Brown Rudnick has hired a senior partner from Mishcon de Reya in London to bolster its disputes bench. 

Derval Walsh has joined the US firm’s litigation and arbitration practice as a partner after 13 years at Mishcon, where he was head of finance and banking disputes. His arrival comes as Brown Rudnick continues to restock its London office following team departures and adds to commercial litigation partner Robin Pickworth joining the team earlier this month from Armstrong Teasdale. 

Neill Shrimpton and Jane Colston, co-heads of Brown Rudnick’s litigation and arbitration practice in London, said: “Derval has a stellar reputation and his experience acting in high-profile and high-stakes commercial and banking disputes, some against household name banks, complements our practice group. The addition of Derval on the heels of Robin Pickworth will help to ensure that our clients benefit from world-class disputes advice.” 

Walsh advises on disputes involving loan notes, securitisations, syndicated loans, sovereign debt and interbank money market debt and has acted on matters in English and international courts, as well as in arbitration forums. Recent work includes acting for The ECU Group in Commercial Court proceedings against various HSBC entities for unlawful foreign exchange trading practices and for Duet Group in proceedings brought by Barthélemy Holdings. 

Before joining Mishcon de Reya, Walsh worked at White & Case and legacy firm Herbert Smith, where he trained and qualified.

“I am thrilled to be joining Brown Rudnick’s bench of litigators, which is well known for being one of the best on both sides of the Atlantic,” Walsh said. “As disputes against banks for poor governance become increasingly common, Brown Rudnick’s relationships with institutional investors will ensure that the firm continues to be a go-to advisor for these types of disputes. This aligns well with my practice, and I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues across the firm.”

Walsh continues a run of senior partner hires by Brown Rudnick in London focused on its core areas of litigation, technology, life sciences, brand and reputation management and crisis management. 

In June, the firm added Charlotte Harris, who represented Rebekah Vardy in the high profile Wagatha Christie libel case, from Kingsley Napley as lead European partner in its brand and reputation management practice. The role sees her work closely with global practice co-chairs Benjamin Chew and Camille Vasquez, who was promoted to partner last year as a direct result of her part in winning a $15m jury verdict for actor Johnny Depp’s defamation claim against ex-wife Amber Heard. 

Last December the firm also hired David Knight from Fieldfisher to lead its UK and European IP team shortly after his predecessor Steven James left with three colleagues to build the UK contentious IP practice at Morrison Foerster, having added James Douglass as co-chair of its energy transition practice from K&L Gates in July.

In the interim, the firm had also lost a five-strong restructuring and insolvency team in London to Squire Patton Boggs that included partners Charlotte Møller and Monika Lorenzo-Perez.