Paul Hastings Raids Covington for London Private Equity and Real Estate Team

Paul Hastings has announced the addition of Ferish Patel as a partner in London, further advancing the firm's expansion of its private equity, growth, and strategic M&A platform. Patel's practice centers on "lifecycle representation," advising companies and investors across the full spectrum of transactions—from late-stage private financings and growth capital through M&A, IPOs, and regulatory compliance matters, particularly in complex multijurisdictional settings.

Patel's appointment is part of a broader recruitment strategy that has added more than 25 premier partners to Paul Hastings' M&A platform over the past two years. His arrival builds on strong momentum in the London office, where revenue has grown 25% year-over-year and 90% cumulatively over the past three years. Patel joins from Cooley and brings nearly three decades of experience, with particular strength in financial services and payment regulation, cybersecurity and data privacy, technology transactions, life science partnering, and equity incentive structuring.

The lateral hire reflects Paul Hastings' strategic focus on expanding its private equity and M&A capabilities across traditional buyout, growth equity, strategic M&A, and public market transactions. Firm Chair Frank Lopez characterized growth equity as "an incredibly synergistic market" for expanding market share with asset manager and corporate clients from California and Boston to New York and London. Patel's credentials include Band 1 recognition from Chambers Asia-Pacific for Startups & Emerging Companies, as well as selections as a Leading Partner for Singapore Start-Up and Venture Capital by Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Notable Practitioner for Singapore M&A by IFLR1000, positioning him as a recognized leader in venture and growth equity representation across Asia-Pacific markets.