JPMorgan Chase has boosted its profile in lending to the legal industry with the hire of the former head of Citi's law firm group.

Lester Pataki, who led the legal industry speciality group in Citi's private bank arm, is joining JPMorgan as the national banking practice leader and chairman of its law firm group, the bank announced on Monday (9 June).

JPMorgan private wealth management CEO Joseph Kenney said: "The continued growth of our banking and credit capabilities are vital to our momentum in penetrating the high-net-worth market across the US. Lester's sharp business and strategic acumen will be a huge asset for us."

Pataki became head of Citi's law firm group in 2004 after Dan DiPietro took on a client service role. Before that, Pataki was head of strategy for Citi's private banking arm.

Pataki left Citi in March, but has not been replaced. Instead, DiPietro, who acts as the client head of the group, is now in charge, along with two regional directors.

While no league tables exist of law firm lenders, the generally acknowledged pecking order ranks the single largest lender to law firms as Citi. It claims relationships with more than 650 law firms and 38,000 lawyers in the US and the UK. Other banks, such as Wachovia and SunTrust, have poached talent from Citi over the years in order to build up their own arms tailored toward the legal industry.

JPMorgan had in the past banked with law firms but not through a concerted effort such as Citi and Wachovia until relatively recently. The bank says it formally inaugurated its law firm group in 2006 and "has experienced significant growth" since then. The group, headed by Sharon Weinberg, now works with more than 60% of the top 100 US law firms.

Bankers at competitors say they have been kept busy lately thanks to capital calls, which have forced some partners to take out loans. However, banks have in the past year been dealt blows by the meltdown of some of the US's top law firms. The four Am Law 200 firms to fall – Heller Ehrman, Thelen, Thacher Proffitt & Wood and WolfBlock – all collapsed in part because of issues with their long-term debt or credit lines.

This article first appeared on The Am Law Daily blog on americanlawyer.com.