Goodwin Procter has hired four transactional partners from Dechert, bolstering its life sciences group with a seasoned cross-border team in New York and London, Goodwin announced on Monday.

Goodwin said partners Kristopher Brown and Jonathan Schur will join the firm in New York, while partners Graham Defries and Andrew Harrow are heading to the firm's London office. All four are heading to Goodwin once their leave period ends at Dechert.

Welcoming the trans-Atlantic team, Goodwin life sciences practice chairman Mitchell Bloom said in a statement that the four incoming partners would bring with them a base of clients and a host of experience advising biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies at different stages of the corporate life cycle.

“Graham, Kristopher, Jonathan and Andrew make up a truly unique, cross-border team that represents the life sciences industry's key players—from emerging and later stage biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies across their full life cycles, to boards and venture firms across all of their dealmaking needs—on both continents,” Bloom said. “The type of deals they focus on, their networks, a loyal client following, and industry expertise make this team a perfect fit for our growing life sciences platform and significantly expand our cross-border capabilities.”

Among the New York partners, Brown focuses on private equity, venture capital, and capital markets financing transactions. Meanwhile, Schur—who formerly served as co-managing partner of Dechert's Paris office—advises medical device and drug companies on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, licensing agreements, joint ventures and other matters, according to Goodwin.

In London, Goodwin is adding Defries, who focuses his practice on representing boards and venture capital firms in connection with private equity deals, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance issues. Joining Defries is Harrow, whose specialties include U.K.-based and cross-border transactions in the form of joint ventures, mergers, privatization and initial public offerings, said Goodwin.

Defries in London and Brown in New York both expressed excitement at an opportunity to help expand Goodwin's life sciences transactions work in Europe while also drawing on the firm's expertise in the United States. David Evans, who chairs Goodwin's European offices, said the life sciences additions come as part of a “regional build-out in London,” and follow on the heels of several years of expansion efforts across the Atlantic.

“With this outstanding team of life sciences partners, we've found the perfect opportunity to extend the reach of Goodwin's premier life sciences practice, another key vertical for us, into Europe,” Evans said.

Goodwin's announcement of the life sciences additions came the same day that White & Case announced that it had hired a former Goodwin banking partner in New York. White & Case said in a statement Monday that Nicholas Palumbo, a specialist in debt financing transactions who had worked at the firm before a stint in Goodwin's business law department, has come back to White & Case.

“Direct lenders now play a critical role in the leveraged finance market,” Eric Leicht, head of White & Case's global banking practice, said in a statement. “Nick has a well-established practice acting for alternative capital providers; he will give us additional bench strength to support existing clients in the space and help us build market share.”