Linklaters has hired two of FIFA’s go‑to litigators, Chris Boehning and Daniel Levi, from Paul Weiss in New York, a major coup for the UK “magic circle” firm’s US expansion. Boehning will also chair Linklaters’ global sports practice.

The pair recently secured a court ruling that lets FIFA bar political symbols such as Iran’s pre‑revolution flag from World Cup matches, and they have advised clients including Regeneron, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and Citigroup. Senior partner Aedamar Comiskey said the hires are driven by Linklaters’ disputes strategy and the priority to build greater scale in New York.

The moves follow a wave of high‑profile departures from Paul Weiss after the firm agreed to a $40mn pro‑bono deal with the Trump administration and saw former leader Brad Karp step down. Top US partners now earn more than $20mn a year, while Linklaters is paying some partners over $10mn to compete.

Linklaters’ sports roster already includes the NFL Players Association, the Premier League, Real Madrid and Tennis Australia.