International law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has hired M&A and Corporate Finance Partner Kurt Ma to bolster its London Corporate team. Kurt joins from Slaughter and May where he gained significant experience working on cross-border M&A and capital markets transactions. He advises a range of clients across different sectors, including financial institutions, governments, private equity funds and listed companies, on joint ventures, high-value asset sales and complex restructuring exercises, as well as general corporate matters.

Mayer Brown announced that finance lawyer Bernina Butt has joined the firm's Banking & Finance practice in Frankfurt as a partner. Bernina was previously at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Bernina has extensive experience advising financial institutions, private equity houses and corporates on acquisition finance, leveraged finance and the restructuring of syndicated loans. She maintains a highly international practice, having previously worked in other jurisdictions, including London and New York.

We are pleased to announced that a team of motor and general insurance lawyers from Withers KhattarWong in Singapore have joined us, making us one of the largest local providers of volume defence work and one of the largest motor insurance teams at any law firm in the country.

Patrick Yeo and fellow partner Lim Hui Ying were both in the insurance practice at Withers KhattarWong, and have joined us as partners. They are supported by their team which includes an associate, Joyce Ooi, a paralegal, Azizah Roslan, and support staff.

International law firm Bird & Bird grows its Energy & Utilities team with the appointment of Roger van Buuren as a finance partner in The Netherlands.

With 20 years of experience, Roger specialises primarily in project finance in the energy and utilities sector as well as, acquisition and real estate finance. He previously worked as a finance lawyer at several leading Dutch law firms and ABN AMRO Bank. More recently, he returned to private practice as a partner at the Dutch firm Bond Advocaten where he advised lenders and borrowers on finance transactions.

Mayer Brown has expanded its Tax Transactions & Consulting practice with the addition of Matthew Mortimer, who joins the firm as a partner in London. Matthew was previously at Milbank.

King & Spalding has recruited Adam Spicer, a trial lawyer who focuses on complex pharmaceutical and life sciences matters, as a partner in the firm’s Trial & Global Disputes practice group in Atlanta.

Spicer has extensive trial experience with high-exposure cases involving complex scientific, medical and regulatory issues. His practice focuses on representing pharmaceutical, medical device, agricultural and chemical manufacturers in mass tort and individual cases.

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has expanded its Latin America Practice in the firm’s Mexico City office with the addition of Shareholder Rodrigo Orozco Waters and four associates.

The team joins Greenberg Traurig from Orozco Waters Abogados, S.C., where Orozco Waters was the founder. The associates are Victor Felipe Callarisa Rivera, Alfonso Malagón Lozano, Edgar Fernando Orozco Ceballos and José Manuel López Castro.

DWF, the global legal business, has appointed Majed A. Almarshad, as a Partner in the Banking & Finance practice of its Dubai office.

Withers has hired IP partner Gina Bibby in its Los Angeles office. Gina joins Withers from a Los Angeles-based law firm, where she has built on her highly respected fashion technology practice advising start-ups, fashion brands and other companies on issues at the intersection of fashion and technology.

Hogan Lovells announced that Laurence Davidson will be joining the firm as a partner in the Corporate practice and will be based in the Hong Kong office. Laurence will be joining from Chinese investment conglomerate, HNA Group, where he handled a number of major transactions in the aviation, logistics and real estate sectors in his role as senior counsel. Prior to this, he worked at Hogan Lovells for fifteen years, based in London and Hong Kong. His first day back with Hogan Lovells will be 11 November.