Global law firm Ropes & Gray announced the opening of an office in Paris, France, and together with the firm’s London office, forms a European hub for Ropes & Gray. Fabrice Cohen, Thierry Arachtingi, and Emmanuel Mimin join Ropes & Gray France AARPI as partners, with Fabrice Cohen serving as office managing partner. They are joined by a large group of counsel and associates. The team brings extensive experience in private equity, infrastructure, banking, and finance transactions.

Alston & Bird has continued to bolster its Investment Funds Group with the addition of veteran registered funds partner George Silfen in the firm’s New York office.

George’s addition follows those of investment funds partners Heather Wyckoff and Sam Roh, who also joined Alston & Bird’s corporate practices in the last year.

Akin announced that Natasha Kaye joins as a tax partner in London, strengthening the firm’s global market-leading tax practice.

Kaye has been a partner at Cooley for nine years. Her addition to Akin follows the recent arrival of a global technology transactions team, including Justin Stock, Stephen Rosen and David Bresnick, who joined the firm’s London office in September. Kaye also follows head of international arbitration Mark Clarke and corporate partner Daniel Wayte who both arrived at Akin in January.

DLA Piper has announced the appointment of Chris Jessup as a partner in the firm’s Litigation and Regulatory practice, specialising in financial services regulation.

Chris joins DLA Piper from A&L Goodbody, where he was a partner and Co-Head of the FinTech Group, based in the firm’s Belfast office. As a highly experienced financial services (FS) regulatory lawyer, he will bring deep sector expertise, with a particular focus on advising global payment providers, to DLA Piper’s Ireland based and international clients when he joins in May 2025.  

Dentons announces that Robert C. Santoro and R. Brian Seibert have joined the Firm’s Commercial Litigation practice as partners in the New York office. They join their colleagues from their previous firm, Aidan M. McCormack and Mark L. Deckman, in adding their significant experience with handling complex exposures and disputes to Dentons’ world-class Insurance practice group.

Steptoe LLP has expanded its National Security, International Trade and Regulatory Compliance, and Litigation practices with the addition of Michel Paradis, a recognized international scholar and appellate litigator. Michel joins Steptoe from the US Department of Defense and another international firm, as a partner in New York.

Paul Hastings LLP announced that elite corporate M&A lawyer Eric Schiele has joined the firm as a partner in New York and global co-chair of M&A.

One of the leading corporate M&A lawyers of his generation, Schiele joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP following nearly two decades at Cravath, Swaine, & Moore LLP. Schiele has announced well over $1 trillion in deals — among the youngest M&A partners in the world to have done so.

McGuireWoods continues to grow its national employment litigation practice with the arrival of partner Timothy M. Rusche, who has over two decades of experience advising employers in wage-and-hour litigation and compliance matters. Rusche joins the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office, strengthening the firm’s California labor and employment capabilities.

Rusche defends employers in wage-and-hour class and collective actions, as well as matters involving alleged workplace harassment, wrongful termination, employment discrimination, retaliation and breach of employment contracts.

King & Spalding announced that Benjamin Softness has joined the firm’s Business Litigation practice group as a partner in its San Francisco office.

Andrew M. (Andy) Luger has returned to the Firm's Minneapolis Office as a partner in the Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. Mr. Luger, who was previously a partner at Jones Day from 2017-2022, served as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota from March 2022-January 2025.