The law firm Jones Day said on Thursday that Wesley R. Johnson, a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, would lead the firm’s New York office.
He succeeds Willis Goldsmith, who has been partner-in-charge of the New York office since 2008. Mr. Goldsmith will continue his practice and be based in New York.
Mr. Johnson, 58, has been with Jones Day since joining the firm’s Paris office in 1986. He has advised a number of large French companies on cross-border deals, including Alcatel-Lucent, Société Générale, Credit Agricole and Sanofi. He has also advised U.S. and Chinese clients.
Steve Brogan, the managing partner of the law firm, said in a statement that Mr. Johnson’s “experience dvising clients on acquisitions in Europe as well as advising European clients on acquisitions elsewhere will make him a unique resource for clients seeking representation in the important New York market.â€
The New York office is Jones Day’s largest, with nearly 300 lawyers. Jones Day is among the leading legal advisers on mergers. For the last 12 months, it ranks No. 21 among law firms worldwide, advising on 401 transactions worth more than $106 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data.
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Johnson earned an M.A. and B.A. from Cambridge University and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.
