Kirkland re-signs in-demand PE tax lawyer

· Duane Morris has poached private equity deals lawyer David Sussman from peer law firm Day Pitney, where he was co-chair of the private equity and investment funds practice. Sussman will be based in Duane’s Newark office.  

· US law firm K&L Gates has merged with Middletons, an Australian law firm with some 300 lawyers across four offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. In related news, K&L Gates has expanded its Boston office with the addition of M&A lawyer Mark Johnson from Cooley; and fund formation lawyer Paulo Marnoto from Ropes & Gray.

· Meanwhile former K&L partner John Kaufmann has left the firm to join Dorsey & Whitney as a New York-based partner focusing on private equity deals and fund formation. 

· Andrew Hulsh has left Mayer Brown, where he was co-leader of the firm’s North American private equity practice, to join Dechert’s New York office. 

· Joining the Orlando and Miami offices of law firm Foley is M&A lawyer Robert Lee, who specializes in China and Latin America transactions. Lee was previously partner at Diaz, Reus & Targ.

· Sean Dailey has left Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to join Chadbourne & Parke’s New York private funds practice.

· Kirkland & Ellis has named two M&A partners to its West Coast offices: former Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partner Michael Ringler joins the San Francisco office while former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom partner Rick Madden joins the Los Angeles practice. Meanwhile former Cravath, Swaine & Moore M&A lawyer Sarkis Jebejian joins the firm’s New York office. 

· In related news Daniel Meehan has returned to Kirkland’s Chicago office as a private equity tax-focused partner. A former tax associate in Kirkland's Chicago office, Meehan rejoins the firm from the New York office of Cooley, where he was chair of the firm’s tax practice. 

· Claire Wilkinson has reportedly stepped down from her role as general counsel of placement agent MVision Private Equity Advisers. Wilkinson, who is head of the Private Equity Lawyers Forum, has been replaced by in-house MVision lawyer Vix Sherlike, according to the firm’s website. 

· J. Thomas Rosch has returned to Latham & Watkins' antitrust & competition practice. Rosch, who recently completed his term as a commissioner of the US Federal Trade Commission that began in 2006, will reside in the firm’s Washington, DC and San Francisco offices.

· One year after its set-up, Dutch law firm Van Campen Liem has opened a Luxembourg office. The firm described the “prominent role of Luxembourg structures in M&A, private equity transactions and for the formation of investment funds” as a natural complement to its Dutch headquarters. Joining the new office is former Norton Rose tax and Turkey specialist Gesina van de Wetering, who will be joined by her associates Huseyin Koca and Shireen Raza effective this March. 

· David Huff has joined SJ Berwin as a consultant. He previously oversaw the global tax affairs of UK-listed private equity firm 3i. 

· Thomas L'Helias has left Fulbright & Jaworski to become a New York-based M&A partner at Andrews Kurth.

· Goodwin Procter has added former Paul Weiss M&A lawyer Gloria Liu to its Hong Kong office. 

· UK law firm Addleshaw Goddard has expanded its London M&A practice by recruiting Ben Rodham from peer law firm Linklaters.

· Private equity deals lawyer Jeffrey Terry has joined Perkins Coie’s Chicago office. He was previously with Paul Hastings.

· In related news, US law firm Sullivan & Worcester has expanded to Europe with a London office opening; UK headquartered law firm SJ Berwin has opened a Luxembourg office; and US law firm Morrison & Foerster has opened an office in Singapore, its fifth in the region.

Know of any private equity lawyer career moves we might have missed? If so, email PEM editor Nicholas Donato at nicholas.d@peimedia.com