Allen & Overy (A&O) has bulked up its City dispute resolution practice with the hire of Hogan Lovells partner Lawson Caisley.

Caisley is set to join the magic circle firm in the coming months, although his start date is yet to be confirmed.

He has been at Hogan Lovells for nearly 20 years, with a practice focus on financial institutions. He trained with legacy Lovells, before qualifying in 1995 and making partner in 2002.

High-profile cases he has been involved in include acting as part of the Hogan Lovells team for BTA Bank on its £5bn claim against the bank's former chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov.

Caisley's move is the latest in a number of recent partner exits for Hogan Lovells after litigation duo Graham Huntley and Helen Brannigan announced their departure from the firm earlier this month to launch their own commercial litigation firm in London.

Meanwhile, equity capital markets head Richard Brown resigned to join Latham & Watkins in February this year.

A&O global disputes head Tim House said: "London is unique as an international forum for dispute resolution, with four out of every five cases heard by the commercial court now involving parties from outside the UK.

"The calibre of Lawson's experience in the English courts, coupled with his versatility, perfectly complements the global nature of our practice and the needs of our clients."

Caisley's move adds to a number of lateral hires in disputes for A&O over the last year, with Herbert Smith Paris trio Denis Chemla, Erwin Poisson and Michael Young joining the firm's local office in autumn 2011.

His hire will take the total number of partners in A&O's disputes practice to 27.

Caisley added: "The international platform A&O offers is second to none, making it one of just a handful of firms that can handle the most complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes facing corporates and banks today."