Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has picked up two partners from the magic circle, with the firm set to bolster its finance and litigation practices.

Clifford Chance (CC) litigation partner Nic Fletcher will join BLP's international arbitration practice while, as legalweek.com reported last week (26 June), Allen & Overy (A&O) leveraged finance partner Andrew Bamber is also set to join the firm.

Fletcher, who has been a partner with CC's litigation and dispute resolution practice for 10 years, will lead BLP's arbitration practice.

Bamber, meanwhile, joins BLP after seven years as a partner in A&O's leveraged finance team. He joined the magic circle firm in 2002 from Norton Rose as part of a team of four partners, including current leveraged finance chief Tim Polglase.

BLP managing partner Neville Eisenberg said that both hires were part of a longstanding push to grow specialist areas within the business, including high-end private equity and international arbitration work.

Bamber's hire is expected to help BLP's private equity practice and follows the appointment of former Linklaters and Kirkland & Ellis partner Raymond McKeeve earlier this year.

Eisenberg said: "Our approach has been to take advantage of those opportunities in the market which accelerate our strategic positioning for the upturn. Through these hires we are building up practice areas in line with our long-term strategic objectives.

"For a long time we have wanted dedicated arbitration team, and we could not have wished for a more perfect fit than with Nic. Andrew is a well-connected, high performing banking partner."

The hires are the latest in a string of partner appointments by BLP in the City in recent months. So far this year the firm has brought in structured finance partner Richard Hughes from Sidley Austin and real estate finance duo Jayne Black and Eleanor Hunwicks from Katten Muchin Rosenman Cornish.