Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer (pictured) has joined Gibson Dunn & Crutcher's London office as a senior counsel, the West coast US law firm announced today (8 July).

The unusual hire, which saw Falconer join the firm yesterday, ends month of speculation over Falconer's future after he stepped down from Government last year.

The move comes less than a year after former Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, moved to the City arm of Debevoise & Plimpton to head its European litigation practice.

Gibson Dunn said Falconer will become a 'hands-on member' of the firm's UK dispute resolution team which was established in 2005 with the hire of Philip Rocher from Clifford Chance. It is understood that he will not re-qualify as a solicitor.

Falconer said: "I am very much looking forward to returning to private law practice, and Gibson Dunn is the right place for me to begin this next phase of my career. Gibson Dunn has a first-class litigation practice, a solid international platform in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and a keen ambition to build an even more international presence without diluting its focus on maintaining the highest standards of quality legal service."

Falconer joined Fountain Court Chambers in 1974 and took silk in 1991. He joined Tony Blair's government as Solicitor-General for England and Wales in 1997 and held various roles before becoming Lord Chancellor in 2003.

In 2007 he became the first Secretary of State for Justice, bringing together courts, prisons and justice policy for the first time after formulating a new relationship between the judiciary and the executive, which was embodied in the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.

Gibson Dunn is one of the more profitable US law firms and announced average profits per equity partner of $1.9m (£962,000) for 2007.

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