Trading one transatlantic merger for another, HSF Kramer’s Ben Plotnik has jumped ship to Ashurst Perkins Coie, joining as a partner in its Melbourne corporate team.

Plotnik brings more than 20 years’ experience advising private equity, venture capital and alternative asset sponsors, plus institutional investors, across Asia-Pacific and North America. His practice is all about private capital fund work — acting for sponsors on their fund raising and for institutional investors on their alternative asset plays.

He joins from Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, where he was special counsel and, more recently, ran point on the firm’s private capital funds practice in Australia.

Head of Corporate (APAC) John Brewster said the hire strengthens the firm’s ability to join the dots between fund structuring and M&A execution.

“Ben is a highly experienced funds lawyer with long-standing relationships with various private equity and venture capital funds in this region. He is one of the go-to lawyers for fund formation and co-investment structures in this market. As the Australian private capital market continues to grow, his arrival enables us to offer clients seamless integration between fund structuring and formation and M&A execution, while strengthening our connections with funds teams across the firm’s global network.”

Meanwhile, Plotnik said the firm’s recent global expansion sealed the deal. “My practice has always been international in outlook, and following the firm's recent transatlantic combination, its global network offers the ideal platform from which to advise clients across multiple jurisdictions,” he said.

HSF Kramer corporate talent is clearly in hot demand — A&O Shearman already lured the firm’s dealmaker Clayton James to run its private equity franchise back in February.

Ashurst Perkins Coie has felt the squeeze on the other side of the table as well, losing top M&A partner Phil Breden to A&O Shearman in August.

Source: Ashurst Perkins Coie