Project finance partner Antony Patten has reportedly left King & Spalding for rival law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), based in Singapore. Patten’s shift to King & Spalding happened in 2020, bringing with him projects lawyer Lachlan Clancy, who at the time was employed by Shearman & Sterling. The loss of Patten and Clancy for Shearman was later replenished by hiring veteran energy partner, David Clinch, from Herbert Smith Freehills.
More details of Patten’s switch can be found in the original report.
The exit of Patten from King & Spalding tilts the balance of personnel in HSF’s favour, which now boasts of a strength of 56 lawyers in its Singapore office, as against 29 for King & Spalding.
Changes of this nature in large legal firms often signal strategic shifts and can sometimes result in noteworthy impacts on the field of project finance law. The ripple effects of such movements are yet to be seen.