Olswang has bulked up its City real estate team with the hire of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) partner Graham Lloyd-Brunt.

Lloyd-Brunt joined the firm yesterday (3 January) after seven years as a partner at BLP.

His client portfolio includes Hannover Leasing, Melia Hotels and Metroinvest, and he specialises in advising on investments and development projects around the UK. His hire takes the total number of partners in Olswang's real estate team worldwide to 17.

Olswang chief executive David Stewart said: "The real estate team at Olswang has reacted to the market conditions of the last three years exceptionally well. We have developed our business at the more complex institutional end of the market.

"Graham's experience and ambition will help us take the practice to the next level as we continue to focus on complex high value work and expand our international offering."

The news comes as Olswang's first Asia office in Singapore goes live this month, with the hire of a new dispute resolution partner for the base from DLA Piper.

Jonathan Choo, formerly of counsel in DLA's Singapore office, will work alongside two Olswang partners that have relocated from London to the new office. The firm is planning to grow the branch to between 15 and 20 lawyers by the close of 2012.

Lloyd-Brunt's exit comes after BLP also lost its international structured finance head Tamara Box to Reed Smith's City base at the close of last year.