Kaye Scholer has ramped up its London platform with the hire of Hogan Lovells securities head Katherine Mulhern and DLA Piper corporate partner Sean Scanlon, who will both join the firm as partners before the end of the month.

Mulhern, a New York-qualified securities lawyer specialising in international equity and debt capital markets, joined Hogan Lovells in 2005 from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, following a secondment to the equity capital markets group of Merrill Lynch.

During her time at legacy Lovells she has worked with clients including Segro, Shaftesbury, Cookson and SABMiller.

Scanlon, who focuses on private equity work, follows former DLA Piper contemporary and private equity head Andrew Harris, who joined Kaye Scholer's London office as its new managing partner earlier this year (5 July).

Harris, who replaced office founder Guilherme Brafman in the role earlier this year, commented: "London is central to the firm's global strategy and Katherine and Sean will play key roles in expanding our private equity, capital markets, corporate finance and general corporate practices in London to further deepen our ability to service our clients' needs internationally."

Kaye Scholer said the firm is aiming to grow its London office to match its strengths elsewhere in the world in private equity and M&A.

The US top 100 law firm launched in London in 2001 but currently has only nine lawyers in the City, of which six are partners. It wants to build up its London base to up to 50 lawyers within the next three years.