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
- US Law Firms Double Down on Super Size London TakeoverUS law firms have turned London into their most important international bridgehead, increasing their lawyer ranks in the City by nearly 60 percent over the past decade and reshaping the U.K. legal market in the process. The number of lawyers working in London offices of U.S.-headquartered firms rose from 4,889 in 2015 to 7,710 by the end of 2024, a 58 percent increase over ten years. In total, 84 U.S. firms now have a London presence, underlining the City’s role as the key European hub for U.S. practices. Please log in to read more . .
- What The New Cadwalader Hogan Lovells Legal Giant MeansAnd a Warning for Clients in BigLaw Megamergers Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing writer Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader have agreed to merge into a firm with… Read more: What The New Cadwalader Hogan Lovells Legal Giant Means
- How BigLaw Salary Wars And AI Are Upending The Legal WorldHow BigLaw and AI Is Changing the Law Business Norma Harris, LawFuel contributor In December 2025, Cravath once again kicked off a new salary scale… Read more: How BigLaw Salary Wars And AI Are Upending The Legal World
- 3,100 Lawyers, One Story Get Big, Get Niche, or Get BoughtCadwalader’s planned merger with Hogan Lovells is less a love story and more a rescue mission with excellent branding, creating a 3,100‑lawyer, US$3.6 billion outfit that will instantly sit in the global top five by revenue. For Hogan Lovells, it is scale and New York depth; for Cadwalader, it is survival with dignity and a new logo. The combined Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will have about 3,100 lawyers and more than US$3.6 billion in annual revenue based on 2024 figures, making it the world’s fifth‑largest firm by revenue and one of the largest law firm mergers ever attempted. – Register to read more . . .
- Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing UK to CombineWinston Taylor to build on shared vision and culture in establishing a transatlantic powerhouse for major litigation, critical transactions, strategic IP, and private wealth CHICAGO… Read more: Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing UK to Combine
- Women Now run Big Law’s $3 Billion EliteWhy Female Law Firm Leaders Are Changing the Business of Law Norma Harris, Lawfuel writer Women now lead an unprecedented slice of Big Law. The… Read more: Women Now run Big Law’s $3 Billion Elite
- Latham Raids Freshfields With Four-Star PE CoupLathams Law Raid Latham & Watkins has raided Freshfields’ in Germany to secure four of Europe’s most pedigreed private equity partners – Markus Paul, (pictued)… Read more: Latham Raids Freshfields With Four-Star PE Coup
- Mishcon in the Firing Line as ‘Secret Sale’ Sparks Explosive A$41 Million Court RulingIn a stinging rebuke to ethical back-room deals, an Australian Federal Court has found that Jason Karas, former partner at Lipman Karas (now LK Law), secretly brokered a deal to hand over the firm’s Hong Kong practice to London legal powerhouse Mishcon de Reya. The court ruled that Karas negotiated the deal without informing his co-founder Skip Lipman or disclosing the extent of the transfer. Log in to read more . .
