Magic Circle firm Linklaters Adds Latham & Watkins Infrastructure Partner in London

Magic Circle firm Linklaters Adds Latham & Watkins Infrastructure Partner in London

Linklaters, a Magic Circle firm, has recruited infrastructure partner John Guccione from Latham & Watkins, diverging from US law firms' trend of hiring from UK rivals.

Guccione, who previously worked at OMERS Infrastructure for over a decade before joining Latham last year, will be based in London.

Last year, Linklaters overhauled its lockstep pay structure based on seniority to make it more adaptable in rewarding exceptional performers. The top-performing partners under the revised system are earning more than £4 million annually, a shift that grants greater flexibility to the law firm in compensating its best talent.

“The growth of the division, with the arrival of John, further strengthens the depth of our sector expertise and the bench strength of our global offering,” Linklaters head of corporate Simon Branigan said.

Having previously worked at Linklaters before joining OMERS Infrastructure in 2010, Guccione's return will help fill the void left by Jessamy Gallagher and Stuart Rowson, who departed Linklaters for US firm Paul Hastings earlier this year. Guccione also brings experience from the Canadian law firm Torys to his new role.