White & Case hit again as eight more partners quit for Latham

A further eight partners from White & Case's global network are heading for Latham & Watkins, including two more in London.

The group of corporate, banking and finance lawyers are set to join Latham in Abu Dhabi, New York, Riyadh and London.

London-based energy partner Craig Nethercott and co-head of the firm's global mining and metals group, Glen Ireland, will join Chris Kandel, Sam Hamilton, Brian Conway and Jayanthi Sadanandan, the four finance partners who quit last month to join Latham's City arm.

Other departures include corporate partner Villiers Terblanche and energy and infrastructure partner Nick Collins, who will join Latham in Abu Dhabi. Projects partner Christopher Langdon and office head Mohammed Al-Sheikh in Riyadh will boost Latham's Middle East presence with the group having a particular focus on Islamic finance. In New York corporate partner Christopher Cross and energy partner Clement Fondufe round off the group.

Terblanche took charge of White & Case's relationship with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) in 2008 after the firm re-jigged its global management. QIA has in recent years become a key client for Latham with the firm advising on its investment in Barclays in 2008.

Ireland joined White & Case in 2004 from Canadian firm McCarthy Tetrault, while Nick Collins who made partner in 2008 was the first product of the firm's City training scheme to be promoted to partner.

Latham has declined to comment on any of the new arrivals. White & Case today (1 February) confirmed that the eight partners have informed the firm of their intention to leave. The departures will spark fresh worries about which clients will follow them, with the relationship with the likes of Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs under scrutiny.

The 12 new partners will add significant weight to Latham's presence in the bank finance sector in London and the Middle East.

In a statement issued last week Eric Berg, White & Case partner and global practice leader for banking, said: "Bank finance in London is and will remain an important area of practice for us and our clients and we remain fully committed to it."