Skadden in City arbitration lateral hire

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has secured a rare lateral partner hire in London, with arbitration partner David Kavanagh set to join from O'Melveny & Myers.

Kavanagh, who is currently co-head of O'Melveny's London litigation practice, will join Skadden along with a team of three associates.

His move comes fewer than two years after he joined the West Coast firm with fellow partner David Foster from Watson Farley & Williams in June 2007.

Kavanagh, whose practice centres on advising investment banks and hedge funds as well as energy clients, will be the fourth partner in Skadden's London arbitration group. The team is headed by partner Karyl Nairn and Paul Mitchard QC and also counts four counsel and around 20 associates, including the new arrivals.

Kavanagh told Legal Week: "It was a hard decision to leave O'Melveny but the opportunity to build out the practice with such a well-regarded firm was an excellent one."

Foster will continue to head the litigation practice at O'Melveny in London, leading a team of around three associates.

O'Melveny said in a statement: "We still have more building to do. Our dispute resolution group in London is very active and strong under David Foster's leadership."

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