Weekly update - 21st september 2026. Welcome to this week's update, where we bring you the latest moves, promotions, and strategic appointments shaping the legal industry. Partner Moves Individual UK & Ireland Travers Smith has hired Arbitration specialist Andy Moody from Baker McKenzie to strengthen its London Disputes practice. Latham & Watkins has hired Private Equity Real Estate Partner Patrick Hennessy from Gibson Dunn in London, adding to a run of investment in its Real Estate practice. Bird & Bird is strengthening its AI offering with the appointment of Michelle Sally as a Partner in its London Commercial team. Michelle joins from TLT, where she worked as a Partner. McDermott Will & Schulte announced that Natalie Blanc has joined the firm as a Partner in its Transactions Practice Group in London. Natalie joins from Ropes & Gray, where she worked as a Counsel. Hill Dickinson have strengthened their Business Services Group, appointing Rhiannon Paine as a Partner to their national Restructuring and Insolvency practice. Rhiannon joins from Simmons & Simmons, where she worked as a Managing Associate. Carpmaels & Ransford has hired Christopher Stothers as a Partner in their Patent Litigation practice group. Christopher joins from Freshfields, where he worked as a Partner, and is based in London and Dublin. Travers Smith LLP has announced the hire of Laura Houët as a Partner in the Funds practice. Laura joins from CMS, where she was a Partner in the firm's Financial Services team and Global Co-Head of ESG. Laura is based in London. Pinsent Masons has appointed Fred Nicolle as a Partner in its Intellectual Property team in London. Fred joins from Simmons & Simmons, where he worked as a Managing Associate. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has hired a Financial Regulatory Partner from Kirkland & Ellis, as the firm continues to strengthen its burgeoning transatlantic finance bench. Sumit Indwar joined Kirkland in April 2025 following 20 years at Linklaters, where he qualified in 2006. Sumit is based in London. Travers Smith has hired its fourth Partner in a fortnight with the addition of Mayer Brown's UK Antitrust Head Daniel Vowden. Vowden joins as a Partner, splitting his time between the firm's London office and its recently opened Brussels office, following three years at Mayer Brown. William Fry has appointed Cormac McGrady as a Partner in its Corporate / M&A department. Cormac joins from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he worked as a Counsel. Cormac is based in Dublin. Walker Morris is adding to its Equity Capital Markets team with the appointment of DLA Piper's former Co-Head of UK Equity Capital Markets, Martin Penn. Martin brings more than 20 years of experience to lead and expand a growing portfolio of mid-market public company advisory work. Martin is based in London. Two international law firms have appointed new Partners in Brussels as they look to expand in the city and increase their EU law capabilities. Francesco Maria Salerno has joined Italian firm BonelliErede as a Local Partner, while Dutch-qualified Michael Frese becomes Partner at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader (HLC). Salerno was most recently Managing Partner of the Brussels office of Gianni & Origoni. Frese, meanwhile, joins HLC after spending his entire 13-year career at Skadden Arps, where he was a Counsel. Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has strengthened its European life sciences and healthcare practice with the appointment of Eda Zhuleku as a Partner in Munich and Head of Life Sciences Regulatory Europe. Eda joins from A&O Shearman, where she worked as a Counsel. Harneys announced that it has hired Paul Chiellini-Morge as a Partner in their Corporate/M&A practice. Paul joins from Maples, where he worked as an Of Counsel. White & Case has hired a Senior M&A Partner from Freshfields in Hamburg, as exits from the magic circle firm in continental Europe continue. The firm has hired M&A, Infrastructure, and Private Capital Partner Natascha Doll, who has been Co-Head of the firm's CEE/CIS practice since 2019. Middle East Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has strengthened its Middle East platform with the appointment of Barbara Schwartz as Head of UAE Tax, based in Dubai. Barbara joins from ATOZ Tax Advisers, where she worked as a Principal. Sullivan & Cromwell is hiring Weil London Co-Managing Partner David Avery-Gee and Corporate Partner Sarah Flaherty, adding two senior M&A lawyers to its growing City office. Avery-Gee currently co-leads Weil's London office alongside Jonathan Wood and heads its London M&A practice. Flaherty is a Partner in Weil's London Corporate group, advising on public and private M&A, restructurings and joint ventures. Proskauer has hired veteran Antitrust Partner Edouard Sarrazin from DLA Piper in Paris, along with a Counsel and two Associates, building on a series of strategic Partner additions in France across key practice areas, including private funds, private equity and M&A. Sarrazin joins Proskauer after more than 11 years as a Partner at DLA Piper. Promotions & Appointments

Gibson Dunn adds Paul Weiss product liability co-chief in three-partner team hire. Los Angeles-based Kimberly Branscome joins as co-chair of Gibson Dunn's product liability practice as firm expands litigation bench yet again 18 September 2026 Gibson Dunn has recruited a three-partner product liability team in the US from Paul Weiss led by practice co-chair Kimberly Branscome, as the Los Angeles-founded firm continues to expand its litigation bench with high-profile talent. Branscome has joined alongside Yahonnes Cleary and Jonathan Tam and will serve as co-chair of the firm's mass torts and product liability practice. The trio bring significant first-chair trial experience and have secured defence verdicts in some of the most-closely watched product liability trials of the past decade for clients including Johnson & Johnson, Bayer and Pfizer. Branscome and Tam are based in Los Angeles while Cleary works out of New York. "We've worked alongside this team on major product liability litigation, so we know firsthand what they bring when the stakes are highest," said Lauren Goldman, co-chair of Gibson Dunn's mass torts and product liability practice. "For clients defending major mass tort litigation, trials can shape the entire docket. They need lawyers who can set the strategy, drive the critical legal and expert issues, and persuade the jury. This team brings that combination and together, we offer clients unmatched depth from strategy through trial and appeal." Advertisement The trio are the latest in a string of senior additions to Gibson Dunn's bench of first chair litigators. The firm - long known for its litigation chops - picked up Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz co-chair Bill Savitt and a team of five partners in July, in a move that saw it add expertise in high-stakes disputes in Delaware's Chancery Court. That followed a four-partner Sullivan & Cromwell appeals group led by former acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall joining in April, while in 2024 renowned white collar defence lawyer Barry Berke, who had previously served as chief counsel to the US House of Representatives for the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, jumped over from Kramer Levin with a four-partner team. For her part, Branscome joined Paul Weiss in 2024 having co-led Dechert's products liability and mass torts practice. She has acted as lead trial counsel for multiple corporations in mass tort cases, including Johnson & Johnson in litigation where the plaintiffs alleged the company's baby powder products contained asbestos and for Bayer in a lawsuit against its subsidiary Monsanto Company in Washington state court involving alleged injuries from PCB exposure. LAW OVER BORDERS COMPARATIVE GUIDES Mediation Law Guide This first edition of the Law Over Borders Comparative Guide to Mediation considers the development of mediation and its role in the international disputes market, with contributions and insights from leading private practice dispute resolution lawyers and General Counsel... | 1yr. She has also represented pharmaceutical industry clients including Merck, Pfizer, Hoffmann-La Roche and AstraZeneca in mass tort and multidistrict litigation involving product liability claims related to their prescription medicines. "Product liability litigation is becoming larger, more complex and higher stakes across jurisdictions, and clients need depth at every stage," Branscome said. "Gibson Dunn has built an extraordinary litigation platform, with elite trial, appellate, complex litigation and environmental capabilities. Bringing our team onto that platform was a uniquely compelling opportunity." The group marks the latest in a slew of high-profile departures from Paul Weiss's litigation bench that has seen name partners retire, leave for rivals including Paul Hastings, Davis Polk and Linklaters, and strike out to launch their own shop in the wake of the firm's politically fraught deal with the Trump administration. Paul Weiss has moved to replenish its senior disputes ranks with hires including Willy Jay from Goodwin Procter in August to head its Supreme Court practice and trial lawyer Andrea Smith in Houston in April from Gibson Dunn, where she had been co-chair of its transnational litigation practice.

Gibson Dunn expands market-leading Mass Torts and Product Liability Practice with three-partner trial team led by Kimberly Branscome. Friday, September 18, 2026 Gibson Dunn announced today that accomplished trial lawyers Kimberly Branscome, Yahonnes Cleary, and Jonathan Tam have joined the firm's premier Mass Torts and Product Liability Practice Group as partners, with Kimberly joining as Co-Chair. The team brings significant first-chair trial experience in some of the country's most consequential product liability and mass tort litigation, particularly in the pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer product, and industrial sectors. Kimberly and Jonathan practice in Los Angeles, and Yahonnes practices in New York. The trio come to Gibson Dunn from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. "Kimberly, Yahonnes, and Jonathan are exceptional trial lawyers with tremendous market credibility and a proven record of success in some of the most challenging venues in the country," said Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., a litigation partner in Gibson Dunn's Los Angeles office. "Their lead trial lawyer experience in complex and industry-threatening commercial cases is a perfect fit for our firm history and platform and will be a significant asset to clients facing their most consequential product liability and mass tort matters in California and nationwide." The team has secured defense verdicts in some of the most closely watched product liability trials of the past decade for clients including Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, 3M, and Pfizer. "We've worked alongside this team on major product liability litigation, so we know firsthand what they bring when the stakes are highest," said Lauren Goldman, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn's Mass Torts and Product Liability Practice Group. "For clients defending major mass tort litigation, trials can shape the entire docket. They need lawyers who can set the strategy, drive the critical legal and expert issues, and persuade the jury. This team brings that rare combination. Together, we offer clients unmatched depth from strategy through trial and appeal." "Gibson Dunn has built an extraordinary litigation platform, with elite trial, appellate, complex litigation, and environmental capabilities and a genuinely collaborative culture," said Kimberly. "Bringing our team onto that platform, with the many synergies across our practices, was a uniquely compelling opportunity. Product liability litigation is becoming larger, more complex, and higher stakes across jurisdictions, and clients need exceptional depth at every stage. We're excited to help clients navigate their most consequential matters in California and nationally." About the Team: Kimberly Branscome - Kimberly is a seasoned first-chair trial lawyer and litigation strategist specializing in product liability, mass torts, and complex commercial litigation. She serves as lead counsel in high-profile pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer product, and industrial litigation, including nationwide mass torts and multidistrict litigation (MDL). With degrees in biomedical and chemical engineering, Kimberly brings a deep understanding of the complex scientific and technical issues at the heart of many of these matters, including epidemiology, toxicology, product design, exposure, and causation. She has significant experience trying sensitive, business-threatening cases and also serves as national counsel in large MDLs, advising clients at all stages of litigation and crisis management. Her clients include leading companies across the life sciences, consumer products, energy, automotive, and manufacturing sectors. Yahonnes Cleary - Yahonnes is a complex commercial litigator with particular expertise in product liability and mass tort disputes and trial. Yahonnes' clients include sophisticated institutions in highly regulated sectors: pharmaceutical and life sciences, energy and chemical businesses, technology and consumer data companies, financial institutions, insurers, and quasi-public organizations. In addition to product liability and mass tort, his experience includes consumer class actions, data privacy, securities litigation, regulatory matters, and internal investigations. He defends clients at all phases of litigation and trial. Jonathan Tam - Jonathan is a litigation strategist and trial lawyer. His practice focuses on representing companies in their most complex and high-stakes product liability litigations, mass torts, class actions, and civil actions brought by State Attorneys General. His experience includes defending companies in the largest and most complex federal MDLs in history. His clients have spanned across a variety of industries, including pharmaceutical, medical device, life science, high-tech, and other innovative companies. Analysis | Jobs | News