King & Spalding hires new managing partners

King & Spalding hires new managing partners

Twin appointments reaffirm dedication to post-pandemic global practice growth

In order to pursue development prospects, King & Spalding (K&S) has engaged new managing partners for its foreign offices in Frankfurt and Singapore.

Axel Schilder, a tax partner, will take over as managing partner of the Atlanta firm's sole German office in Frankfurt, while Andrew Brereton, a project finance partner, will lead the Singapore office.

Schilder succeeds Mario Leissner, who, according to K&S, resigned from his role as managing partner and an office founding partner of the Frankfurt. Leissner departed K&S due to health issues.

Prior to Sal Oppenheim's acquisition by Deutsche Bank in 2009, Leissner served as the firm's general counsel. He joined K&S in 2007 after serving as Sal Oppenheim's general counsel.

Schilder will be in charge of K&S' 14-lawyer Frankfurt team under his new position, which also includes six partners, five counsel, two associates, and one senior attorney.

Schilder has worked for the company since 2012. He is currently in charge of its German tax division. According to the firm, he concentrates his practise on real estate transactions, including fund structuring and financing arrangements.

Prior to joining K&S, Schilder started his legal career in 2003 at Allen & Overy. He then worked as an international counsel at Paul Hastings before transferring to Beiten Burkhardt in 2009. Then he was made a partner.

When asked about the appointment, Schilder said: "It's an honour to take up the managing partner mantle at such a major milestone. Our Frankfurt office celebrates its 15th anniversary in September." Schilder noted that the company plans to increase the depth of its local corporate, private equity, and family offices as part of its German offering.

Meanwhile, Brereton replaces Kelly Malone. He transferred from the Norwegian firm Wikborg Rein to the firm in Singapore in 2012. He has developed a practise centred on acquisition finance, structured lending, fund financing, trade financing, project financing, and reserve-based lending during the past 20 years.

Around 32 attorneys make up the firm's Singapore team, including two recent lateral hires: Parveet Singh Gandoak, who joined the firm's M&A group from Skadden in November, and Nils Eliasson, who joined K&S' international arbitration practise as a partner in April.

The firm's current growth plan in Singapore, which depends on extending its traditional areas of strength like energy and arbitration, is exemplified by the two recruits, according to Brereton.

"As we recover from the Covid pandemic, we continue to concentrate on the most intricate and difficult transactions and disputes in the region." Brereton remarked.

"In the first half of 2022, we closed a lot of high-profile transactions, and we anticipate making additional strategic investments to grow our team even more and secure even more of this work moving forward."

The company had a strong financial year in 2017, with revenue increasing by 20percent to $1.83 billion and profit per equity partner rising by 25percent from $3.5 million to $4.37 million. During the 2021 fiscal year, its net income likewise soared by 25percent, rising from $713 million to $896 million.

K&S also maintains offices in Europe in London, Paris, Brussels and Geneva in addition to its branch in Frankfurt. Tokyo is included in its presence in Asia, and the Middle East is home to three of its operations.