Reed Smith has strengthened its Paris office with the hire of a three-lawyer corporate team from Simmons & Simmons.

Marc Fredj (pictured) joined the firm last week as a partner in its Europe and Middle East corporate group, along with two associates, bringing the total number of partners in the US firm's Paris base to 16.

Fredj specialises in private equity and cross-border M&A as well as general company and commercial law. He regularly acts as local counsel on French legal aspects of multinational transactions and handles post-acquisition restructurings.

Prior to joining Simmons in July 2003, where he made partner in 2008, Fredj spent three years in the capital investment department at Salans.

Reed Smith Paris managing partner Benoit Charot told Legal Week: "We opened in Paris six years ago with 10 lawyers. Now, with more than 50 lawyers, we are demonstrating our willingness to become one of the key players in the Paris market."

He added that the firm was looking to recruit more lawyers to boost its banking, finance, competition and tax practices.

Charot added: "To be a credible player in the Paris market you have to be able to deliver a complete global service across all practice areas. We are already at this step with these recent hires but still need to complete the team and reach critical mass. In the next two to three years we could have around 80-100 lawyers."

The office's most recent additions were intellectual property partners Mariana Couste and Francois Jonqueres, who joined the firm from Howrey in June, bringing with them two associates and one paralegal.

The news comes as Simmons is also set to lose two lawyers in Hong Kong with finance partner Sau-Wing Mak and consultant Kevin Tong to join Australian firm Mallesons' Hong Kong office as partners next month.

Mallesons said the hires would significantly enhance the firm's renminbi products practice, with Mak having been involved in the renminbi bond market since it opened in 2007. Both lawyers focus their practice around structured products and derivatives.

Simmons lists around 12 other partners in its Hong Kong office, although a number also spend part of their time in the firm's Shanghai office.