Alius Law has hired Fladgate’s insolvency and restructuring group co-head Ben Drew as a senior insolvency partner.

Drew’s practice focuses on disputes involving financial distress, insolvency, fraud and the broader financial services sector. He exits Fladgate after five years to join forces with Bree Taylor, Alius Law’s founder, who was also previously a partner at Fladgate. Before then, Drew was an associate director at Osborne Clarke for more than five years and a senior associate at Stephenson Harwood for 11 years.

Drew’s hire is a strategic one aimed at enhancing Alius Law’s capabilities in complex litigation and contentious insolvency matters, which Taylor established as a conflict-free disputes boutique.

Other partners include Lucy Vials, who specialises in technology and private equity disputes and joined in January from the Khan Partnership. John Ford, another Fladgate disputes alumnus, joined the firm shortly after its foundation.

Alius operates an alternative business structure (ABS) model, which allows partners to maintain financial stakes and exercise complete control over their practices, providing them with the autonomy to prioritise client outcomes without the constraints typical of larger firms.

Drew has represented a diverse clientele, including financial services firms, banks, insolvency practitioners, high-net-worth individuals and family offices. His track record features successful defences of directors against claims by private equity houses and major professional services firms, as well as advising on high-profile cases such as the collapses of MF Global and Bernard Madoff Investment Securities.

Drew expressed enthusiasm about joining Alius Law, noting that he had previously worked with its partners. He said: “What attracted me most is the firm’s clarity of purpose and that delivering successful outcomes for my clients will always be my priority, as it is for my fellow partners.”

Taylor expressed her own confidence that Drew’s addition would attract other senior litigators, adding: “We look forward to attracting ambitious and like-minded senior litigators who are leaders in their fields and eager to own and grow their practices without the constraints and distractions that are all too common at larger multi-disciplinary law firms.”

Taylor and Drew’s former firm has recently made hires of its own, building on December’s hires of Catherine Costley and Joshua Moger from Payne Hicks Beach, both experienced family lawyers.

The firm also welcomed Simon Chadowitz to the partnership in March after 18 years at Mishcon de Reya, where he worked on real estate and private capital mandates, having earlier hired Simon Goldring – the former head of the Contentious Trusts Association – from Maurice Taylor Gardner in January.

Alius Law elevated three partners in May’s promotions round: Ekaterina Vagner, Sarah Haile and Nick Wood. Haile is an accountant who runs the firm’s family office services department; Vagner specialises in ultra-high-net-worth private client work, and Wood is a high-end commercial real estate lawyer.  

And last month it strengthened its international arbitration practice by appointing Thomas Karalis as a partner from Ashurst, where he was previously counsel for 11 years.

Other law firms have also recently boosted their insolvency talent. In April, Dentons hired Sue Moore from Faegre Drinker in London to lead its UK and EMEA restructuring and insolvency team, while in November last year offshore firm Harneys expanded its London restructuring bench.  

Quinn Emanuel, Paul Hastings, and Wilkie Farr have also made senior insolvency hires in recent months.