Norton Rose elects US managing partner

• Norton Rose Fulbright elected securities and M&A lawyer Daryl Lansdale as the firm’s US managing partner, effective January 1 2017. He succeeds Linda Addison and will also take on her role as chair of the US management committee. Landsdale represents private equity firms and public companies in their acquisitions and divestitures, and issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings. He advises on limited partnerships, private equity fund formation, conducting internal investigations, and advises directors on corporate governance and fiduciary duty issues. In his new role, Lansdale will be responsible for the firm’s US operations and strategy.

• Ropes & Gray hired finance lawyer Malcolm Hitching as a partner in its London office. He joins the firm’s finance practice from Herbert Smith Freehills, where he worked for 13 years. Hitching specializes in corporate financings, restructurings and acquisition and event-driven finance, with a particular focus on the European leveraged finance and private equity finance markets, acting for both sponsors and financial institutions. Ropes & Gray also added private equity and M&A specialist Helen Croke to its London office. She joins the firm from Travers Smith and specializes in UK and international private equity and M&A, and advises institutional investors, corporates and founders.

• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton added four partners to its corporate practice: Richard Friedman, Jeffrey Fessler, Andrea Cataneo and Stephen Cohen. The group joins Sheppard Mullin’s New York office from Sichenzia Ross Friedman Ference’s New York office. Friedman has represented public and private companies for nearly 30 years. He specializes in public offerings and private placements. Fessler represents public and private companies mainly in the life sciences industry, but also in the technology, communications, broadcasting and healthcare industries. He has experience representing investment banks and companies in public offerings and private placements as well as exchange listings and SEC compliance. Cataneo focuses on private and public equity financing transactions for emerging growth companies. She advises her clients on private and public offerings and general corporate matters. Cohen represents issuers and underwriters in public and private corporate finance transactions, including private equity and venture capital investments, initial public offerings, private placements, secondary transactions and other securities offerings.

• Paul Hastings appointed executive compensation lawyer Daniel Stellenberg as partner in the firm’s employment law practice. He joins the firm’s Palo Alto office from Pillsbury’s Silicon Valley office. Stellenberg advises on private equity, capital markets, and M&A transactions. He specializes in the design and implementation of equity compensation and bonus plans, executive employment and separation agreements, and corresponding tax, accounting, and securities law issues. He also helps employers to manage the transition of employees and their benefits during and after a merger or acquisition, joint venture, or spin-off.

• Simmons & Simmons expanded its real estate practice with the hire of Richard Hopkinson-Woolley. He joins the firm in London from DLA Piper, where he worked for less than three years on all aspects of real estate including real estate funds, private equity and real estate finance. Prior to this he worked in Berwin Leighton Paisner’s real estate team. Here he advised numerous clients, including The Carlyle Group, Oxford Properties, Tishman Speyer and funds advised by Pramerica.

Know of any private fund lawyer moves we missed? Submit the news to nicole.m@peimedia.com