Hammonds has bolstered its City banking team with the hire of former Simmons & Simmons London banking head Mark Norris.

Norris joined the national law firm as London banking head earlier this week (4 October) and will work closely alongside London banking partners David Sachs, Samrad Nazer and Iain Shurwood.

Norris left Simmons in 2009 after nine years as a partner, including two years heading the London banking group between 2005 and 2007. At Simmons he was involved in the launch of the law firm's German and Moscow offices, heading the former between 2001 and 2003.

Since leaving Simmons, Norris has completed a post-graduate degree in banking law and financial regulation at the London School of Economics.

He said: "The idea is to build out the London banking capability, which is why it was so attractive from my perspective to join the firm. It has a good client base and a great team, giving me the opportunity to combine a good client practice with building up a strong group."

The Hammonds banking team has existing panel relationships with many leading financial institutions, including Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, RBS Santander, HSBC, Yorkshire Bank, Clydesdale Bank and Investec.

Hammonds corporate strategy and finance head William Downs commented: "Mark's appointment shows that we are serious about growing the banking team in London. His technical skills and client relationships are exceptional and he will help us realise our ambitious plans for the practice."