave of 16 lateral partners joining in economic centers around the world. The firm’s high-value and unique practice is comprised of litigators in 21 offices across the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Eamon Nolan has joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner based in New York, bolstering the firm’s capabilities in project finance and cross-border transactions, including in Latin America and Spain.

“Eamon’s broad international experience and exceptional transactional skills will benefit the firm’s clients in New York, Latin America and beyond,” said Scott Wulfe, V&E managing partner. “He is a perfect fit for our growing Project Finance practice, and we are excited to welcome him.”

International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP today announced that Mark Thompson will join the Firm as a Private Equity partner in London to further strengthen Weil’s offering to clients in the Real Assets sector. Mark will work closely with Real Assets partners James MacArthur, Paul Hibbert and Anthea Bamford.