Paul Hastings rebuilds London tax team with hires from Weil and Cadwalader

Paul Hastings has made two additions to its London tax practice, hiring highly ranked partner Jenny Doak from Weil and Catherine Richardson who was previously at Cadwalader.

The duo’s arrival comes just weeks after Paul Hastings lost senior tax partners Arun Birla and Jiten Tank to White & Case. Birla was the firm's global second managing partner and vice chair of international tax.

Strategic rebuild

Doak is one of the City’s most established corporate tax partners, with more than two decades of experience advising on public and private M&A, capital markets and financing matters, with a particular focus on the energy and infrastructure and TMT sectors. She joined Weil in 2019 from Vinson & Elkins, where she was head of UK tax.

Richardson, who made partner at Cadwalader in 2022, specialises in structured finance. Her client list has included major investment banks, and she advised BNP Paribas as arranger on the first European middle-market private credit CLO last year.

Paul Hastings chair Frank Lopez said the hires reflect the firm’s "strategic priority of building a premier tax practice in London - and globally - providing intellectual capital and execution support to meet record demand."

The firm said London revenue is projected to rise more than 20% this year, continuing a two-year growth run that has seen turnover increase by around 70%.

Doak said Paul Hastings' transactional practices "are experiencing exceptional momentum," while Richardson added: "The opportunity to contribute to the firm’s continued growth and to strengthen its tax platform in the UK and beyond is tremendously exciting."

Paul Hastings’ London office includes around 50 partners and just over 90 other lawyers, according to the firm’s website.