Pallas Partners inaugurates its new office in New York, hires former Boies Schiller Flexner partner to lead

Pallas Partners inaugurates its new office in New York, hires former Boies Schiller Flexner partner to lead.

Pallas Partners has opened a New York office within 5 months of its incorporation in London. Pallas Partners is a litigation boutique founded by former Boies Schiller Flexner deputy chair Natasha Harrison.

The firm has appointed trial lawyer Duane Loft to lead the New York office. Loft previously worked with Boies Schiller for 10 years where he was most recently a partner in its New York headquarters. He will be joined in Pallas' newest office by more laterals 'in due course, the firm said.

The New York office will focus on its core strengths including high-stakes litigation, international arbitration, and investigations in the financial services sector and aims to provide clients with a meaningful transatlantic presence.

Loft, who specializes in restructuring disputes, contested issues in bankruptcy, and international litigations, said joining the firm was a chance to reunite with Harrison and "grow in New York what has already been a huge success in London".

Regarding future growth ambitions for the office, Harrison confirmed the firm plans to continue growing with more lateral hires.

"The US is the world's most sophisticated litigation market and is the main driver of cross-border litigation in Europe, so it is an important part of our strategy to have strength in depth in both London and New York," she said.

The US firm then lost the bulk of its London office in January when 12 lawyers – including five partners – followed Harrison out the door, with all five of those partners quitting to join Pallas as members of the firm's flagship team in the City.

For its part, Pallas celebrated the arrival of its first lateral last month when Debevoise & Plimpton counsel Nelson Goh joined the office as its seventh partner. Goh, who spent two-and-a-half years at Boies Schiller's London office before joining Debevoise in 2018, said he was attracted to the challenge Pallas presented as "a different kind of law firm" and highlighted its commitment to ESG and pro bono work.