King & Spalding—Aaron Stephens

King & Spalding has announced the expansion of its white collar crime practice with the hiring of Aaron Stephens as a partner in its special matters and government investigations team.

Aaron joins the firm from Berwin Leighton Paisner, where he was the head of the corporate crimes and investigations practice. He is dual-qualified to practise in both the US and England and Wales, and specialises in internal investigations and financial crime, including money laundering, market abuse, and bribery and corruption.

His hiring reflects a trend of growth within the white collar crime team in London, with former barrister Gareth Rees QC also having recently joined the department, and specialised investigations associate Maggie Nettesheim relocating from Washington, D.C. to London.

King & Spalding’s head of government investigations Drew Hruska said: ‘Aaron is a highly-skilled and highly-accomplished white collar expert who provides incisive and effective advice for clients facing complex investigations. Our clients are increasingly requiring sophisticated advice in relation to international investigations and Aaron further strengthens our ability to service those clients in London.’

New managing partner of the London office, Thomas Sprange QC, added: ‘The ability to offer our clients quality white collar expertise in London – which we intend to keep growing – not only reinforces our investigations practice but the office as a whole. The team has many intersections with our existing skillsets – including financial services, regulatory, corporate, disputes, international trade and tax – that adds a valuable new perspective to the wider practice.’