Brian Butterwick

The firm said the senior appointment demonstrates the continued growth of the firm, and builds on the recent partner lateral hires of Lyn Brennan in the banking and finance team, Ian Devlin in employment and benefits, and John Aherne in asset management and investment funds.

Mr Butterwick joins William Fry from the London office of international firm Shearman & Sterling, where he has worked for the last five years.

He has significant experience advising clients on public and private mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures, with a particular focus on cross-border transactions, and also representing both issuers and underwriters in IPOs and secondary equity offerings. Prior to Shearman & Sterling, Mr Butterwick worked at Norton Rose Fulbright for over seven years.

Commenting on the appointment, Shane O’Donnell, head of corporate and M&A at William Fry, said: “I am delighted to announce that Brian has joined our market leading corporate and M&A practice.

“This is an exciting appointment and one that will enable us to continue to grow. Our continued investment in the best people underlines our commitment to the delivery of consistently excellent results for our clients.”