Salans has bolstered its restructuring team in the City with the hire of Halliwells corporate recovery head David Grant.

Grant joined Salans' London office last month as a partner in the reorganisation, restructuring and insolvency (RRI) group after his departure from Halliwells' London office, which left the national firm without a single equity partner in the City.

Grant, who also formerly served as Halliwells' London head between 2007 and 2009, will be joined at Salans by insolvency associates Marc Abrahams and James Helliwell.

He will focus on domestic and cross-boarder restructuring and insolvency work and will work closely alongside restructuring partner Bodo Schaar, who joined Salans from Simmons & Simmons in November.

The RRI group counts Allied Carpets, Habitat and MFI among its key clients.

Grant commented: "I am delighted to come on board and look forward to playing a part in the continuing success of Salans' RRI group. I am also keen to exploit the opportunities presented by the firm's wider banking and finance credentials and by having a global presence in multiple jurisdictions".

Salans London managing partner Howard Cohen added: "We are delighted by David's arrival. He is a natural fit for the firm and his appointment demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a strong restructuring practice."

Earlier this year Salans opened an office in Brussels with the hire of a seven-lawyer antitrust team from Mayer Brown, gifting the firm its 22nd base around the world.