Virgin has hired a senior lawyer from British Airways to bolster its in-house legal team as the high-profile group gears up for its upcoming adviser review this summer.

Ian Woods, currently an in-house commercial lawyer at British Airways, is set to join Virgin as group legal director in August, replacing Helena Samaha, who joined DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.

Woods, who trained at Slaughter and May, will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of Virgin's roster of legal advisers as well as providing general advice to the group's 200 companies.

He will report directly to ex-Slaughters litigator Josh Bayliss, who joined Virgin as group general counsel in February.

"I am confident that Ian will make a significant contribution to the development of the legal function within Virgin and to the success of the group," Bayliss told Legal Week.

The appointment of Woods coincides with the news that Virgin's seven-strong in-house legal team will be launching its first panel review for more than two years in the late summer.

Current advisers to the Virgin group include Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Bond Pearce, Denton Wilde Sapte, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Harbottle & Lewis, Herbert Smith and Macfarlanes.