Kennedys has hired Paris arbitration partner Thomas Kendra from Hogan Lovells, tasking him as one of the firm’s lead partners to expand its offering. Kendra is expected to develop Kennedys’ commercial and investment arbitration practices globally. 

The move is a strategic hire, which will see him working closely with the firm’s new leadership team, led by global managing partner Meg Catalano, who took up her post this week and will work alongside managing partner for the US Eric Hilleras and Michael Hennessy, regional managing partner for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Longtime senior partner Nick Thomas, meanwhile, will stand down in the New Year.

Kendra joined Hogan Lovells in 2009 from Allen & Overy, where he trained and qualified, making partner in 2017. He is a dual-qualified French and English lawyer and also sits as an arbitrator. 

He has specialised in international arbitration for more than 20 years, acting for multinational companies under all the major rules and institutions and for nation-states and investors in investment treaty arbitrations. 

Alongside his investment arbitration expertise, Kendra’s commercial arbitration expertise focuses on sectors including energy, telecommunications, mining and life sciences, all areas his new firm seeks to grow in, alongside insurance, in which it is a market leader.

Andrew McGahey, Kennedys’ EMEA regional managing partner, and Alexis Valençon, co-founder and managing partner of the Paris office, endorsed the move, believing Kendra will strengthen the Paris office and enhance Kennedys’ EMEA and global presence, both in terms of client following and arbitral expertise.

Ben Aram, global head of Kennedys’ corporate and commercial practice, agreed, saying Kendra’s “leadership and expertise will be crucial in expanding our international arbitration capabilities, a strategic focus of our growing practice”.

Kendra has been instructed on multi-billion-dollar European energy sector disputes, disputes relating to the alleged expropriation of mining licences in Africa and Central Asia, major telecoms disputes in Central Europe and West Africa, as well as investment arbitrations in the food production and energy sectors in Latin America. 

While he will be based in Paris, Kendra will work closely with his new Kennedys colleagues across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, mirroring key arbitration hubs he knows well. 

He joins as the UK firm continues an international expansion push. It reported 2023/4 revenues of £384m, up 17% on the previous year, fuelled by US and UK growth, although it also saw it post double-digit revenue increases in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. 

Kendra’s role will be to help ensure the arbitral practice helps sustain revenue growth as the firm executes a new strategic plan, announced in July.

“There are significant opportunities to enhance [Kennedys’] reputable international arbitration offering further, leveraging the many synergies across their global offices and key sectors,” he said.

Kendra has a proven track record of championing alternative dispute resolution, notably in Africa and Asia. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC) in Rwanda and remains actively involved as a board and executive committee member. 

Additionally, he is currently co-president of AfricArb, which aims to encourage the development of international arbitration across Africa. 

Kendra’s departure follows Hogan Lovells’ decision to close its South African office, with several members of the team moving to Bowmans. 

His former firm will now rely on a network of associated African independent law firms that Kendra did much to create and former colleagues in legacy Routledge Modise, the firm’s original South African partner.

It leaves the firm’s international arbitration team, led from New York by Oliver Armas, dependent on London-based partners Keiron O’Callaghan and Markus Burgstaller, as well as Munich’s Inken Knief, for European leadership, with veteran arbitration partner Michael Davison engaged in management as deputy CEO.

Kendra’s move to Kennedys follows the departure of Kent Philips in Singapore in November 2023 for Norton Rose Fulbright. London-based Emerson Holmes, who joined Hogan Lovells from King & Spalding in February 2023, now leads the team in Asia and the Middle East, with Hogan Lovells having invested heavily in recruitment in both those regions. 

Posting on LinkedIn, Kendra’s move was generously received by former Paris-based Hogan Lovells colleagues, who thanked him for his service. A spokesperson for the firm said: “We thank Thomas for his contributions to the firm, and we wish him well.”