Linklaters hires top Paul Hastings partner as Magic Circle fights back

Linklaters has hired top restructuring partner Mei Lian from Paul Hastings, in the latest sign that the Magic Circle is regaining ground in the battle for top-tier talent.

Lian, who was co-chair of Paul Hastings’ London office, is recognised as a leading name in the restructuring and special situations market. Her practice spans institutional investors, PE sponsors and corporate borrowers on cross-border financings, often in stressed and distressed scenarios.

She spent nearly two decades at Shearman & Sterling before joining Paul Hastings in 2020 and will now reunite with former Paul Hastings colleague Peter Hayes who joined Linklaters in June. Her hire follows another high-profile addition to Linklaters’ finance bench earlier this summer: leveraged finance partner Angel Quek from Latham.

Magic Circle fights back

The hire adds to a growing - if somewhat under-the-radar - shift of senior talent moving from US firms to the Magic Circle.

While the dominant narrative in recent years has been of US firms aggressively poaching lawyers from their UK rivals, recent data from legal recruiter Edwards Gibson shows that of the 17 lateral partner hires made by Magic Circle firms in London this year (including in-house moves and non-partners promoted on joining), 13 have come from US firms.

Paul Hastings has been among the most affected, with Lian and Hayes part of several departures from its London office to the Magic Circle, including infrastructure stars Jessamy Gallagher and Stuart Rowson to Freshfields in March, followed by finance partner Ally McKechnie in May.

What they said

Commenting on Lian's hire:

Aedamar Comiskey, Linklaters' senior partner and chair, said: "Mei is at the very top of the credit solutions market and will significantly enhance our private capital offering for global clients. She’s a terrific hire and we’re thrilled to have her on board."

Andy Vickery, global head of finance, added: "Her expertise in credit solutions and her outstanding track record advising global private credit clients reinforce our position as a market-leading adviser on complex financings, special situations and restructurings."