Wragge & Co has grown its City real estate practice with the hire of SJ Berwin partner Duncan Field.

Field, who is also a qualified barrister, is set to join the law firm's planning and regeneration team this spring after 13 years at SJ Berwin, where he has been a partner since 2005.

Prior to joining the City firm, Field also spent time at Simmons & Simmons and Richards Butler. Clients he has worked with include The Crown Estate, Marks & Spencer and London City Airport.

Wragges senior partner Quentin Poole said: "Duncan's development expertise across infrastructure projects, city centre regeneration schemes and planning-related litigation will provide an advantage as the economy grows again."

Field's hire takes the total number of partners in Wragges' real estate practice to 32, while it has a total of 17 lawyers in its planning and regeneration team.

The news comes after the top 25 firm recently outlined further plans for expansion, with the firm aiming to bulk up its presence in Germany through a merger or large team hire.

The firm also restarted its annual partner promotions round this week, with three lawyers made up to the senior rank after it made up no new partners in 2011.

The trio, who are all currently directors, will join the firm's all-equity partnership on 1 May. They are: Richard Goold, a Birmingham-based corporate lawyer in the firm's tech sector focus group; Birmingham dispute resolution lawyer Patrick Arben; and London-based lawyer Jane Kola, who will become the eighth partner in Wragges' pensions team.

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