Lovells corporate finance partner Hugh Nineham is to leave the firm to join McDermott Will & Emery.
Nineham, who headed the City firm’s corporate practice for 10 years until 2005, currently leads the corporate finance group. He will be joining McDermott as head of its
The move to McDermott comes just months after the
Nineham has been one of Lovells most active corporate partners in recent years, working for clients such as Barclays and ITV on deals including NTL’s failed £5bn takeover bid for ITV in 2006. Lovells has already built new relationship teams around his main clients.
Lovells corporate chief Andrew Skipper told Legal Week: “It’s sad personally but in business terms I don’t think Hugh would have gone if he had not felt he was leaving the practice in a good position. You can never say things like this don’t have an impact but it will be managed properly.”
Managing partner David Harris added: “Hugh has been considering a change of direction for some time and was planning his retirement from the practice. He has been a long-standing, strong supporter of the firm and I know that he will remain so even though he is taking up this new challenge. His move is entirely amicable and we wish him all the best for the future.”
McDermott London chief David Dalgarno said: “Hugh’s considerable experience in managing international client relationships and major corporate transactions will provide the ideal platform for us to grow our M&A and private equity practices across Europe and the
Nineham handed in his notice last week but his departure date has not yet been finalised.
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