Recently, Haynes and Boone announced that it is finalizing a merger with London-based law firm Curtis Davis Garrard LLP (“CDG”). While Haynes and Boone’s Finance Practice has in the past undertaken many English-law based transactions with the capable assistance of trusted correspondents in the London legal market, this merger will provide the firm with in-house English law capability to permit the firm to manage such transactions more seamlessly.
Haynes and Boone Managing Partner Tim Powers recently said, “We are taking this trans-Atlantic voyage because our clients’ transactions and disputes routinely cross national borders, particularly in the energy...and financial services fields. “Powers referred to CDG as “a firm of the first order,” with 20 lawyers focusing on providing advice to the shipbuilding and offshore oil and gas industries, both in the context of transactional representation and dispute resolution. Powers added, “London is a particularly important market for the firm because English law represents the dominant choice of governing laws for cross-border transactions.”
Finance Section Chair Craig Unterberg is extremely excited about the increased capabilities that have been brought to the firm via the CDG merger and the prospects for the future. “We work on a significant amount of cross-border and international transactions,” said Unterberg, “this allows us to create immediate synergies among attorneys in various offices to more efficiently handle these complex transactions.” Unterberg further commented, “We believe this merger gives us a significant presence in the London market, and we plan to bring in additional Finance attorneys to broaden that presence.”
Gil Porter, Co-Chair of Haynes and Boone’s Projects Practice Group resident in the New York Office is similarly enthused about the opportunities the London merger will provide for the firm’s Finance, and particularly Project Finance, practices. “We have been looking for the right opportunity to enter the London market for some time, with a view toward expanding our English law capabilities in the Finance realm,” said Porter. “We think this is the perfect fit, both in terms of practice compatibility, attorney skill sets and firm culture.”
Over the next six to 12 months, Haynes and Boone will be working hard to integrate the attorneys from CDG into the larger firm. The firm hopes that clients will take the opportunity to meet these stellar new members of the firm and learn about the expanded capabilities they represent. As Tim Powers stated, “We found the perfect fit in CDG, a firm that will help us, in an increasingly globalized economy, provide our clients with the level of experience and service with which they are accustomed.”