Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis (K&L Gates) has strengthened its London funds team with the hire of a senior in-house lawyer from a London hedge fund.
Danny Asher Brower joined as a partner on 29 January. He was previously head legal counsel at hedge fund Vega, which recently changed its name to Proxima Alfa.
The hire brings the number of partners in K&L Gates’ London branch to 54. The US firm said the hire is part of an attempt to develop its UK funds practice, which is led by partner Philip Morgan.
Morgan said: “In the US we have one of the prominent financial services and funds practices and we are putting a lot of effort into expanding it here.”
The news marks the latest move by a US-based law firm to break into the UK funds arena. Last year Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case both made hires in the sector. Kirkland hired a team from SJ Berwin while White & Case recruited Clifford Chance funds partner Matthew Judd.