Macfarlanes has turned to US firm Akin Gump for the hire of an investment funds partner, not long after taking on a nine-strong City hedge fund boutique.

Simon Thomas, who has been part of Akin Gump's London funds team for 10 years after joining from Dechert in 2002, joins Macfarlanes after the firm took over specialist hedge fund firm D Harris Co International (DHCI) last year, adding all of its nine City employees to its private equity practice.

Thomas, whose practice focuses on hedge fund formation work, will start work at the firm next week.

Senior partner Charles Martin said: "There is clear market demand for us to expand our expertise in the hedge fund formation area. It is a natural adjunct to our other work for hedge funds. Increasing regulatory pressure globally means that this is an area that has strategic importance for the alternative asset area and the financial services industry more widely."

Thomas added: "Increasingly, clients are looking for a more sophisticated approach to fund structuring and want something more than the just vanilla hedge fund or private equity structures."

The addition of DHCI last year saw founder Daniel Harris take a consultant role at Macfarlanes alongside five associates, two trainees and a paralegal.

The move followed funds partner Stephen Sims' departure from Macfarlanes to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom the previous year.

Macfarlanes, a firm known for making few lateral hires, has changed tack of late with Thomas's move marking its fourth partner recruit in the last 18 months.

The firm last November announced the hire of Speechly Bircham private client partner Charles Gothard, while former Addleshaw Goddard corporate partner James Dawson agreed to join the firm last March. Prior to that, Ian Nisse joined Macfarlanes from Shearman & Sterling in September 2011 to head up the firm's commercial real estate practice.

For more, see Macfarlanes adds hedge funds team with City boutique takeover.