Herbert Smith has hired Salans' Moscow dispute resolution head Alexei Panich for its local practice in the Russian capital.

Panich has joined the firm after more than 10 years with Salans, where he has been a partner since 2007. Prior to Salans, he was a tax lawyer at KPMG's Moscow arm.

The hire takes the total number of fee earners in Herbert Smith's Russia disputes practice to 12, including two partners.

Panich's move comes after the departure of Herbert Smith's Moscow-based head of dispute resolution for Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), Dmitry Kurochkin, for Dechert in June this year.

Herbert Smith Moscow managing partner Allen Hanen said: "The arrival of Alexei augments the further development of our global dispute resolution practice. His capability in handling both international and domestic matters complements our leading practice in Russia."

Panich's move marks the latest departure for Salans after Shanghai managing partner Bernd-Uwe Stucken and corporate partner Wei Liu resigned from the firm in June this year, shortly after Salans decided to close its Beijing and Hong Kong offices. It is unknown where the pair are moving to.

The news comes as Herbert Smith is gearing up for its merger to go live with Australia's Freehills next month.

The two firms' partners approved their full-equity merger at the end of June this year, with the combined firm set to have 2,800 lawyers, including 460 partners in 20 offices worldwide from 1 October.