Two senior Clifford Chance (CC) partners are set to quit the firm's London office, with former Asia capital markets chief Stephen Roith and veteran real estate partner Iain Morpeth both leaving the firm.

Roith, who stood unsuccessfully in the firm's London managing partner elections last year, is joining the London office of US firm Sidley Austin as co-head of capital markets, while Morpeth is joining Oppenheimer Investments as the corporate finance advisory firm's first global chief operating officer.

Roith spent eight years as managing partner of CC's Asia capital markets practice, returning to London in 2007. He will now co-head Sidley's London capital markets practice alongside Mark Wiltshire, with the hire taking the number of capital markets partners in Sidley's City office to five.

He made partner at CC in 1989 after having previously worked at White & Case in New York, and is qualified to practise in the UK, US and Hong Kong.

Sidley London managing partner Drew Scott said: "We are very excited about Stephen joining us as he is a very experienced lawyer with a great reputation in the market. We also expect to benefit from his substantial experience in Asia capital markets as there are huge synergies between our London and Asia practices."

Meanwhile, Morpeth, a private equity real estate specialist, has spent 23 years at CC. It is expected that his move to Oppenheimer will strengthen the firm's relationship with company, a client of the firm whose offices are based in CC's 10 Upper Bank Street building.

Morpeth said: "I am excited to be taking up this appointment with Oppenheimer, but sad to be leaving CC, of course. CC is a fantastic firm and I have been very lucky to have been able to develop such a broad and exciting practice during my time as a partner. Oppenheimer is a client of the firm, so I look forward to continuing to work with my many friends and colleagues in the firm."

CC senior partner Stuart Popham commented: "Iain leaves with our best wishes for the future and with our thanks for all that he has contributed to the firm over the 23 years that he has been a partner."

Switzerland-headquartered Oppenheimer specialises in advising governments, corporations and industry on access to the international capital markets.