Hammonds has expanded its hotels and leisure sector with the hire of former Halliwells leisure group head Chris Eddlestone.

Eddlestone joined the firm's Manchester arm as a consultant last month to take on a newly-created role heading up the firm's national hotel and leisure services team. He had been at the now-defunct Halliwells since 1999, prior to which he spent 16 years at Northwest practice Birchall Blackburn.

Eddlestone has been a director and shareholder of Hutchinson Leisure Group, Apollo Leisure and Brook Hotels and his clients include Rocco Forte Hotels and MacDonald Hotels.

Hammonds already advises a range of clients in the leisure sector including Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, Live Nation, Enterprise Inns and Marriott.

Hammonds Manchester office head Jane Haxby said: "I am delighted to welcome Chris to the firm and look forward to helping him to build a strong team that will draw together all the expertise from across the firm in the hotel and leisure sector."

The news comes after Hammonds hired former Halliwells property partner Mark Gaffney earlier this summer. Gaffney, who joined the top 25 UK law firm's Manchester office, was formerly a partner in Halliwells' Liverpool office, prior to which he led Mace & Jones' property practice in the city.

Hammonds is currently in merger talks with US practice Squire Sanders & Dempsey, with the firms aiming to tie-up a deal in the coming months and launch the combined firm from 1 January 2011.

Halliwells filed for administration on 20 July, becoming the largest law firm collapse ever in the UK.