Legal manoeuvres: PE lawyers’ latest moves – October 2012

· After having launched his own boutique law firm in 2007, French lawyer Philippe Berteaux has joined Marvell as partner where he will be responsible for launching an insolvency and financial restructuring practice.

· In a push for South East Asia business, offshore law firm Maples and Calder has opened an office in Singapore. Funds partner Nick Harrold will manage the office, and will be joined by corporate finance partner James Burch and private equity and corporate lawyer Tom Katsaros.

· Law firm Hunton & Williams is strengthening its UK team with the relocation of Virginia-based energy infrastructure partner Ryan Ketchum to London.

· Kirkland & Ellis has added Satnam Tumani to its London office as a partner in the litigation and dispute resolution practice group. Satnam is the former head of the UK Serious Fraud Office’s Bribery and Corruption unit.

· M&A Lawyer Joey Shabot has joined Greenberg Traurig’s Tel Aviv Office. Shabot was previously with New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

· Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has poached restructuring and insolvency attorney Yushan Ng from Linklaters for its London office.

· Kirkland & Ellis private equity lawyer Laura Rupenian, who advised clients on debt financing transactions, has left the firm to join Goodwin Procter’s San Francisco office.

· Morrison & Foerster has hired two M&A lawyers for its Asia practice. Thomas Yunlong Man, who was previously with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, joins the firm’s Beijing office; and former Allen & Overy lawyer Jeremy Hunt joins the Hong Kong office.

· And joining Morrison’s London office as corporate partner is David Bresnick, a M&A lawyer previously with CMS Cameron McKenna.

· In related news Morrison is under new management. San Francisco litigation partners Craig Martin and Anna White, and Tokyo real estate partner Eric Piesner, will act as co-managing partners. The trio will report to Larren Nashelsky, who replaces Keith Wetmore as the firm’s chair.

· Offshore law firm Mourant Ozannes has planted its flag in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The new BVI office will be managed by corporate partner Michael Williams.

· SJ Berwin lawyer George Pinkham has been tapped to lead the firm’s three year old Hong Kong office. The relocation is part of SJ Berwin’s intention to expand its private equity and corporate practice across Asia Pacific, according to a statement by the firm.

· Baker & McKenzie has appointed London-based partner Simon Hughes as chair of its global private equity group. He replaces Sydney-based partner Mark McNamara, who reportedly stepped down to take on a similar role at rival law firm King & Wood Mallesons.

· Catherine Pan has left Goodwin Procter to join Dorsey & Whitney’s New York Office. Pan specialises in corporate and securities law, equity and debt financing, M&A, venture capital and private equity financing.

· Bedell Cristin has recruited Valerie Georges-Thomas to head up its Bedell office in the BVI. She was previously a partner with Appleby in the firm’s corporate and commercial practice group.

· Offshore law firm Maples and Calder has raided Walkers’ investment funds practice, hiring a six partner team from their offshore rival. Joining the firm’s Cayman Islands office is Heidi de Vries, Julian Ashworth, Sheryl Dean, David Marshall, Philip Millward and Gwyneth Rees.

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