Aug 13, 2026 – 2.14pmGlobal juggernaut A&O Shearman is gunning hard to bolster its ranks with defectors from rival law firms, hiring well-regarded M&A partner, Phil Breden, from Ashurst Perkins Coie.Breden is jumping ship after 15 years to co-lead A&O’s Australian corporate and M&A team alongside Michael Parshall. At Ashurst, he was global co-head of corporate and head of region for Australia – as well as a member of the firm’s global board.Sarah Thompson has co-edited Street Talk since 2009, specialising in private equity, investment banking, M&A and equity capital markets stories. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in London as a markets and M&A reporter at Bloomberg and Dow Jones.Kanika Sood is a journalist based in Sydney who writes for the Street Talk column.Angira Bharadwaj is a co-editor of Street Talk. She covers IPOs, capital raises, mergers and acquisitions and other breaking news in Australia’s capital markets. Previously, she covered financial services, state, and federal politics. Send tips to @angirab.60 on encrypted messaging platform Signal.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?