Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has recruited Clyde & Co's head of dispute resolution and co-head of international arbitration, Jonathan Wood, for its commercial disputes practice.

Wood, who joined Clydes in 1983, making partner in 1986, joined RPC as a consultant on 28 June and will work alongside eight partners in commercial disputes.

Wood's former co-head of international arbitration at Clydes, John Whittaker, will now head up the practice on his own.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough said: "We have been looking in this area for a while as we have seen our profile and, therefore, client demand grow.

"This was a wonderful opportunity to bring on board someone of real stature who focuses on it 100% and who can work across all of the groups in the firm to draw the whole arbitration piece together."

Wood added: "I was looking for a change of scene and RPC is a very go-getting, progressive firm with a good culture.

"The firm has a very strong dispute resolution practice, but did not have a specific international arbitration team, so they were looking for somebody with experience to bring it all together."

The news follows the firm's hire of Arnold & Porter intellectual property partner Clive Thorne last week.

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