Sidley Austin and Proskauer make secondaries partner hires

Law firms Sidley Austin and Proskauer have marked the return to work with a senior hire each.

Mateja Maher joins Sidley Austin as a partner in the London investment funds practice, according to a statement. Prior to that he was general counsel at placement agent and advisor Campbell Lutyens, having moved there from Kirkland & Ellis where he was a partner.

“Mateja’s vast knowledge of private funds and secondary transactions, coupled with his blend of private practice and in-house experience, will be a beneficial resource for advising clients on their most complex matters,” said William Kerr, global leader of Sidley’s investment funds practice.

Proskauer has hired Warren Allen as a partner in its London private funds practice, according to a statement. His specialties include the sale and purchase of portfolios, restructurings and advising European buyout houses on fundraising and operations.

Allen joins from Stephenson Harwood, where he spent just under three years as a partner, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to that he spent 14 years at SJ Berwin, finishing as a partner.

Proskauer also hired special funds counsel Brendan Gallen from Fried Frank, as well as Katerina Heal, a tax counsel focused on private investment funds, from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the statement notes. Both started in August, according to their LinkedIn pages.

Proskauer closed 79 secondaries deals worth $14.2 billion last year, according to Secondaries Investor‘s annual survey of law firms. Sidley Austin did not feature in the survey.