THE RECORDER
By Nathalie Pierrepont
January 2, 2014
The ranks of Kaye Scholer’s corporate and finance practices in Los Angeles have been dwindling. And the latest partner to defect is Victoria Gilbert, a specialist in secured lending and private banking who joined St. Louis-based Thompson Coburn on Thursday. Gilbert’s move follows the departure of corporate partners Barry Dastin, Sheri Jeffrey and Russ Cashdan for Hogan Lovells in October.
Timothy Spangler, who served as the Kaye Scholer’s investment funds group leader, joined Sidley Austin in November, and corporate partner Thomas Stromberg, who also served as managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles and Palo Alto offices, jumped to Jenner & Block in December.
Three of the six transactional partners remaining in the Kaye Scholer’s SoCal office are retired, according to the firm’s website.
Kaye Scholer’s managing partner Michael Solow downplayed the seeming exodus, saying the firm has been recalibrating its approach in Southern California to focus on in-demand areas.
Gilbert has represented banks, finance companies, leasing companies, venture capital investors and insurance companies as well as lenders, managing and participating in financings for professional and minor league sports teams.
Legal recruiter Larry Watanabe, who helped Thompson Coburn break into California’s market in September when it merged with Century City’s Freedman Weisz, brokered the transaction.
Barry Weisz, managing partner of the Thompson Coburn’s L.A. office, said commercial banking is a “primary area of focus for the firm.” “We had not had anybody in our L.A. office with [Gilbert’s] experience or expertise,” he said. Gilbert is the office’s second lateral hire.