Davis Polk  announced that leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer James Dougherty has joined the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice as a partner in New York.

“James is an excellent practitioner at the top of his game, and we are thrilled that he is joining Davis Polk as we continue to grow our elite M&A team,” said Neil Barr, Davis Polk’s Managing Partner. “His arrival augments our capabilities for advising clients on their most complex and significant deals.”

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP announced the arrival of partners Ronald Lovelace, Patrick Yingling, Jared Zajac and Joseph Polonsky, substantially enhancing the firm’s leveraged finance and private credit capabilities. The team will join from King & Spalding and be resident in Cadwalader’s Charlotte office.

The new team will expand Cadwalader’s U.S. capabilities and work closely with a London team led by partners Matthew Smith and Bevis Metcalfe.

We are pleased to announce that Brian McElligott has re-joined Mason Hayes & Curran as partner and will take up the role of Head of our Artificial Intelligence in the Technology legal team. Brian will lead on this emerging area of law, which will have significant impact on Irish and international business in the coming years. Brian brings 15 years’ of experience in both private practice and in-house roles to the team. He previously worked as a partner in the firm’s award-winning Intellectual Property team.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced that Tamara Brightwell has joined the firm as a corporate partner in Washington, D.C., where she will be a member of the Public Company Representation practice. The move reflects Wilson Sonsini’s continuing efforts to offer expansive resources and advice concerning securities law and Securities and Exchange Commission compliance to its more than 300 public company clients, as well as late-stage pre-IPO companies.

Tia D. Fenton and Christopher Ricciuti have joined Duane Morris LLP as partners in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group in its Washington, D.C. office. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Ricciuti and Fenton were partners at Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, L.L.P.

Proskauer, a leading international law firm, is pleased to welcome Robert (Bob) Pommer as a partner in its Litigation Department. Bob has deep securities-related enforcement and compliance experience and will bolster the Firm’s securities litigation and regulatory enforcement capabilities for asset managers. He will be based in Proskauer’s Washington, D.C. office.

Morgan Lewis continues to expand its global capital markets team with the addition of David (Changyu) Liao. David, who joins as a partner resident in Hong Kong, focuses on debt capital markets.

“I am delighted to welcome David to Morgan Lewis. Our global capital markets practice is a key focus for our firm,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “Our clients will benefit greatly from adding a seasoned lawyer in Asia on the debt side to our leading Hong Kong practice in equity capital markets transactions.”

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP further expands its London office with the addition of Tim Dolan as a shareholder focused on UK and European financial regulatory matters. Dolan joins from Reed Smith, where he was a partner in its financial regulatory group.

Sidley is pleased to announce that Stephanie Chan has joined the firm in Hong Kong as a partner in its China Corporate and Finance Group. Ms. Chan joins from Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP, where she was a partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice. She is most recently ranked as an Up and Coming lawyer in Dispute Resolution: Litigation by Chambers Greater China Region 2023, and is recognized by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2023 in Litigation, Arbitration and Restructuring and Insolvency.

International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the return of partner Nicholas (Nick) Alarif to the Healthcare Practice Group in Washington, DC. Previously a partner at the Firm and most recently serving as in-house counsel to the country’s largest nonprofit health system, Nick’s practice primarily focuses on healthcare regulatory matters with an emphasis on fraud and abuse and other healthcare compliance situations.