Davis Polk & Wardwell has made a rare partner addition in Tokyo, hiring mergers and acquisitions partner Kenneth Lebrun from Shearman & Sterling.

Lebrun’s practice focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity transactions. He advised Japanese insurance firm SOMPO Holdings Inc. on its $6.3 billion acquisition of New York Stock Exchange-listed insurer Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd., which was completed in March last year.