Ropes & Gray's New York hiring spree hits nine this year with Freshfields hire

Ropes & Gray has hired Freshfields leveraged finance co-head Allison Liff in New York, continuing an aggressive lateral push in one of its key US markets.

Liff joined Freshfields in 2022 from Weil and was promoted to co-head of the firm’s global leveraged finance group a year later. She previously worked as a managing director at Goldman Sachs.

Her recent work includes advising CVC on its acquisition of Equine Network and acting for Vitruvian Partners on its investment in the professional services arm of offshore law firm Walkers.

The move adds senior firepower to Ropes & Gray’s leveraged finance and private capital offering, an area the firm has been doubling down on across both the US and Europe.

New York hiring push

The hire is the latest in a run of senior additions in New York, which is Ropes’ second-largest office globally after Boston.

Since the start of the year, the firm has added nine partners in the city, recruiting from firms including Wachtell, Paul Weiss, Debevoise and Fried Frank.

The push reflects the firm’s continued focus on scaling its private capital platform, with leveraged finance a key component of sponsor-led dealmaking.

Global growth strategy

The New York hires sit alongside a broader expansion drive across Europe.

In London, Ropes has added Paul Dali from private equity firm and longtime client EQT and Lavinia Ralli from Clifford Chance, while in January it hired a 10-lawyer funds and tax team from Linklaters in Paris.

The firm is building out a more integrated European platform across London, Paris and Milan, aligned with its core focus on private capital clients.