LONDON – 13 October 2021 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP announced today that seven senior lawyers will join its London office, in a major expansion of its global disputes capabilities. Joining as shareholders (similar to partners) are Kathryn Garbett, Jo Rickards, Claire Broadbelt, Annabel Thomas, Martin Shobbrook, Hannah Blom-Cooper, and Matt Hancock.
Kathryn Garbett was a division head at Mishcon de Reya LLP overseeing the work of that firm’s Fraud Defence & Business Disputes Group, White Collar Crime & Investigations Group, and Tax Disputes & Investigations Group. Jo Rickards was the head of the White-Collar Crime & Investigations Group. Claire Broadbelt was head of the Fraud Defence & Business Disputes Group where she worked alongside experienced partners Annabel Thomas, Martin Shobbrook, and Hannah Blom-Cooper. Matt Hancock was a contentious regulatory specialist in the Finance & Banking Disputes Group.
Kathryn Garbett and Claire Broadbelt will co-chair the Civil Fraud & Business Disputes Practice at Greenberg Traurig in London, while Jo Rickards will chair the White Collar Defence & Investigations Practice in London.
These attorneys join the 20-strong disputes team built by Masoud Zabeti and Mohammed Khamisa QC, who themselves joined Greenberg Traurig’s London office together with Ian Bean and Katharine Bond, in 2020. The firm’s expanded London Litigation Practice will be made up of some 40 fee earners, including nine shareholders, covering a breadth of disputes to include – civil fraud and asset tracing, financial services litigation, white-collar defence and investigations, financial services regulatory investigations and enforcement, anti-trust litigation and competition, insolvency and restructuring, as well as a range of other commercial litigation and international arbitration.
“Ever since we began our London office in 2009 with a very small group, not a merger and with no desire for a verein, we have been patiently creating a transformational team here that would be vital to our overall European strategic growth for many years to come. We said we'd build a balanced platform in London, which would ultimately be in sync with the rest of our law firm and its client base, in terms of excellence, cultural fit and practice mix,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Executive Chairman of Greenberg Traurig. “Our addition of these superb lawyers will bring the number of London lawyers added during the pandemic to about 50 and our litigation practice here to almost one-third of the office. This expanded team will enhance and complement London's highly regarded practices in M&A, Funds, Real Estate, Tax, Capital Markets, Restructuring, and other core capabilities in what will soon be a London office of nearly 120 lawyers. Moreover, our London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan and Warsaw offices have collectively grown to more than 400 lawyers during the pandemic, with materially stronger percentage growth in revenues and profits than in headcount during the period, while remaining financially and culturally disciplined.”
The new shareholders’ practices are highly ranked by the leading legal industry directories. Kathryn Garbett is recognised by Legal 500 as a Leading Individual in Civil Fraud, having also been named earlier this year in The Lawyer Hot 100. Jo Rickards is in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame in the areas of White Collar Crime and Regulatory Investigations. Claire Broadbelt has also received named recommendations across several legal directories, including Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, and Who’s Who Legal. Annabel Thomas is recognised as a Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal for Asset Recovery. Martin Shobbrook, Hannah Blom-Cooper, and Matt Hancock are also recommended in the legal directories for their practice in civil fraud and contentious regulatory work.
“We are thrilled to be joined by such a super group of colleagues and exceptional lawyers. When combined with other recent strategic hires across the firm’s European offices, the timely arrival of Kathryn, Jo, Claire, Annabel, Martin, Hannah, and Matt, delivers on the firm’s strategy of continuing to grow our dynamic London office and our litigation capabilities across Europe. We look forward to working with our new colleagues to exceed client expectations both in terms of managing risks and resolving the global challenges and disputes they face,” said London Litigation Practice Chair Masoud Zabeti.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome these fine lawyers to our firm. With this group’s additions to our existing team, we believe we have assembled a preeminent group of global disputes practitioners in London and Europe to service our existing and new clients. We are very proud that these additions bring our female shareholder ranks in London to 40 percent,” said London Managing Shareholder and Corporate Global Co-Chair Fiona Adams and Greenberg Traurig Vice Chair and Litigation Global Co-Chair Lori G. Cohen.
In a joint statement Kathryn Garbett and Claire Broadbelt said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to serve our clients and to develop our practice on the Greenberg Traurig international platform. We have a depth of experience and a breadth of talent which will complement and add value to the firm’s existing business. Greenberg Traurig has a culture we admire and a London Litigation Practice that is going from strength to strength. It is a privilege to join them on that journey.”
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2300 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 25 firms on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus. Web: www.gtlaw.com