New York firm Shearman & Sterling has hired corporate finance lawyer Maegan Morrison to bolster its M&A practice in London as it continues to hone in on building its deal making capabilities across the pond. 

Morrison has joined the firm’s M&A practice from Hogan Lovells, where she was a partner. Shearman said she advises both listed and private companies on public and private M&A and handles restructuring and acquisition financing matters on behalf of issuers and underwriters in IPOs. 

The move is a strategic one for Shearman, which has been looking for opportunities to grow its English law M&A practice as part of the ongoing expansion of its global M&A platform, according to Phil Cheveley, who joined the firm from Travers Smith last year to co-lead its M&A group for EMEA alongside Laurence Levy. 

“Maegen's extensive expertise in corporate finance transactions deepens the team’s ability to provide clients with innovative and tailored legal and commercial solutions throughout a transaction life-cycle and beyond,” Cheveley said. 

“This is a key component of our long-term strategy focused on expanding core practice areas with the greatest potential for growth,” added senior partner David Beveridge. 

Morrison spent just over 19 years at Hogan Lovells, having joined from Australian law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth in 2002, according to her Linkedin profile. 

Her hire comes off the back of a busy few months in Europe for Shearman, which re-opened in Munich with two partners from Linklaters last month, eight years after shuttering its office there as part of a wider scale-back in Germany. The move brought its Europe office count up to seven, adding to its existing locations in Frankfurt, Brussels, London, Paris, Milan and Rome. 

Shearman also boosted its capabilities in Paris with the addition of a four-partner team from DLA Piper last October to replenish its roster after its two veteran global international arbitration practice heads, Emmanuel Gaillard and Yas Banifatemi, departed the firm alongside six other partners to establish their own boutique in the French capital. 

The firm promoted five Europe-based lawyers to its partnership last year; litigation specialist Alessandro Salvador and corporate lawyers Emanuele Trucco and Andrea De Pieri in Milan as well as finance lawyer Gordon Houseman and a second litigation expert Jonathan Swil in London. 

For its part Hogan Lovells also focused on Europe for its partner promotions round last month, with 14 lawyers making the cut across the firm’s London, Birmingham, Munich, Paris, Madrid and Brussels offices from a total of 27.