A London disputes boutique led by former Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) lawyers has once again turned to HSF as it adds a fifth partner to its ranks.

Dan Hudson has joined Seladore Legal to establish a white-collar and regulatory disputes practice for the boutique, which specialises in cross-border disputes and is noted for its CIS-related work.

He is the firm’s fifth partner, all of whom enjoyed lengthy stints at HSF before signing up to the boutique. 

A partner at HSF for more than 11 years, he advises on fraud and regulatory investigations, as well as matters relating to money laundering, bribery and sanctions.

He was part of the HSF team which in 2015 advised ICBC Standard Bank in relation to the UK’s first Deferred Prosecution Agreement.

His arrival at Seladore promises to further raise its profile in the competitive London disputes market. Seladore is ranked by The Legal 500 directory for its civil fraud and asset tracing work and its banking litigation practice.

The firm’s most celebrated practitioner is senior partner Simon Bushell, who founded the boutique in February 2020.

Bushell spent 16 years as a partner at HSF and set up its Russia and CIS disputes practice before stints as chair of Latham & Watkins’ London litigation department and as a partner at specialists disputes firm Signature Litigation.

He said: “Dan is a top legal mind and a trusted advisor in the corporate crime and contentious regulatory market. Understanding financial crime for a firm like ours goes well beyond corporate compliance. Allegations of criminal conduct are a regular feature in large scale civil disputes and navigating the overlap is increasingly necessary.”

Seladore’s other partners include former HSF partners Gareth Keillor and Gary Milner-Moore, who joined in Feb 2020 and December 2021 respectively. First to climb on board, however, was Kevin Kilgour, a former HSF senior associate who joined as a partner in December 2020.

Among the firm’s clients is jailed Russian billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov, who is battling to retain his $15bn business empire and last month claimed a significant legal victory following a ruling by the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). 

Meanwhile, in Paris, disputes only firm Signature Litigation has hired litigation lawyer Jérémie Fierville as a partner along with two associates.