Baker McKenzie has announced a significant hire, bringing Tobias “Toby” Knapp on board from O’Melveny & Myers, where he led the mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice. Knapp will be joining as the co-head of Baker McKenzie’s New York transactional group, underscoring the firm’s commitment to bolstering its M&A and PE capabilities.
Knapp has extensive experience in cross-border transactions and has previously advised high-profile clients such as TTM Technologies and fuboTV. His expertise spans corporate governance, shareholder activism, fiduciary and investment advisory relationships, and capital raising transactions.
The firm’s decision to hire Knapp follows recent strategic acquisitions, including the addition of an 11-partner team from Munger Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles and Latham & Watkins’ dealmaker Eric Schwartzman in San Francisco. These moves reflect Baker McKenzie’s ongoing efforts to expand its transactional legal services across the United States.
Knapp’s motivation for joining Baker McKenzie was the firm’s extensive international network and a strong collaborative culture among its partners. He noted the increasing importance of a global presence to better serve client needs, stating, “I was looking for a place that was very successful and having that network together with a culture of partners instinctively jumping to work together to help clients meet their business objectives.”
Alan Zoccolillo, the chair of Baker McKenzie’s North America transactional practice, expressed enthusiasm about Knapp’s addition, stating that Knapp’s strengths in M&A and private equity align well with the firm’s growth strategy.
For more details on this development, visit Bloomberg Law.