Clifford Chance’s London office make-up has continued to evolve with the departure of a longstanding partner and the return of another.
Restructuring partner Adrian Cohen has left the firm after over 30 years to join U.S. firm Proskauer Rose, while former leveraged financing partner Matt Dunn is rejoining the firm after a stint at Irish firm Arthur Cox. Cohen joins after almost 32 years at Clifford Chance, according to his LinkedIn.
He specialises in corporate restructuring and insolvency law, and his experience spans across multiple sectors including real estate, hotels, media and entertainment, aircraft finance, energy, mining and steel production and banking, according to a Proskauer statement on his arrival.
Mary Kuusisto, co-head of Proaksuer’s London office, said of his move: “With new legislation and the impact of the pandemic, as well as other market factors, we are likely to see a surge in restructuring activity not only in the U.K. but across the world.”
Clifford Chance declined to comment on Cohen’s departure. Meanwhile, the firm has added former partner Dunn to its leveraged finance practice. Dunn, who spent 13 years at Clifford Chance previously, moved to the Dublin office of Arthur Cox in 2018 as head of its project and infrastructure finance group.
He has experience advising across a range of loan and bond financing transactions, including private placements, real estate financings and restructurings, and has represented clients such as Merrill Lynch, Macquarie and BNP Paribas, according to the firm’s statement.
Global head of financial markets Rob Lee commented: “Matt’s extensive experience in cross-border and complex financings will further strengthen our leveraged finance capabilities, and will be enormously valuable in supporting our clients in structuring, executing and managing their debt financings.”
A spokesman from Arthur Cox said: “Matt is an excellent lawyer and has contributed a huge amount to Arthur Cox. He has a long standing association with Clifford Chance and we wish him every success with his new role”
