McKee Nelson has struck again. The raptor-like tax and capital-markets boutique has snared yet another marquee partner from a much larger and more established competitor.

This time, it’s Edward De Sear, chairman of the top-ranked structured-finance team at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, who has opted to take the McKee Nelson gamble. He’s leaving behind 650-lawyer Orrick to join a three-year-old firm with 90 lawyers.