Top 50 law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has appointed a senior real estate investment and finance specialist as a partner in its real estate division.

Will Fraser, who joins from Womble Bond Dickinson, brings over 20 years of experience in the sector. His main areas of focus are acquisition, disposal and asset management work. He advises both domestic clients and international clients seeking to acquire assets in the UK, working primarily with private companies, high net wealth individuals and family offices.

One of the North East's top Family lawyers, Christian Butler, has joined Knights as a Partner in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Christian brings more than a decade's experience of family and matrimonial law, specialising in high- and ultra-high net worth divorces and separations that involve complex assets and holdings, including companies, pensions, and property portfolios.

Freshfields announced that it is opening an office in Boston as it enters the next phase of its U.S. expansion. Boston-based Private Capital M&A partner Matthew Goulding has joined the firm as managing partner of our new office and will lead the Boston build out.

Thomas joins after more than eleven years at Addleshaw Goddard, where he handled complex, £multi-million disputes arising from construction and engineering projects, often focussing on dispute avoidance and strategic advice, for developers, owners, funders, contractors and subcontractors.

Global law firm Reed Smith announced the opening of a new office in Denver, its 33rd office globally and 20th in the United States. The Denver office will open with 20 lawyers, including 11 partners, three counsel and six associates. This marks the second office the firm has launched in the past month, with the successful opening of its Atlanta office in January, which added 37 lawyers.

Steptoe LLP has expanded its Commercial Litigation practice on the West Coast with the addition of Ryan Lapine. Ryan, formerly of Venable, joins Steptoe as a partner in the firm's Los Angeles and San Francisco offices.

With a focus on complex, high-stakes disputes, Ryan's litigation experience covers a broad range of industries, including entertainment, cryptocurrency, retail, and insurance. Ryan is a first-chair trial lawyer with significant trial experience.

International law firm McDermott Will & Emery welcomes four new partners to its Health & Life Sciences Practice Group: Ken Marlow, Wells Beckett, Stephen Page, and Spencer Green. Joining from K&L Gates, this group will open McDermott’s new office in Nashville, Tennessee, expanding into a critical market for the healthcare industry.

Latham & Watkins LLP is pleased to announce that Meaghan Thomas-Kennedy has rejoined the firm’s Bay Area offices as a partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice and a member of the Litigation & Trial Department. Thomas-Kennedy is a highly regarded antitrust litigator with a focus on monopolization cases, particularly those involving major technology companies.

Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Thomas Allen as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office. He joins the firm’s Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practice with a focus on power and utilities. Allen arrives to K&L Gates from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, where he was the global lead for international disputes.

Ming Kong has joined Jones Day as a partner, and Dominic Sze has joined as a counsel, in the Firm's Financial Markets Practice. Both are based in Hong Kong.