DLA Piper has grown its intellectual property and technology (IPT) practice in Germany with the hire of a four-strong team from Taylor Wessing.

Partners Jan Pohle and Benjamin Grzimek are set to join the firm's Cologne office along with associates Christian Kau and Markus Lang. Their start dates at DLA are yet to be confirmed.

Pohle specialises in IT and telecommunications, while Grzimek focuses on contentious and non-contentious patent law.

The hires take the number of IPT partners in DLA's Cologne office to three, with a total of six across Germany.

DLA global IPT co-head Simon Levine said: "The ongoing strengthening of the team across so many jurisdictions reflects the growing capability of DLA Piper's global IPT practice and highlights our continued ability to attract top talent.

"We are looking to grow our IPT practice further in the coming months, particularly in some of our European offices."

The news follows a number of recent hires for DLA's international IPT group.

A five-strong Bird & Bird IT team led by international IT co-head and Paris practice chief Stephane Lemarchand joined DLA's Paris office last month, while the firm also bulked up its Polish arm with the hire of Hogan Lovells partner Krystyna Szczepanowska-Kozlowska as Warsaw IPT head.