Winston & Strawn has continued to ramp up its expanding European network with the hire of an M&A partner in Paris from the local law arm of accountancy giant Ernst & Young.

Vincent Trevisani, previously a partner at the legacy Paris arm of Andersen Legal which merged last year with HSD Ernst & Young (HSD E&Y), joins the US firm as its 10th Paris-based partner.

Trevisani, who started with the Chicago-based firm on 1 July along with one HSD E&Y associate, primarily focuses on M&A, specifically in the public utilities sector.

The move is the latest in a series of senior departures this year from French accountancy-tied
law firms.

"I wanted to develop my practice and found that I could find a conflict of interest on prospective clients that were audit clients," Trevisani told Legal Week.

Trevisani is the second partner to join Winstons from an accountancy-tied firm following April's hire of Deloitte & Touche litigation expert Gilles Bigot, who joined the US firm to co-head its local litigation practice.

Last month the firm also launched its long-awaited London arm after hiring two corporate partners from the City practice of Morgan Lewis & Bockius.

In a separate move, Winstons has converted to a limited liability partnership following a decision by the State of Illinois to finally dump its local ban on the structure after lobbying from the profession.