Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson has hired its first pensions and employment partner in London after a raid on rival US law firm Sidley Austin.

Sheena McCaffrey joins Fried Frank today (24 September) from Sidley, where she was a counsel. She will head the City employment and pensions team at her new firm, working with several associates already at Fried Frank.

Her experience includes advising on the pensions and employment aspects of international corporate and M&A deals, including acting for employers and trustees on pension scheme compliance and pension transfers.

Fried Frank managing partner Justin Spendlove commented: "Employment and pensions issues are so often integral to corporate transactions and our clients are increasingly being faced with complex employment and pensions laws and practices."

McCaffrey's moves means the New York firm now has 15 partners in London. She becomes the first new partner to move to Fried Frank's City office since the summer's 2006 recruitment of Ashurst partner Edward Kim.

Kim subsequently relocated to Fried Frank's Hong Kong office at the beginning of 2007.