🔒New Haven’s tax expertise draws London law firm’s U.S. expansion

A London-based law firm has entered the North American market by hiring eight partners from rival Withers Bergman’s New Haven office, establishing its first Connecticut location in a move that underscores the city’s reputation as a center for international tax law. Charles Russell Speechlys has opened an office at 157 Church St. in downtown New Haven, while also launching a Manhattan office at 1 Rockefeller Plaza. The two locations mark the firm’s first expansion into North America. Charles Russell Speechlys specializes in cross-border legal issues for high-net-worth individuals and families, including estate and tax planning, business succession and tax disputes spanning multiple countries. The Connecticut office will be led by Shannon Smith, who spent more than two decades at Withers before joining Charles Russell Speechlys as head of tax controversy. Smith represents clients in audits, appeals and tax court proceedings, often involving families with assets in multiple countries who may be unsure what to declare or inadvertently run afoul of one tax jurisdiction or another. “I fix those things for people,” Smith said. Smith said the firm’s international footprint — with offices across the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the Gulf region — better matches the increasingly global nature of her clients’ financial affairs. “They’ve long advised internationally mobile families, entrepreneurs, private capital — people whose lives or assets span multiple jurisdictions,” she said. “And as high-net-worth people become increasingly more global in their holdings, you really end up with these multiple jurisdictions.” The firm’s expertise in the Persian Gulf area, in particular, is an addition to what Withers can offer, she said. “You see an increasing focus from Americans in investing in that area of the world,” Smith said. “One of the things that’s always very interesting to people of a certain wealth is geographic diversity of their assets and of their personal safety. So you see investments in a second passport so that they can hedge against geopolitical risk, and the same thing with their assets.”

Smith said New Haven offers two key advantages for the firm’s practice. The city is convenient for international families who live in Connecticut or send their children to private schools and universities in the Northeast. It also has a longstanding reputation as a hub for tax litigation, with federal courts and IRS offices that make it a focal point for complex tax issues. “It’s a center for tax,” Smith said. “Connecticut is second to none. I can walk to everything I need.” Smith pointed to the city’s federal and state courthouses, an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center and an IRS Criminal Investigation office, all located within walking distance of the firm’s office. “You get to really know the judges, really know the IRS people,” she said. “You develop deep relationships. I can get things done here in Connecticut that are very difficult to replicate elsewhere.”

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The North American team will operate under the overall leadership of Global Managing Partner Simon Ridpath. Ridpath said the firm’s New York office will serve as its broader North American hub, while New Haven will anchor its private-client and tax practice. “Together they give us a genuinely integrated North American presence from day one,” he told the Hartford Business Journal. The choice of New Haven also stems from the raid on Withers Bergman. “The location reflects the team, not the other way around — we recruited the best people for our U.S. private client and tax practice, and Connecticut is where they are,” Ridpath said. He added that the United States was a natural next step for the firm because many of its existing international clients have U.S. business interests, tax exposure or family members living in the country. Partners Phillip Colasanto and Reaz Jafri joined the firm’s Manhattan office, while Aaron Schumacher, Karen Yates, Wonchi Ju, Alistair Christopher and Michael Steffany joined the Connecticut office. Charles Russell Speechlys said it is recruiting additional associates and junior lawyers to support the growing practice. The departures leave Withers with eight partners in its Connecticut office, according to the firm’s website. Charles Russell Speechlys reported revenue of $324 million in 2025, up 11% from the previous year. Profit increased 3.7% to $63 million, according to the firm. With the New Haven and Manhattan openings, the firm now operates from 16 offices worldwide and has over 1,300 employees and 200 partners, it said. Ridpath said the firm occupies a niche between large international firms that primarily serve institutional clients and smaller boutiques focused on private clients. “There wasn’t a law firm with our specialism and with offices in all major private capital hubs, offering local law capabilities in all those jurisdictions until now,” he said. “We found a sweet spot.”