White & Case has ramped up its intellectual property capabilities in London with a triple hire from A&O Shearman.
The US firm has recruited David Stone, who formerly served as global head of IP at legacy A&O, as well as head of trade mark design and prosecution Karla Hughes, and senior associate Adrian Dykes, who is joining as a partner.
The moves are the latest in a steady stream of exits from the magic circle firm since last year’s transatlantic merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling, with the combined firm having seen more than 100 partner exits since the merger of the two firms was announced in 2023..
The departures come on the same day as the announcement that fellow IP litigation partner David Por, who is based in A&O Shearman’s Paris office, is leaving for Clifford Chance.
Stone (pictured) is a Legal 500 Hall of Famer for intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design, and spent over eight years at A&O after joining from Simmons & Simmons in 2016. He led the firm’s global IP practice from 2018 up until the completion of last year’s merger.
He brings broad expertise advising clients on disputes before the High Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and sits part-time as deputy high court judge in the Chancery Division. Hughes (pictured), meanwhile, has experience advising clients on matters before the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the UK Intellectual Property Office, and the CJEU.
‘This is a great team that can hit the ground running advising clients on the full spectrum of their contentious intellectual property matters’, said White & Case London office executive partner Inigo Esteve in a statement. ‘David is a market leading intellectual property partner with in-house as well as extensive litigation experience. His addition, together with Karla and Adrian, will be a major asset to the firm.’
The hires are the latest for White & Case in the IP space, following the additions of partners Michael Evans in London and Sapna Palla and Bethany Hills in New York. Evans joined from CC, where he was a counsel, while Palla was also a partner at A&O Shearman. Hills joined from DLA Piper, where she focused on FDA and healthcare regulatory matters.
Last October A&O Shearman announced plans to cut 10% of its partnership by the end of the financial year. Legal Business analysis published last month revealed that more than 100 partners had left the partnership since the merger between A&O and Shearman & Sterling was announced in May 2023.
This total also includes IP litigator Bijal Vakil, who left for Skadden in December, after serving as global technology practice co-chair at A&O from 2021 to 2024.
Key names remaining in A&O Shearman’s London IP team include Jim Ford, who is global co-head of digital, data, IP and technology, as well as Mark Heaney, Nigel Parker and Marjan Noor.
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