LG is set to lose a trio of financial litigation partners to DLA Piper in London.

Jeremy Andrews, Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry and James Curle handed in their notice earlier this month and are set to join DLA Piper after serving out some or all of their six-month notice period.

Douglas-Henry and Curle were part of a three-partner team that joined LG from US firm Dorsey & Whitney in early 2008, alongside litigation partner Thomas Ross, who left LG in February this year to join K&L Gates. Andrews, meanwhile, joined LG as an associate in 2008 from Slaughter and May and made partner in 2010.

At the time, all of the hires marked a push by LG to target litigation work against banks in response to the credit crunch.

Andrews, Douglas-Henry and Curle, whose experience also includes fraud and asset tracing, contentious trust work and natural resources disputes, will sit within DLA's specialist litigation team, which is part of the firm's wider litigation and regulatory group.

The team hire represents the first for DLA since it saw its former global co-head of litigation and regulation Neil Gerrard and its EMEA head of corporate crime and investigations Jonathan Pickworth quit to join Dechert earlier this year.

Steve Sly, DLA's international group head of litigation and regulatory, said: "The economic uncertainty and volatility we are currently witnessing in many parts of the world has created an environment where it is anticipated that the market for dispute resolution services is likely to continue to expand, particularly in international centres such as London.

"This is an exciting time to be a litigator and the appointment of Jean-Pierre and his team will ensure that DLA Piper is well positioned to take advantage of the growing international market."

The departures will leave LG with six partners in its City disputes practice, one of who focuses on bank litigation work, with two further partners taking on some financial disputes work. No associates are expected to leave with the group.

LG saw turnover fall to £59m this year from £64.9m in 2009-10, with the drop knocking the firm out of the top 50, where it was ranked at number 47 last year. Profits per equity partner also fell, standing at £412,000 for 2010-11 down from £460,000 the previous year – a dip of 10.4%.