Latham & Watkins’ London office has continued its hiring spree, targeting two ‘mid-market’ law firms with new hires.
Legal Business report that Taylor Wessing has seen its head of technology, media and communications Mike Turner leave for the US firm alongside Bird & Bird’s corporate partner Shing Lo. Both hires, announced at the end of January were voted in by Latham’s partnership in early January and will join the firm over the next few weeks.
The loss of Turner will be felt by Taylor Wessing who have already lost a four partner team to Goodwin Procter only a few months ago.
‘We are the first law firm that has a compelling emerging companies and venture capital practice on the West Coast, East Coast, Europe and Asia,’ Latham’s London corporate co-chair Robbie McLaren told Legal Business. ‘On top of this, we have the ability to do M&A and equity capital transactions in these jurisdictions as well, and that’s what clients are looking for.’
Promoted to the partnership in 2016, McLaren was until this move the only City partner covering the tech space at the firm: ‘When we set out to refine our global strategy in this sector we thought: where are we underweight in this space? The answer was London.’
‘As a West Coast heritage firm we understand how [the emerging companies practice] works and the opportunities it offers. There is such a great opportunity in this space with the amount of money being raised by private companies that we thought it would make sense to hire two outstanding practitioners.’
He said that when the firm started scouting partners last summer, Turner and Lo were the two names at the top of the list.
LB reported Turner had joined Taylor Wessing from another UK tech-focused firm Osborne Clarke in 2013 and forged relationships with a number of tech companies both sides of the Atlantic, such as Farfetch.
More LawFuel Headlines
- Burford Capital Isn’t Just Financing Suits Anymore; It’s Trying to Own the Firm TooBurford Capital the litigation finance behemoth wants not just to bankroll lawsuits but to buy stakes in actual U.S. law firms. The move isn’t your garden-variety PE play; it’s a direct challenge to the profession’s no-capital-external-to-the-firm orthodoxy. Burford, under the ever-quotable Jonathan Molot, (pictured above) told the Financial Times he is floating a structure ripped from healthcare and accounting playbooks: split a law firm into two entities, a lawyer-owned practice handling client work, and a Managed Service Organization (MSO) holding assets and providing back‑office muscle in exchange for a cut. It’s a classic “external capital without violating ethics rules.”
- Am-Law A List – Who Climbed, Who Stalled?A-List 2025: Munger reigns, Jenner rockets, and who actually moved the needle The American Lawyer’s A-List isn’t about who shouts the loudest about profits, blending… Read more: Am-Law A List – Who Climbed, Who Stalled?
- FieldFisher Achieve A small Profit Gain with PEP At £1millionFieldfisher has achieved a small, three percent profit gain with its profits per equity partner (PEP) at £1million as firm-wide revenue, including that of its… Read more: FieldFisher Achieve A small Profit Gain with PEP At £1million
- Weil IP Expansion Continues with Addition of Chris Henry and Gaby LaHatteNEW YORK, August 11, 2025: International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP today announced the continued expansion of its renowned Intellectual Property practice with… Read more: Weil IP Expansion Continues with Addition of Chris Henry and Gaby LaHatte
- Hot Summer Bonuses At BigLaw Conceal A SecretFollowing months of market uncertainty, the summer bonus season at BigLaw has exceeded expectations with Milbank’s announcing special bonuses ranging from $6,000 to $25,000 for associates, a cascade of firms has followed suit. But a new trend is also emerging in the way compensation is being handed to associates. While partners enjoy increased PEP rates with premium work, the competitive world of associate recruitment is seeing some major changes in the way law firms handle the compensation for their top performers at associate level. The summer bonus season is seeing that trend play out.
- Former McDermott Will Finance Partner Joins Squire Patton in LondonRanajoy Basu joined Squire Patton in London ahead of his former firm’s merger with Schulte Roth & Zabel on 1 August. He is one of… Read more: Former McDermott Will Finance Partner Joins Squire Patton in London
- Pogust Goodhead Fires Back at BHP and Vale in £1.3 Billion Legal Fee ShowdownPogust Goodhead Accuses BHP & Vale of Underhanded Tactics Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor The fight that has roiled the mining and legal worlds isn’t… Read more: Pogust Goodhead Fires Back at BHP and Vale in £1.3 Billion Legal Fee Showdown
- Why Big Law Lawyers Are Walking Away: Exits, Burnout & New Legal CareersMore Big Law associates and partners are choosing to leave than ever before—citing burnout, lack of advancement and remote-era disconnection sparking a seismic exodus toward in-house, startups and boutique law career paths. The Big Law conveyor belt, once seen as the golden escalator to prestige and partnership, is creaking under the weight of its own expectations.
