Linklaters hires New York litigators in US growth push

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Linklaters has hired a team of litigation partners in New York in the latest attempt by the UK’s “magic circle” group of law firms to take on US rivals on their home turf.

Partners Adeel Mangi, Muhammad Faridi, Diana Conner and George LoBiondo will be joining Linklaters from New York litigation boutique Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, the London-headquartered firm told the Financial Times. 

The team has acted for a number of large US corporations such as Johnson & Johnson. President Joe Biden also nominated Mangi to a federal appeals court judgeship, making him the first Muslim American to receive such a nomination, before it was controversially blocked by a lack of US Senate support.

Linklaters has been pushing in recent years to beef up its US presence by hiring heavy hitters rather than pursuing a merger. The firm brought in veteran dealmaker George Casey and his team from Shearman & Sterling last year, hiring a total of 10 partners for its US operations in 2024.

Bringing in rainmakers costs money and UK firms have historically struggled to match the pay packets of their US rivals. The “magic circle”, including Linklaters, is now offering deals in the double-digit millions of dollars to attract key hires, according to people with knowledge of the compensation packages.

Linklaters declined to comment on the remuneration offered to Mangi and his team.

Such hiring has been aided by Linklaters’ decision to depart from its “lockstep” pay model, where compensation for partners increases based on years served, introducing greater flexibility in recent years to pay and recruit top performers.

“We modified our lockstep model to compete with US firms in the hunt for top talent . . . [this team] joining is another vote of confidence in where we’re heading as a firm,” said Aedamar Comiskey, senior partner at Linklaters.

The UK’s elite firms have long struggled to make inroads in the world’s most profitable legal market against the established Wall Street outfits. Linklaters and Freshfields have attempted to increase their market share through individual hires, while legacy Allen & Overy merged with New York’s Shearman & Sterling in May last year. Following a difficult US merger for Clifford Chance two decades ago, the firm has also been aggressively hiring in recent years.

There are signs that some of the strategies are starting to pay off. Both Linklaters and Freshfields have won big-ticket work. Linklaters advised Volkswagen on its $6bn joint venture and investment with Rivian last year, the first time the firm has acted for the company on a US deal.

“Growing in the US by hiring top-notch talent in key practice areas is a strategic priority for the firm,” said Comiskey. “But US growth isn’t an end in itself — we simply want the very best US lawyers on our global platform.”

Linklaters has 53 partners in the US across its New York and Washington DC offices.  

Patterson Belknap’s co-chair and managing partner Dahlia Doumar thanked the litigation team for their contribution to the firm and said that they had been “valued partners”.