Sidley continues London hiring spree with DLA Piper insurance M&A partner

Sidley has added  insurance M&A partner Carl Hotton from DLA Piper to its private equity and M&A practice in London as the US firm continues its City buildout.

‍Hotton’s practice spans insurance M&A, reinsurance transactions and insurance regulation. He was at DLA for two and a half years and was previously an associate at Freshfields and Clyde & Co.

His addition is the latest in a closely-watched hiring spree by Sidley - the firm has added 29 laterals and promoted a further 15 to partner in the past three years as it seeks to provide a more seamless transatlantic service to clients.

In February, the firm relocated its private equity and insurance co-head Sean Carney from Chicago to London to help drive the office’s growth.

His arrival came amid a steady series of high-profile lateral hires from rivals including Latham and Weil across leveraged finance, real estate, funds and capital markets.

London insurance play

Sidley’s US business is known for advising on some of the biggest transactions in the insurance sector, and Hotton’s arrival shows it intends to enhance its insurance platform in London.

Last year a London-Chicago Sidley team including Carney advised Apollo-backed insurer Athora on its acquisition of a specialist UK pension insurer for £5.7 billion.

“Carl is a strategic addition to our growing London insurance practice and adds the necessary scale to our growing cross-border work for clients across the US and London,” said London managing partner Thomas Thesing.

“The firm’s significant investment in London across its transactional, disputes, and regulatory practices is intentional,” he added.