Denton Wilde Sapte is facing a new wave of departures as it emerges that a further six partners have quit the troubled top 20 UK firm. Five insurance partners — Adrian Mecz, Chris Cardona, Michelle George, Mark Pring and John Barlow — will join the City arm of New York’s Chadbourne & Parke in the one of the largest single appointments by a US firm in London to date.
The sixth departure is real estate partner Martin Quicke, who has quit the firm to join the Guildford arm of City firm Clyde & Co for personal reasons.
The hires bring the number of UK-based partners at the top 100 US firm, which launched its City base in 1994, to 15.
The losses are an early setback for Dentons’ new chief executive Howard Morris, who takes over from the out-going Virginia Glastonbury on 7 February.
A number of assistants are expected to accompany the departing partners, who are unlikely to be held to their full notice periods.
The move is the second recent departure of a major team from Dentons, with DLA last year hiring 11 technology and media partners. Dentons, which has now seen the departure of more than 30 partners since January last year, has pledged to focus on non-contentious work.
Chadbourne London managing partner Claude Serfilippi said: "It is a big move for Chadbourne."