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Bird & Bird adds partners from 2 BigLaw rivals
Global law firm Bird & Bird has moved to strengthen its disputes and restructuring capabilities with the hire of two partners, who have come across from Ashurst and Squire Patton Boggs.
Jerome Doraisamy
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Bill Smith and Masi Zaki (both pictured) have joined Bird & Bird in its Sydney office as the global firm celebrates its 10-year anniversary Down Under.
Smith comes across from global rival Ashurst, where he served as a partner for over five years.
He is, the firm detailed in a statement, a leading disputes practitioner advising and representing businesses engaged in complex disputes, particularly in the energy and infrastructure sectors, and brings extensive international experience, with an arbitration focus, gained through working across a range of diverse jurisdictions while practising abroad for more than half of his career.
Zaki has moved over from Squire Patton Boggs, where he was a partner for three and a half years. He is, Bird & Bird continued, a restructuring specialist advising a wide range of clients in the financial services, energy, and retail sectors on domestic or cross-border distressed, contentious, or non-distressed transactions, restructures, and disputes.
Joining him from Squire Patton Boggs at Bird & Bird is senior associate Kate Spratt, as Zaki leads the firm’s Sydney-based restructuring practice.
Zaki joined the firm at the start of the month, while Smith joined on 10 October.
Speaking about the appointments, Bird & Bird Australian head Shane Barber – who recently appeared on The Lawyers Weekly Show to discuss the 10-year anniversary of the firm’s presence Down Under and where the firm sits in the Australian market – said: “I’m very pleased to welcome two exceptional practitioners to our disputes and finance teams at a time of strategic growth in the firm’s Sydney office.
“Bill brings with him valuable international disputes expertise, which will be a cornerstone in supporting clients both in Australia and the Middle East, and Masi will be a key player in developing our restructuring practice with support from Kate.
“Together, their arrival is a key part of our strategic growth ambitions as the office celebrates its decade milestone. We continue to expand our client offering across a range of practices and sectors in Australia, driven by significant demand.”
Smith said: “I’m excited to be joining the team at Bird & Bird. The firm’s commitment to strategically growing and investing in its disputes practice, particularly in the key sectors and markets that align with my experience, makes this a very exciting time to join.
“I very much look forward to working closely with colleagues in the Middle East, as well as the impressive group of experts the firm has assembled across its international network, to help clients achieve their best outcomes when faced with the commercial uncertainty that disputes invariably attract.”
Zaki said: “Bird & Bird’s commitment to fostering a collaborative culture at the heart of its business, as well as its sector-focused approach and ambitious growth strategy, create a rich environment for developing a top-tier restructuring practice.
“I look forward to working closely with the firm’s international network of leading lawyers, continuing to support our clients with innovative solutions.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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