Gide to offer French, City and US lawyers in London

FINANCIAL LAW BASE: four partners hired from US ally Sidley

Top Paris firm Gide Loyrette Nouel has become the first French firm to offer French, English and US law advice in London after hiring four partners from the London office of its ally, US firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, to open an office in the capital.

Gide will specialise in securitisation, structured finance and capital markets.

US capital markets and securities lawyers Christopher Mead and Scott Cameron, and UK finance lawyers Colin Mercer and Michael Doran have moved from Sidleys.

Gerard Tavernier, 77-partner Gide's Paris-based senior partner, said the move came in response to a need within the firm's offices for a financial law base with US and English finance capabilities.

Gide is in the process of obtaining premises in London, and Mr Tavernier said that the new office could open as early as next week.

In addition to the four partners from Sidleys, Paris-based partner Arnaud Duhamel will transfer to London, and the new office will also seek to recruit around 15 assistants.

Mr Tavernier said: 'In the current employment market of London we are confident that we will find them.'

Sidleys released a statement wishing the departed partners well.

London managing partner Drew Scott said: 'The relationship between the two firms is long standing and good.' He said Sidleys expects to continue working with Gide's Paris office on a number of outstanding pieces of work, and that the relationship might continue.

Mr Tavernier echoed this.

He said: 'It's clear that we will do a significant proportion of the work we were doing with Sidleys through the new office, but there will be scope for a continued relationship in fields such as mergers and acquisitions.'

Meanwhile, Wikborg Rein has claimed to be the first Norwegian law firm to hire an English partner after asset finance specialist Stephen Fordham left Watson Farley & Williams to join its Singapore office.

Jeremy Fleming