Latham private equity partner Olga Ponomarenko has joined Cohen & Gresser in London, boosting the US firm’s City office.
The move comes as Cohen & Gresser builds out its corporate bench in London and has been exploring external capital to fund growth.
Latham & Watkins private equity partner Olga Ponomarenko has left the firm to join US outfit Cohen & Gresser in London, in a notable move for one of the City’s smaller American players.
Ponomarenko had been a Latham partner since 2018, initially based in Moscow before relocating to London. Cohen & Gresser said she advises private equity sponsors, sovereign wealth funds and corporates on cross-border deals across Europe, the CIS and the Middle East.
She is joined at Cohen & Gresser by associate Irina Bratishkina, who arrives from Cleary.
“The arrival of Olga and Irina strengthens our corporate capabilities both in Europe and around the world,” said Daniel Mathias, managing partner of the firm’s London office.
“They bring a highly complementary combination of cross-border transactional experience, elite client service, commercial judgment, and deep familiarity with complex, multi-jurisdictional matters.”
Building out in London
Cohen & Gresser is not among the best-known US firms in London. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York, it also has offices in Paris, Washington, Dubai and London.
Its London office was opened in 2018 and is lean, with four partners listed on its website. It is led by corporate partner Mathias, who made partner in 2022. The firm is understood to be doubling down on building out its corporate practice after several departures from its white collar practice last year, including a team that left for new US entrant Michelman Robinson.
Among the firm’s more high-profile UK mandates was advising Investcorp on its 2024 buyout of Leeds-based family law firm Stowe from Livingbridge.
External investment
Cohen & Gresser made headlines last year, saying it was exploring a private equity stake sale, including discussions over a $40 million convertible note that would later convert into equity.
Co-founder and managing partner Lawrence Gresser told the Financial Times the firm had spent more than a decade preparing for “modern finance” to enter the legal sector.
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