King & Spalding Continues European Growth With Senior Corporate Partner William Charnley

LONDON--(Marketwire - Jul 6, 2012) - King & Spalding announces that respected corporate partner William Charnley will be joining its London office as the firm continues to expand the breadth and depth of its European practice.

Charnley is one of the foremost transactional lawyers in London, with a practice that covers M&A, private equity, hedge funds, corporate finance and capital markets. He has been ranked consistently in both Chambers UK and Legal 500.

Charnley, who will become the 14^th partner in King & Spalding's London office, has held senior roles at major firms, including head of corporate finance at Simmons & Simmons and London managing partner at McDermott Will & Emery. Charnley will join from Mayer Brown, where he has been a partner since 2007. He has led transactions for clients including the Paternoster Group, Aldersgate Investments, Global Switch, Lookers, Laxey Partners and Cambria Automobiles.

"King & Spalding has a very strong corporate and M&A offering with a stellar client list," said Charnley. "I relish the opportunity to help expand the practice and increase the firm's profile in the London market."

Charnley will become the seventh European partner recruit for King & Spalding in 2012 as the firm continues to extend its regional footprint. Earlier this year, dispute resolution partners Jane Player and Sarah Walker joined the London office from Bird & Bird. The firm also doubled the size of its Paris office with a seven-lawyer real estate team from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, led by partners Benoît Marcilhacy and Pascal Schmitz, and added two partners in Frankfurt, namely Axel Schilder (tax) and Jan Schäfer (dispute resolution).

"William is a lawyer of the highest standing," commented Ray Baltz, the Practice Group Leader of King & Spalding's Corporate Department. "We are very excited to have him as part of the corporate team in London. His reputation and quality will be invaluable in helping to spearhead and further develop King & Spalding's growing international practice."

King & Spalding's London office has now added eight new partners in the past two years. In addition to Charnley, Player and Walker, the other recruits were: Garry Pegg and Hywel Jones (July 2010); Martin Hunt (April 2011); Suzanne Rab and Tom Sprange (May 2011).

"William brings not only expertise but further experience to the London office," added John Keffer, Co-Managing Partner of the London office. "We have enjoyed an exciting two years of growth and built a team of market-leading lawyers for the benefit of our clients."

About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 800 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.