International law firm CMS has advised Hoop, a fast-growing marketplace which helps families find and book organised local activities for children, on its latest investment led by Edge Investments (‘Edge'). The £4m Series A round included a further investment by the Business Growth Fund, following an earlier BGF Ventures-led round of £2.4m in 2017.

RPC has hired leading commercial contracts lawyer Paul Joukador into its growing IP, Technology and Media Group in London.

Paul – previously a Partner at transatlantic firm Hogan Lovells – has significant experience handling complex and business critical commercial projects across a range of sectors, notably:

    Technology
    Retail
    Consumer goods
    Fashion
    Transport and automotive

International law firm Ince & Co is pleased to announce that David Galea, a senior maritime lawyer, will be joining the firm as a partner in the Dubai office on 1 June 2018. David’s appointment augments Ince & Co’s transactional capability in the region and across its international network.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (‘Freshfields’) has made a significant addition to its Asia antitrust, competition and trade practice with the election of Hazel Yin to the firm’s partnership. She will become co-head of the firm’s competition practice in mainland China, working in Beijing.

Previously a partner in King & Wood Mallesons’ Beijing office, Yin has built up a highly successful practice advising multinational and Chinese clients on inbound and outbound merger control, regulatory investigations and antitrust risk and compliance.

Gide is pleased to welcome Charles de Reals as partner within its Mergers & Acquisitions / Corporate practice group in Paris.

Admitted to the Paris Bar, Charles de Reals focuses on complex merger-acquisition transactions involving both listed and private companies. He is recognised as an expert on corporate governance issues and securities law, and regularly represents French and foreign companies on strategic disputes.

Cooley is adding to its tax practice with the arrival of partner David Wilson. Wilson is based in London and was formerly at Davis Polk.

“David’s corporate tax experience will be a great asset for our clients and for the firm, particularly in cross-border deals,” said Justin Stock, UK managing partner of Cooley. “His reputation is stellar and we are eager to add his capabilities into our already robust transactional practice.”

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP announced today that Stacey Song has rejoined the Firm as a partner in the Corporate Department. She will be based in the New York office.

Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Jay Blaivas has joined the firm as a tax partner in its New York office.  Mr. Blaivas has over 20 years of experience and will become a member of the firm’s Federal Tax Group, providing key support to the firm’s REIT, Fund Formation, Real Estate, and Private Equity practices.

O’Melveny has announced that Benjamin D. Singer, a former senior prosecutor in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, is joining the firm as a partner in its White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations practice. Mr. Singer was head of the Criminal Division’s Securities & Financial Fraud Unit and the Health Care Fraud Unit, and directed some of the Justice Department’s most significant investigations of the health care, financial services, and automobile industries.

Nationally recognized patent trial lawyer Jared Bobrow has joined Orrick as partner and co-leader of our global IP practice. Jared, formerly co-chair of Weil Gotshal & Manges’ patent litigation practice, is based in our Silicon Valley office. In addition, Jason Lang has joined our IP practice from Weil as a partner in our Silicon Valley office.