Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has hired private equity lawyer Nicola Di Giovanni as a partner in Paris, as US firms continue to push their private equity benches in Europe. 

Di Giovanni joins the New York firm from Winston & Strawn, where he was a corporate partner. His practice focuses on domestic and cross-border private equity matters, including acquisitions, buyouts and joint ventures on behalf of private clients. 

Armand Grumberg, head of Skadden’s Paris office and the firm’s European M&A practice, said the hire reflected the firm’s “strategic objective” of growing its private equity practice in the French capital.  

Di Giovanni’s recent work includes advising Transition Evergreen in its acquisition of German energy company C4 back in November 2021. 

Upon arrival, Di Giovanni will be Skadden’s fifth partner based in Paris. The wider team includes 13 associates and eight counsel, as listed on the firm’s website. 

Richard Youle, co-head of Skadden’s private equity group, commented: “We have one of a small number of leading private equity practices in the UK and Germany, and Nicola’s arrival in Paris is a strategic next step in the expansion of our pan-European offerings. I know that he will be a fantastic fit for both our clients and the firm."

US rival Squire Patton Boggs added two private equity partners in Paris in May – Maxime Dequesne and Anthony Guillame, who arrived from local PE boutique Lamartine Conseil and DLA Piper respectively. The same month it also added leveraged finance partner Benjamin Marché in the city from from Shearman & Sterling. 

Elsewhere, Boston-based Goodwin Procter opened an office in Munich in April as it looked to continue its private equity-focused growth in Europe. The office is chaired by PE partner Jan Schinköth, who arrived from the local office of US rival Sidley Austin in May 2021 along with an associate. 

His hire followed Goodwin securing a highly-regarded five partner PE team in London from Sidley the previous September led by Erik Dahl, formerly Munich managing partner and co-leader of Sidley’s global private equity practice, and Christian Iwasko.