Stephen Labaton, a 23-year writer for the New York Times who moved to PA consulting in 2009, has joined RLM Finsbury as a partner in Washington and New York aimed at growing its D.C. operation.

Labaton
Labaton
Labaton, a lawyer, was a well-known business reporter for the Times before taking a buyout in 2009 and founding Georgetown Policy Advisors. Goldman Sachs was among his clients.

RLM said Labaton will work closely with its February hire, Citigroup and New York Comptroller's Office vet Eric Eve, a move focused on building its government and public affairs capabilities.

RLM has also added retired M&A attorney Charles Nathan, most recently of Latham & Watkins, where he was co-chair of the white shoe firm's corporate governance task force and co-chair of the global M&A practice. Nathan, whose recent deals included Roche's acquisition of the public's minority stake in Genentech, InBev's acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, and Live Nation's merger with Ticketmaster, is based in New York for RLM.

Walter Montgomery is CEO of RLM Finsbury, the result of the 2011 merger of WPP firms Robinson Lerer & Montgomery and Finsbury.