Jones Day makes second lateral legal job hire

Frances Murphy has recently switched legal jobs from Mayer Brown London to head Jones Day's London Office Antitrust & Competition Law Practice.

Jones Day London Partner-in-Charge, Russell Carmedy commented on this move and said that “in Frances Murphy we have yet another excellent partner to advise on a broad range of antitrust issues in the UK and internationally”.

This is the second lateral hire the international law firm has made in London this year, according to Legal Week.

The firm has been without a head of antitrust for two years since Greg Olsen left in 2007 and adding Murphy to the team has been long awaited.

“I am flattered to have been approached by Jones Day and to have been offered the opportunity Jones Day has given me,” Murphy said adding: "I very much look forward to working with the team to achieve what they have in mind.”

Murphy’s departure from Mayer Brown London has created an opportunity for the firm to promote the firm’s partner, Gillian Sproul into the role, Legal Week reported.

With four years at the firm, Sproul was the likely candidate to fill Murphy’s shoes.

“Gillian has been a significant driving force behind the success of the competition and antitrust practice in London and we look forward to working with her to achieve the continued growth of the practice as part of the firm's global ambitions,” said senior partner Sean Connolly.

The Lawyer recently reported on a comment made by Sproul who said that Mayer Brown London has their eyes set on expanding with numerous client opportunities on the horizon.

“A key goal is to connect the London competition group more closely with the rest of the network."

“A lot of investigations are multinational and involve regulators in the US and Europe."

“We have strong practices in Washington DC and Brussels. The idea is to link our capabilities to provide an integrated service.”

Hopefully UK jobs in legal can benefit from the new developments in both of these firms.