Goodwin Procter has hired King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) head of investment funds.
Michael Halford joins the team and is expected to take several partners with him.
Recognised as an IFLR1000 Leading Lawyer, Halford focuses on private equity, real estate and infrastructure funds.
He has acted for the likes of PAI Partners, Triton, 3i, Macquarie, First State, Pantheon, Deutsche, Capital Dynamics, Invesco, BNP Paribas, Electra and Patron.
It was later announced that fellow partners Shawn D’Aguiar, Patrick Deasey, Ed Hall and Ajay Pathak would also join Halford at Goodwin.
The move comes at a troubled time for KWM as its plans to recapitalise the European business fell through earlier this week.