Osborne Clarke strengthens its corporate offering with two Partner hires

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has hired Edward Persse and Paul Smith as Partners in its corporate practice.

Edward joins the firm from Irwin Mitchell LLP, where he was a partner for 10 years and developed and headed up its international strategy group and in-house programme as well as managing its corporate department in the London office. He has a wealth of experience in domestic and international private capital, M&A and joint venture transactions. Qualifying at Rowe & Maw in 1998, Edward joined Baker & McKenzie before moving to Irwin Mitchell as a partner in 2006.

Paul, who also joins the firm from Irwin Mitchell LLP, was made a partner in 2016. He focuses on domestic and cross border M&A, investment, joint venture and corporate advisory transactions. Paul acts regularly for a range of clients from SMEs and start-ups to venture capitalists, investment companies and funds as well as large corporates, particularly in the real estate and technology sectors.

Greg Leyshon, Partner and Head of Osborne Clarke’s corporate practice said:

“In Ed and Paul, we have two very strong additions to the business. As highly regarded practitioners, their broad sector focus and technical and commercial know-how make them a great fit for our clients, our business and our people.

We look forward to having them at the firm, and to the contributions they will bring.”