Cooley targets Edwards Wildman reinsurance team
US law firm Cooley has launched a practice in London, recruiting senior staff from Edwards Wildman and Morrison & Foerster’s.
Cooley’s new office will include 20 partners and more than 55 lawyers and other professionals in total. Re/insurance partners include David Kendall, who will lead the team, James Crabtree, Mark Everiss, Chris Finney and Richard Hopley. They all join from Edwards Wildman.
Justin Stock, the former head of Morrison & Foerster’s London corporate practice, will lead the new office.
The vice-chair of Cooley’s business department and partner in charge of its Washington DC office, Ryan Naftulin, will relocate to London. As a US liaison partner, his focus will be on office integration and building opportunistic growth for the firm.
“Cooley plans to make a big impact in London,” said Joe Conroy, Cooley’s chief executive officer. “We have brought together partners who are the very best in their fields, and who share our values and approach to achieving success for our global client base. From our San Francisco and Silicon Valley roots, we have grown to 850 lawyers, solving complex business and litigation issues for the world’s most dynamic companies.”
“Most of us have practiced together for years,” said Laurence Harris, who led discussions for the Edwards Wildman team that is joining Cooley. “We have all been struck by the quality and genuineness of Cooley’s leadership and wider partnership, as well as our new London-based colleagues. We look forward to being part of building something special here in London.”
Cooley London’s insurance and reinsurance team added: “Cooley presents our insurance and reinsurance practice with tremendous opportunities. We handle sophisticated transactions and disputes often requiring an innovative approach, in a regulated industry that is going through significant change. The strengths of Cooley’s corporate and litigation practices will enhance our ability to serve clients in this environment.”
