Kennedys adds former Piper Alderman duo to Melbourne team… Japanese boost for Herbert Smith Freehills
Hogan Lovells board recommends Asia Pacific leader as new CEO
The board of Hogan Lovells has unanimously recommended Miguel Zaldivar to be is new CEO from July 2020.
He is their preferred option to succeed Steve Immelt who will have held the role for 6 years.
Zaldivar is based in Hong Kong and is the firm’s current regional chief executive for the Asia Pacific region, but he has lived around the world and has experience of many legal markets during his career of more than 30 years.
His focus is international project development and finance and he has closed deals worth many billions of dollars with clients including governments, corporates, and financial institutions.
If he is appointed, he will be one of only a few global law firm leaders of Hispanic-American origin.
“I am extremely passionate about the firm and its success and that starts with its clients and ensuring the service we deliver to them is consistently of the highest quality. We are in a unique position with the depth of our practices worldwide to be the adviser of choice for clients who need their lawyers to be tuned into the financial, commercial, regulatory and political dynamics of their industries and markets.”
A confirmation vote will now be held among the firm’s partners with the result expected next month.
Kennedys adds former Piper Alderman duo to Melbourne team
Kennedys has hired commercial litigation partner Jane Kupsch and senior associate Lucy Reade to its growing team in Melbourne.
Kupsch focuses on defence of litigation involving large-scale corporate collapses, regulatory investigations and in a wide range of commercial and shareholder disputes.
The duo has worked together for the past 4 years, most recently at Piper Alderman and previously at boutique firm Brian Ward & Partners.
“Our strategy of growth centred on client need continues apace, and our focus on attracting the highest calibre of talent is paying dividends,” said Nick Thomas, senior partner at Kennedys. “I’m delighted with how the firm is developing in Australia and fully expect that growth to continue there and across the globe.”
Japanese boost for Herbert Smith Freehills
Senior associate Joel Rheuben has joined Herbert Smith Freehills in Tokyo.
He joins the competition and antitrust team from Freshfields, working closely with Japan Head of Corporate Graeme Preston, EU/UK competition law specialist and Brussels Managing Partner Kyriakos Fountoukakos, and the firm’s global team of M&A and competition law specialists.
Rheuben is admitted to practice in New South Wales, Australia and as a solicitor in England and Wales.
