Taylor Wessing has boosted its tax practice with the hire of former Slaughter and May partner Richard Carson.

Carson retired from the magic circle firm in April after 30 years, including 20 years as a partner. He is set to join Taylor Wessing in the New Year, becoming a rare example of a former Slaughters' partner to resurface at another law firm.

Carson specialises in transactional work including merger and acquisitions, public offerings, general financing and corporate restructurings. He has particular expertise in the areas of private equity and the energy and utilities sectors.

His core clients included ConocoPhillips, Taylor Wimpey, Europcar and Songbird Estates.

Taylor Wessing tax and incentive group head Peter Jackson commented: "Taylor Wessing is currently experiencing increasing volumes of domestic and international tax work, which gives us a secure platform for further growth and development of our corporate tax function.

"In particular, the demand for greater tax specialisation and depth of expertise and resource in certain sectors has resulted in increased opportunities for senior level corporate tax input. Richard's arrival will contribute significantly to our servicing and exploiting these opportunities."

The news comes after Taylor Wessing announced plans to open a second London office in east London's 'Tech City' last month, with the firm looking to add to its client base with more UK and international technology start-ups.

The new office, which will be based near Old Street in Islington, will be staffed with lawyers from the firm's technology, media and telecoms, venture capital, intellectual property, tax, inward investment and employment practices.

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