Allen & Overy bolsters litigation practice with finance litigation hire Michael Godden

The addition comes as the firm continues to invest in its finance litigation practice, reinforcing its position as a global market leader that clients call upon to resolve their most complex and business critical finance disputes.

Joining from Norton Rose Fulbright where he was the Head of EMEA Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Michael brings a wealth of experience handling complex cross-border litigation in the financial services sector. His expertise covers derivatives, debt capital markets, commodities and trade finance, Islamic finance disputes, syndicated lending and internal investigations involving these products, among other areas.

Michael trained at A&O and spent the first six years of his career post-qualification at the firm before moving to Norton Rose Fulbright. Michael will join A&O in spring 2022.

London head of litigation, Arnondo Chakrabarti said: “London continues to be a leading centre for finance litigation, and A&O has one of the most highly regarded finance litigation practices in the market advising on both domestic and cross-border matters. Michael’s hire demonstrates our continued commitment to protecting the business of our most strategic finance clients.”

Global head of Litigation, Karen Seward adds: “We’re delighted to welcome Michael back to A&O. He is a great litigator, with a proven track record in building a market leading practice. His entrepreneurial, creative and collaborative approach fits perfectly with the London team and our practice globally.

“This appointment follows the strategic investment we’ve made in the practice globally with key hires in the U.S., Europe and China. With the additional finance litigation expertise Michael brings to the team, we are primed to continue supporting our finance clients on their highest profile and most strategically important disputes.”

Michael Godden commented: “I’m pleased to be back at A&O and look forward to playing a vital role in building upon the excellent reputation of its finance litigation practice and advising premier financial institutions on their most challenging disputes.”

A&O’s global litigation practice is considered a market leader, with more than 560 lawyers across the U.S., EMEA and Asia Pacific, including 112 partners. Another recent appointment to the Litigation & Investigations group was the hire of Susanna Charlwood in London. In addition, A&O’s wider Litigation practice has hired more than 10 laterals over the past year in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific and the UK, as well as, promoting six internal partners.