Brown Rudnick Expands Banking Disputes Practice in London with Hire of Senior Partner

Brown Rudnick Expands Banking Disputes Practice in London with Hire of Senior Partner

Brown Rudnick has hired a senior partner Derval Walsh from Mishcon de Reya in London to bolster its disputes bench. 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 follows commercial litigation partner Robin Pickworth joining the team earlier this month from Armstrong Teasdale.

“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,” Neill Shrimpton and Jane Colston, co-heads of Brown Rudnick’s litigation and arbitration practice in London, said.

Walsh provides counsel on disputes related to a wide range of financial instruments, including loan notes, securitisations, syndicated loans, sovereign debt, and interbank money market debt. Their expertise extends to engagements in both English and international courts, as well as various arbitration forums.

Notable recent cases involve representing The ECU Group in Commercial Court proceedings, where they pursued legal action against several HSBC entities for unlawful foreign exchange trading practices. Additionally, Walsh acted on behalf of Duet Group in proceedings initiated by Barthélemy Holdings.

Before becoming part of the Mishcon de Reya team, Walsh gained professional experience at White & Case and the legacy firm Herbert Smith Freehills. This experience included training and qualification in the legal field.

“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 added.