London firm loses 18 lawyers to Greenberg Traurig

International firm Greenberg Traurig has poached 18 lawyers from London firm Mishcon de Reya, reported the Law Society Gazette.

The move comes ahead of Mishcon de Reya’s plan to float on the London Stock Exchange and is said to be one of the largest non-merger moves among London law firms, according to the Gazette’s report.

Greenberg Traurig told the Gazette that the move creates “an expanded litigation, regulatory and white collar hub.”

Among those making the move from Mishcon, Kathryn Garbett, Jo Rickards, Claire Broadbelt, Annabel Thomas, Martin Shobbrook, Matt Hancock and Hannah Blom-Cooper, joined Greenberg as shareholders late last year, according to the Gazette. The report adds that a further 11 lawyers have also moved to the firm from Mishcon to join a 20-strong disputes team built by Masoud Zabeti and Mohammed Khamisa QC – who left Mishcon in 2020.

Greenberg Traurig’s executive chairman, Richard A. Rosenbaum, told the Gazette that the firm “is now able to marshal a team which matches and, in many cases, exceeds what others in the market can bring to bear”.

Jo Rickards, who is chair of the firm’s London white collar defence and investigations practice, also told the Gazette that Greenberg expects to announce additional hires this year, “because there has been a great deal of interest in joining from the London white collar community”.

The 18 new hires are among the latest to depart Mishcon de Reya since its proposals to float on the London Stock Exchange passed a major partner vote in September.

Greenberg Traurig was founded in Miami, Florida in 1967, and now has 40 locations around the world.