McDermott Will & Emery has bolstered its German arm with the addition of two new partners across its Munich and Duesseldorf offices.

Michael Ruoff, who specialises in renewable energy projects and related transactions, has joined the firm's Munich office as a partner and head of the German energy practice.

He joined earlier this month (1 October) from German project development company Photovolt Development Partners, having previously served as a partner in the Munich office of Watson Farley & Williams, which he joined in June 2008 when it merged with local private equity boutique Oldenbourg Plus.

Meanwhile Holger Weiss has joined McDermott's Duesseldorf office as a corporate and real estate partner from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he spent seven years in the firm's Cologne real estate team, most recently as a principal associate.

Weiss specialises in structuring complex real estate transactions (asset and share deals) and associated financing and tenancy law.

McDermott European practice head Hugh Nineham (pictured) commented: "Holger and Michael are important additions to our expanding corporate and energy practices in Europe. Their wealth of experience in transactions and in sectors such as renewable energy enables us to serve our clients with the quality and consistency of service they have come to expect from us across all of our offices."

News of the hires came as it emerged that McDermott's London intellectual property head Gary Moss is set to leave the US firm to join patent and trademark boutique E-IP.

Moss, the former managing partner of Taylor Wessing in the UK, joined McDermott in September 2008.

Partners Hiroshi Sheraton and Rohan Massey will share the management of the London IP practice.

Legal Week sister title The Am Law Daily reported yesterday (19 October) that Stephen Shahida, the head of McDermott's IP litigation group in Washington, DC has joined Weil Gotshal & Manges.