Linklaters continues New York growth spree with capital markets hire

Linklaters has hired Kristina Trauger as a partner in its New York corporate practice, marking the latest step in the Magic Circle firm’s push to cement itself among the elite US transactional practices.

Trauger was previously co-head of Proskauer’s capital markets group and joins Linklaters’ M&A and capital markets bench, bringing experience across public M&A, securities law and equity and debt offerings.

She was also previously a partner at legacy firm Shearman & Sterling, where she worked alongside George Casey and Heiko Schiwek - two of the heavyweight dealmakers Linklaters recruited in its six-partner raid on Shearman at the start of last year.

New York push

Her arrival follows a string of headline moves by the firm as it looks to scale up in the US market. Over the past 18 months, Linklaters has hired teams across M&A, finance and disputes. It also made up three New York lawyers to partner in its 2025 promotions round.

The New York expansion is widely seen as a core strategic priority as the firm competes with the likes of Kirkland, Latham and Skadden for the best US mandates.

"This addition further elevates our position as the market-leading US practice within the world’s most elite and integrated global platform", said Casey, who was appointed chairman of the Americas earlier in June.

Trauger’s hire comes days after Linklaters announced the re-election of Aedamar Comiskey as senior partner and Paul Lewis as firmwide managing partner, extending their leadership terms to 2029.

The firm’s recent US mandates have included advising Volkswagen on its $5.8 billion EV joint venture with Rivian, Rio Tinto on its $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium, and Dow on the launch of a $6 billion infrastructure venture with Macquarie.