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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 82330, member: 636"] Big law firm raids competitor, film at 11. Latham and Watkins just snatched three finance partners from A and O Shearman for its London office. The hires are David Oppenheimer, David Varne, and Lucy Oddy. They focus on real estate and structured finance for big clients like lenders and private equity funds. Oppenheimer ran A and O's global real estate finance group. He spent his entire career there, nearly twenty years. Varne was also a partner there, coming from a background in Australia. Oddy is actually returning to Latham after a ten year stretch at their rival. A firm chair said these new partners are top-tier talents. He claimed their skills fit perfectly with the firm's existing strengths. Their deep experience sits at the spot where real estate meets private capital. The London office head called it a major move for their practice. Oppenheimer advises real estate lenders and investors across Europe. Varne brings his own cross-border deal experience. Oddy's work involves asset-backed transactions and complex debt portfolios. She has a history at other major firms like Clifford Chance, too. This is part of a bigger hiring trend for Latham in London. They recently picked up a real estate partner from Gibson Dunn. Last year, they also grabbed an entire team of eleven lawyers from A and O. That group focused on collateralized loan obligations. The lawyers' former firm wished them well in a standard statement. A Frankfurt-based lawyer will take over Oppenheimer's old leadership role. This poaching follows a similar expansion by other U.S. firms in Europe. Cleary Gottlieb recently started a European real estate practice with a new hire. Milbank also launched a similar team by taking two partners from another firm. The competition for finance lawyers in London appears pretty fierce right now. [/QUOTE]

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