Paul Hastings lands competition partner from Kirkland in London

Paul Hastings has added to its competition bench with the hire of Kirkland partner Sally Evans in London.

Evans spent nine years at Kirkland and is a well-known name in transactional antitrust matters. Dual-qualified in Brussels, she also leads EU merger control mandates and has experience before the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

According to the firm, she has also built a significant foreign direct investment practice, handling notifications under the National Security and Investment Act (which regulates deals in national security-sensitive sectors).

Her experience includes advising PE firm Thoma Bravo on its recent $12.3 billion deal to take software company Dayforce private and Noble Corporation on its tie-up with Maersk Drilling - a deal that required remedies agreed with the CMA.

The hire adds to a busy year of lateral activity for Paul Hastings. The US firm has been on an energy and infrastructure-focused expansion which has seen it bring on board a number of new partners across Europe and the Middle East, including eight from White & Case as part of a major team move in the spring.

But the firm has also seen its fair share of London exits. Just last week, two PE real estate partners left for Hogan Lovells.

What they said

Firm chair Frank Lopez said: "Sally has extraordinary experience and a stellar reputation in antitrust and will provide further momentum to our global antitrust practice."

Evans said she was drawn by the firm’s growth story: "There is real momentum to the firm’s expansion in the U.K. and other markets across Europe, the Middle East and North America, so this is a brilliant opportunity to be part of a growing practice and work with the firm’s extensive roster of leading clients and professionals."