A parade of transactional attorneys headed to Baker McKenzie’s Palo Alto office—starting with former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom partner Leif King in 2019—seems to have successfully turned the heads of some members of the next generation of partners in the space. 

On Tuesday, Baker McKenzie announced that former Jones Day partner Aarthi Belani joined its transactional practice in the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Belani—advising technology and life sciences companies on M&A and venture capital transactions—said she, and likely many of her peers in the 30- to 40-something age group, took note of the many industry moves in 2019 to see “where the musical chairs would settle.”