Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is to bolster its finance practice with the hire of high profile Allen & Overy (A&O) leveraged finance partner Andrew Bamber.

Bamber is set to join BLP in the autumn after seven years as a partner in A&O's leveraged finance team. He came over to the magic circle firm in 2002 from Norton Rose as part of a team of four partners to leave the firm, including current leveraged finance chief Tim Polglase.

He will join BLP's banking and capital markets practice and will focus on sponsor-led acquisition financings.

BLP said Bamber's arrival will fit well with the firm's private equity practice, which earlier this year added former Linklaters and Kirkland & Ellis partner Raymond McKeeve.

Managing partner Neville Eisenberg said: "We have had a long-stated ambition to create a leading private equity capability, on both sponsor and lender sides, and the addition of Andrew adds substantially to our momentum and capability of achieving this goal."

Bamber's hire is the latest in a stream of partner appointments by BLP in the City in recent months. Since the New Year in addition to McKeeve the firm has brought in structured finance partner Richard Hughes from Sidley Austin, real estate finance duo Jayne Black and Eleanor Hunwicks from Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish.

Earlier this week it brought in former Addleshaw Goddard partner Craig Rattray as a director in its six partner outsourcing group.