TLT has bolstered its private equity practice with the hire of former Mayer Brown partner Alistair Bird.

Bird joined the firm's new City premises on Gresham Street earlier this month (4 October) as a partner in the corporate group. He will work alongside corporate partners Ian Taylorson and Richard Tall, who has just relocated to the City from Bristol.

Bird's hire boosts the firm's corporate finance team to nine partners. He left Mayer Brown, where his private equity-led practice focused on telecoms, financial institutions and insurance, at the end of last year having joined the US firm in 2007, prior to which he was at Simmons & Simmons for 23 years, making partner in 1986. He led Simmons' New York office for four years between 1994 and 1998.

Bird's clients have included Langham Capital, Horizon, Aon, Barclays and Ace Insurance.

TLT corporate finance head John Wood commented: "Alistair brings with him not only technical expertise, giving us real strength in depth, but also extensive contacts across the private equity market."

Elsewhere, the firm has boosted its competition practice with the hire of Miles Trower who joined the firm as a partner this week (11 October) from Osborne Clarke, where he was a senior associate.