Pinsents' French ally Granrut & Associates has moved to bolster its corporate practice with the appointment of a partner from Simmons & Simmons' Paris arm.

Frederic Cohen, who joined Simmons in 1995 and became a partner in 1999, started at 13-partner Granrut on 1 September. He practises general corporate work with a particular focus on the private equity and telecoms sectors.

"I was looking for something different after nine years at Simmons and I wanted to have a new challenge," Cohen told Legal Week. "Granrut is a very good French firm with a strong background in litigation but is now looking to increase its corporate capabilities."

Cohen leaves Simmons' 15-partner Paris arm, which in June saw Stephen Walters take over as local managing partner from previous incumbent Jacques de Taisne, who returned to full-time fee earning.

The departure also follows defections from Simmons' London and New York arms earlier in September, which saw a total of four partners quit in the space of a week, including high-profile corporate partner Steven Bryan, who is joining Lovells.

Granrut is the French member of Pinsents' international strategic alliance, alongside Germany's Hoffmann Liebs Fritsch & Partner and Scandinavian practice Magnusson Wahlin Qvist Stanbrook.

Pinsents has been associated with Granrut since 2002 after half the 18-partner practice Granrut Vatier Baudelot split off, creating a 10-partner practice formally allied to the national firm.