Paul Hastings loses top tax duo to White & Case as exits mount

White & Case has hired long-serving Paul Hastings tax partners Arun Birla and Jiten Tank in London.

Both are regarded among the City’s leading tax lawyers. Birla is a particularly high-profile addition - he currently serves as Paul Hastings’ global second Managing Partner and is a former managing partner of its London office. Together, the pair have spent more than 30 years at the US firm.

Strategic moves

The hires add firepower to White & Case’s tax practice and follow a period which has seen the firm invest in its private equity offering - where a strong tax bench is a key part of any leading platform.

In June, it added a three-lawyer team from Ropes & Gray, led by dealmaker Helen Croke, describing private equity as a "strategic priority."

White & Case chair Heather McDevitt said Birla and Tank’s "market leading tax practice adds significant strength to our full-service offering". Both advise across M&A, private equity and finance, with a client base that includes institutional clients, family offices and asset managers.

More exits for Paul Hastings

For Paul Hastings, the departures mark another blow to its London office, which has seen a steady stream of partner exits this year and a notable uptick in recent weeks.

In the last month, the firm has lost two private equity real estate partners to Hogan Lovells and two real estate finance partners to Milbank.

Over the summer, meanwhile, restructuring partner Mei Lian and leveraged finance partner Peter Hayes both joined Linklaters, while earlier in the year infrastructure heavyweights Jessamy Gallagher and Stuart Rowson joined Freshfields, soon followed by infrastructure finance partner Ally McKechnie.