Olswang Paris boss Guillaume Kessler has made the switch to rival firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe ahead of Olswang's impending three-way tie up with CMS and Nabarro.
Mr Kessler has been a partner at Olswang since 2011, when he joined the UK firm’s Paris office after serving as a partner at French law firm Brandford-Griffith & Associes and earlier stints at magic circle outfits Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance. His departure from Olswang comes just months before the firm’s prolific three-way tie-up with rivals Nabarro and CMS Cameron McKenna goes lives on 1 May. Last year, it was revealed that Olswang’s Paris office had been relocated to smaller premises on a flexible lease and was considering opting out of the planned merger. According to the firm’s website, there are four other partners in Paris besides Mr Kessler.