Ashurst expands US finance bench with four-partner New York hire

Ashurst has hired a four-partner finance and restructuring team from Bracewell in New York, as it ramps up its US offering ahead of its planned merger with Perkins Coie.

Jeris Brunette, Mark Dendinger, Rebecca Keep and William Ebert are joining the firm, adding debt finance and restructuring capability across sectors including energy, infrastructure and commodities.

The hires take Ashurst’s US finance and restructuring bench to 30 lawyers and mark a further step in building out its New York presence.

US merger nears

The move comes as Ashurst accelerates investment on both sides of the Atlantic ahead of its transatlantic tie-up with Perkins Coie, which is expected to complete later this year, subject to a partner vote.

Once finalised, the combined firm - Ashurst Perkins Coie - is set to rank among the world’s top 20 by revenue.

Earlier this month, it hired a three-partner private equity team from Goodwin in London, while in the US it has been building out its finance bench with recent hires including Rossie Turman from Lowenstein and Joe Giannini from Norton Rose Fulbright.

Mark Edwards, head of global loans at Ashurst, said the latest hires would strengthen the firm’s ability to support US finance clients across both debt finance and restructuring at a time when “global markets are experiencing unprecedented volatility”.

Sharon Kim, Ashurst’s New York managing partner, said the additions were a “step change” for the firm’s New York offering, “positioning us as a go-to firm for sophisticated financing solutions across a variety of industries.”

She added: “We are building something truly special in New York, and we could not be more excited about the trajectory of our US practice."

Restructuring race heats up

The hires also come amid a broader push by firms to strengthen restructuring capability in New York.

Simpson Thacher moved for Kirkland heavyweight David Nemecek earlier this year, with several partners following him from Kirkland. DLA Piper recently launched a global capital solutions practice with hires from Akin, while Ropes & Gray added a four-partner restructuring team from Fried Frank in February.