Chicago giant Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw has hired the former French managing partner of the defunct Andersen Legal (AL), securing the most senior AL partner since the practice merged with HSD Ernst & Young (HSD E&Y) in September last year.

Xavier Jaspar, who spent three years in charge of AL’s French legal practice, became the fifth partner in Mayer Brown’s Paris office on 20 January. He joined the top 10 US firm with a team of four lawyers to concentrate on corporate and private equity work.