The Transfer Window is a regular round-up of recent legal moves in the UK and abroad. Please send all announcements to [email protected].

Pinsent Masons has recruited a new head of litigation in Manchester with the hire of Julian Diaz-Rainey from Hill Dickinson.

Diaz-Rainey, whose practice has a particular focus on the sports sector, has acted for a number of big-name clients including Premier League giants Manchester United and Manchester City, while he has also been involved in high-profile public inquiries such as the Shipman Inquiry and Baha Mousa Inquiry.

He has spent the past two years as a partner at Hill Dicks, before which he spent time at both Eversheds and Halliwells.

Kaye Scholer has sealed the hire of Kirkland & Ellis partner Paul Atherton for the US firm's City restructuring team. Atherton, who trained at DLA before spells at Pinsents and Sidley Austin, made partner at Kirkland in January 2009. He focuses on international insolvency and restructuring work with a particular focus on cross-border matters and leveraged buyout restructurings.

Taylor Wessing has turned to Nabarro for a lateral hire, recruiting corporate partner Russell Holden for the firm's capital markets team. The firm has also bulked up its French real estate team by hiring former Orrick Rambaud Martel partner Alfred Fink, who brings an associate and a paralegal with him. Fink, who was at Orrick for eight years, will head the firm's Paris property practice.

Long-serving Hogan Lovells technology, media and telecoms partner Gerald Oberst is joining Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES as the company's senior vice president for global regulatory and governmental strategy. Oberst, who is based at the Brussels office of Hogan Lovells he helped launch for legacy Hogan & Hartson in 1991, represents a wide range of both governmental and commercial clients, and has handled a number of key projects for the European Commission.

Hunton & Williams energy infrastructure partner Ryan Ketchum has moved to the firm's London office, having been previously based in Richmond, Virginia. Ketchum has particular focus on frontier and emerging markets, and recently advised the Ugandan Government on the development, construction and financing of an $872m (£549m) hydroelectric facility on the River Nile.

DLA Piper partner Jonathan Leitch has transferred from London to lead the firm's restructuring group in Hong Kong. Leitch will work alongside contentious insolvency expert Graham Ridler and senior associate Chai Ridgers in Singapore.

Also on the move is DLA intellectual property and technology partner Stewart James, who earlier this month relocated from Leeds to Canberra, Australia. James specialises in commercial information and communications technology contracts, outsourcing, data privacy and information security.

Mayer Brown JSM and Hogan Lovells have both recruited new partners in Singapore from Linklaters.

Nathan Dodd and Alexander McMyn were both previously counsel in Linklaters' Singapore office. Dodd is joining Mayer Brown JSM as a partner and will lead that firm's Singapore project finance group. Meanwhile, McMyn will become a banking and finance partner for Hogan Lovells in Singapore.

Dodd joined Linklaters as an associate in London in 1997 and transferred to the firm's Singapore office in 1999. During his time at Linklaters, he was also seconded to the firm's former Singapore joint venture partner firm, Allen & Gledhill. Dodd was promoted to counsel in 2007.

Dodd will be the fourth lawyer to join Mayer Brown JSM's Singapore office, which was launched last year.

Bird & Bird has hired Orrick's Germany head of energy and infrastructure Heiko Hofler as a partner to its Frankfurt office. Hofler, who will join on 1 October along with two associates, will work in the firm's regulatory and administrative practice.

Field Fisher Waterhouse has added regulatory partner David Haverbeke, along with two associates, to its Brussels office. The team joins from Belgian firm Lydian, where Haverbeke was head of its energy practice. He will advise an international and domestic client base active in the energy sector.

Helmut Kempf is joining Simmons & Simmons' six-partner Dusseldorf practice as a corporate and commercial partner. He was previously at German energy giant RWE, where he worked as an M&A specialist and was chief executive officer and chief operating officer of RWE's Turkey arm. His addition marks the sixth partner addition to the firm's Germany offices so far this year.

Dominic Gregory has joined Ashurst's Hong Kong finance team as a partner. Gregory, who was previously a finance counsel at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom's Hong Kong arm, will advise on banking and finance issues, including acquisition finance, asset finance, restructuring and project finance.

Offshore firm Collas Crill has appointed Leon Santos to its Singapore practice. The London funds specialist is joining the firm from fund management group Prosperity Capital Management, where he worked as in-house director and legal counsel. He has previously worked at the London arms of Kirkland & Ellis and SJ Berwin.