High-profile Clifford Chance (CC) partner Jason Glover is set to join Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in the New Year after months of negotiations over his exit from the magic circle firm.

The news emerges four months after it was announced that Simpson Thacher had hired the CC partner to launch a funds practice in the US firm's City office.

Glover (pictured), who headed up CC's much-touted global private funds team, will join Simpson Thacher on 2 January after an extended period of gardening leave.

Glover's move has been viewed as particularly significant given the departure of CC corporate heavyweight Adam Signy to Simpson Thacher last May. Signy, who had been a partner at CC since 1987, became the US firm's first UK-qualified corporate partner in London.

Glover has acted for a raft of big-name clients including Abraaj Capital, Actis, Barclays Private Equity, Charterhouse, Duke Street Capital, EQT, Permira, Butler Capital and STAR Capital.

His departure will leave CC's London private funds with four partners – Ed Gander, Nigel Hatfield, Nick Benson and Nigel Clark, who work alongside tax partners Tony Stewart and Jonathan Kandel and a team of more than 20 specialist funds associates.

Separately, Simpson Thacher has hired senior associate Gareth Earl from buyout house Doughty Hanson to work alongside Glover. Earl formerly worked with Glover at CC prior to going in-house, and will start at Simpson Thacher in the New Year.