Allen & Overy Tokyo chief and former global managing partner contender exits firm
Simon Black has left to join a UK battery storage startup after 25 years at the firm
November 10, 2017 at 07:34 AM
2 minute read
Allen & Overy (A&O) Tokyo managing partner and former managing partner contender Simon Black has left after 25 years at the firm.
Black has joined the management of BESS, a startup that operates storage facilities for large-scale batteries in the UK, according to a post by Black on his LinkedIn page.
In the post, he added that he is one of the founding shareholders of the business, and that he plans to divide his time between BESS and a legal and technology consulting business.
He stepped down as A&O Tokyo head at the end of June and retired from the partnership last month.
Energy and infrastructure projects partner Matthias Voss, who currently splits his time between Seoul and Tokyo, has replaced him as Tokyo head.
Black emerged in late 2015 as one of the four candidates in the running for the global managing partner role at A&O. He lost out to former global corporate co-head Andrew Ballheimer, who took over in May 2016, replacing Wim Dejonghe who became senior partner. Black was also up against banking co-head Andrew Trahair and London banking partner Michael Castle.
A finance lawyer, Black has advised lenders and investors on energy and infrastructure projects across Asia. Earlier this year, he advised Japanese energy investor Jera on a $200m (£152m) investment in India's ReNew Power Ventures.
Black took over as Tokyo managing partner at A&O in 2013, following predecessor Aled Davies' departure to Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.
Having joined the firm in London in 1992, Black spent most of his career at the firm's Asian offices, both in China and Japan. Before moving back to Tokyo in 2010, he was managing partner of the firm's Beijing and Shanghai offices.
His exit leaves A&O with 21 lawyers in Tokyo, including four partners.
A&O said: "Simon Black has retired from Allen & Overy. We would like to thank him for the contribution he has made during his time at the firm and wish him all the best for the future."
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Dechert partners Andrew J. Levander, Angela M. Liu and Neil A. Steiner have stepped in to defend Arbor Realty Trust and certain executives in a pending securities class action. The complaint, filed July 31 in New York Eastern District Court by Levi & Korsinsky, contends that the defendants concealed a 'toxic' mobile home portfolio, vastly overstated collateral in regards to the company's loans and failed to disclose an investigation of the company by the FBI. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen, is 1:24-cv-05347, Martin v. Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Arthur G. Jakoby, Ryan Feeney and Maxim M.L. Nowak from Herrick Feinstein have stepped in to defend Charles Dilluvio and Seacor Capital in a pending securities lawsuit. The complaint, filed Sept. 30 in New York Southern District Court by the Securities and Exchange Commission, accuses the defendants of using consulting agreements, attorney opinion letters and other mechanisms to skirt regulations limiting stock sales by affiliate companies and allowing the defendants to unlawfully profit from sales of Enzolytics stock. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr., is 1:24-cv-07362, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Zhabilov et al.
Who Got The Work
Clark Hill members Vincent Roskovensky and Kevin B. Watson have entered appearances for Architectural Steel and Associated Products in a pending environmental lawsuit. The complaint, filed Aug. 27 in Pennsylvania Eastern District Court by Brodsky & Smith on behalf of Hung Trinh, accuses the defendant of discharging polluted stormwater from its steel facility without a permit in violation of the Clean Water Act. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Gerald J. Pappert, is 2:24-cv-04490, Trinh v. Architectural Steel And Associated Products, Inc.
Who Got The Work
Michael R. Yellin of Cole Schotz has entered an appearance for S2 d/b/a the Shoe Surgeon, Dominic Chambrone a/k/a Dominic Ciambrone and other defendants in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The case, filed July 15 in New York Southern District Court by DLA Piper on behalf of Nike, seeks to enjoin Ciambrone and the other defendants in their attempts to build an 'entire multifaceted' retail empire through their unauthorized use of Nike’s trademark rights. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, is 1:24-cv-05307, Nike Inc. v. S2, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Sullivan & Cromwell partner Adam S. Paris has entered an appearance for Orthofix Medical in a pending securities class action arising from a proposed acquisition of SeaSpine by Orthofix. The suit, filed Sept. 6 in California Southern District Court, by Girard Sharp and the Hall Firm, contends that the offering materials and related oral communications contained untrue statements of material fact. According to the complaint, the defendants made a series of misrepresentations about Orthofix’s disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting and ethical compliance. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez, is 3:24-cv-01593, O'Hara v. Orthofix Medical Inc. et al.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
