Dechert private equity co-head exits to DLA Piper

DLA Piper has hired Chris Field, co-head of Dechert’s private equity practice, in a high-profile move to strengthen its PE bench in London.

Field will join DLA in September. He is dual-qualified in England & Wales and South Africa and is recognised for advising major PE houses, sovereign wealth funds and other investors on cross-border deals across the UK and Europe. He joined Dechert in 2017 from Kirkland, where he spent over a decade as a partner, according to his LinkedIn profile.

While a win for DLA, the hire marks another private capital exit from Dechert. Field is the fourth senior partner to depart in a week, following the exits of leveraged finance duo Philip Butler and David Miles, along with private equity partner Mark Evans, who all left for Mayer Brown last week.

DLA’s private equity team is regarded as one of the City’s most active, particularly in the mid-market. Notable recent mandates include advising Grant Thornton UK on private equity giant Cinven’s majority investment in the accounting firm at the end of 2024.

The firm was recently named the most active legal adviser for European PE deals by PitchBook for the seventh year in a row.

What they said

Jon Kenworthy, global co-chair of DLA Piper’s corporate group, said: "With Chris’s appointment, we aim to continue to increase our market presence in line with our strategic growth strategy.

"With Chris's cross-border and sector skillset, our teams will continue to be well-positioned to help our clients with their most complex and important transactions and afford them access to the benefits of our global platform."