Olswang has secured 13 partners and 38 staff from DJ Freeman in a move that has split the London firm in two and resulted in the remaining practice reforming itself as Kendall Freeman.
Details of the move, exclusively revealed on www.legalweek.net, were confirmed on Wednesday (12 March) and will see DJ Freeman’s senior partner Toby Greenbury leave to join Olswang along with the firm’s property practice, two media partners and a tax partner.
Greenbury will also sit on Olswang’s management board.
The partners, who will join the technology and media specialist on 1 May, include a number of DJ Freeman’s most senior lawyers, including property specialists Jonathan Lewis, Graham Barber and Michael Cassidy.
In addition, Olswang’s core media practice will be bolstered by DJ Freeman’s head of technology and media Tony Leifer and highly-rated media partner Susan Aslan.
Olswang senior partner Mark Devereux commented: "The opportunity presented itself and was just too good to miss. DJ Freeman’s strengths in media and property are so closely aligned with our own that the benefits are obvious to all concerned."
The move in contrast sees DJ Freeman, which has been hit by a stream of partner departures and falling profits in recent years, effectively withdraw from two of its key practice areas, property and media, to reform itself as an insurance specialist.
The new firm will formally launch on 1 May from DJ Freeman’s existing Fetter Lane HQ with 20 partners and 65 other lawyers and an estimated annual turnover of £18m.
The firm also has three corporate partners and one employment partner, which are expected to focus on insurance and financial services clients.
Chief executive Laurence Harris told Legal Week that the move was the result of a strategic review but refused to comment on whether Olswang’s interest in its media and property teams had effectively forced DJ Freeman’s hand.
The decision to reform as an insurance and commercial practice comes despite confirmation that a number of partners from the insurance team are known to have held discussions concerning a move to Clyde & Co.
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Olswang hires 13 partners as DJ splits in two
Published: 13/03/2003 00:00
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