Hogan Lovells has made a splash in the City, hiring a trio of lawyers from US rivals to boost its private capital practice. 

Private equity deals partner James Cross has joined from K&L Gates, while leveraged finance transactions specialist Nick Cusack has joined as a partner from Weil Gotshal & Manges, where he was a counsel. Meantime special situations lawyer Sam Norris moved over last month from Ropes & Gray. 

James Doyle, global head of Hogan Lovells’ corporate and finance practice group, said the hires would help the firm to service the increasingly important global private capital market across the full investment lifecycle. 

“We continue to invest in our end-to-end transactional offering and envision further growth through the recruitment and development of talented lawyers who will continue to build on the progress we have made,” he added. 

Cross has joined the firm’s private equity and funds practice after nearly six years at K&L Gates, which he joined from Reed Smith. He brings more than 20 years of experience across all forms of private equity transactions, including buy-outs, secondary transactions, restructurings, complex carve-outs and bolt-on acquisitions, acting for investors and managers. 

Cross has advised numerous PE sponsors on auction processes and bids, among them Soho Square Capital and August Equity, and has particular experience acting for management teams, including advising the management team of Leaders Romans Group on the acquisition of the business by Platinum Equity from existing investor Bowmark Capital in 2022. 

Meantime Cusack has extensive experience acting for private equity sponsors and lenders across the capital structure, with a particular focus on private credit. He has worked on a range of acquisition financing, real estate finance, corporate refinancings and restructuring transactions and has acted for clients including Ardian Private Debt and Bridgepoint Credit Partners. He also advised Liberty Global in connection with the £3.5bn acquisition and refinancing of Cable & Wireless Communications in 2016 while he was an associate at Ropes & Gray, later joining Baker McKenzie before moving to Weil in 2021. 

For his part Norris advises debt funds and financial sponsors on event-driven financing transactions and represents the private capital industry on the leveraging of their private equity investments, special situations, distressed investing and other credit opportunities. He joined Ropes & Gray in 2020 after eight years as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. 

Hogan Lovells’ UK office managing partner Penny Angell said: “As a key engine of the firm, our London office remains of considerable strategic importance. We already operate at the top of the market in London and these hires demonstrate our commitment to grow and cement our position as a global elite law firm.”

Separately, the firm has also invested in other areas of the corporate and finance practice group in London – most recently with the appointment of corporate insurance lawyer Edward Steward, who joined the firm’s Tier 1 corporate insurance team as a partner in May from Slaughter and May, where he was a counsel.

The hires come off the back of a record financial year for Hogan Lovells, which grew revenue 10.3% in FY23 to $2.68bn against a 20.3% rise in profits per equity partner to $2.74m. 

Earlier this week, White & Case bolstered its investment funds practice in London with the hire of partner Alexandra Chauvin from Ropes & Gray.