Sidley Austin hired James Wood as a partner in its London office. He will be a member of Sidley’s M&A practice.

Wood has UK public and cross-border private M&A experience across a variety of industry sectors. Previously, he held a four-year posting, more than half as managing partner, in Freshfields’ Tokyo office.

“We are delighted to welcome James to our London corporate group,” said Matthew Dening, managing partner of Sidley’s London office. “His extensive experience with public and private M&A transactions, along with his engaging nature, make him a natural fit for us and our clients and a partner whom our global corporate clients and our global corporate lawyers will be very keen to work with.”

Sidley Austin is a legal adviser for clients across a spectrum of industries, employing 1,900 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe.