McGrigors has bulked up its ranks across the UK with 15 new recruits, including a contentious construction team from Hammonds.

The 10-strong team joins McGrigors as part a total of 12 recent hires for the firm's Manchester office.

The Hammonds team includes partners David Moss, Paul Giles and Richard Anderson. Moss, Hammonds' former international head of construction, handed in his notice at the end of March this year, on one of only two days each year on which equity partners are able to resign from the firm.

The partner trio are followed to McGrigors by a team of seven Hammonds associates.

McGrigors' Manchester base has also been bolstered by the arrival of two hires from Dickinson Dees. Andy Brown and Steve Porter join McGrigors' tax disputes and investigations practice in the city as director and solicitor respectively. Brown was formerly a partner at Dickinson Dees.

Meanwhile, in London, former SJ Berwin partner Karl Woolley has joined the firm as a partner in the finance practice. Woolley specialises in acquisition and funds finance, acting for banks and borrowers, and he will aim to strengthen the firm's relationships with key clients and banks in the City.

Elsewhere, in Aberdeen the firm has taken on two new recruits – energy partner David McEwing from Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace, and real estate senior associate David Rose, who joins from Dundee firm Thorntons, where he was a partner.

McGrigors managing partner Richard Masters (pictured) said: "These hires represent investment into our three core sectors of energy, infrastructure and professional and financial services, which are a firmwide focus for us."

He added: "We're particularly pleased to add such depth to our Manchester practice, which has grown rapidly since we opened in 2008 – the team brings expertise that will be of immediate value to our clients and will help us to grow our business in the northwest."