Berrymans Lace Mawer has hired a 33-strong personal injury team for its Southampton office from local firm Lamport Bassitt Solicitors.

The team, which joined Berrymans earlier this month, is made up of 25 fee earners and eight support staff and is led by partners Nick Rogers and Richard Williams.

Rogers headed the insurance litigation team at Lamport and had previously worked at Bird & Bird.

The team hire takes the total number of partners in Berrymans' Southampton office to 11 and increases fee earner count from 46 to 71. It is understood to include the majority of Lamport's staff.

Berrymans Southampton head Andrew Hibbert said: "Insurance law is in the firm's DNA and these are strong additions to our workforce. Nick and his team will add to the expertise of our team in Southampton and concentrate on boosting our current offering.

"Having a diverse range of experience means that Nick and Richard are well equipped to work with a number of our specialist teams nationally."

The pair's experience includes dealing with asbestosis, mesothelioma and fatal accident claims. Their move follows a landmark Supreme Court ruling handed down last month that means insurers could face hundreds of millions of pounds in claims from sufferers of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust.

Berrymans elected a new senior partner earlier this month, with long-standing chief Terry Renouf replaced by healthcare practice co-head and Manchester partner Mike Brown on 2 April 2012.