DLA Piper has sold off the remainder of its defendant insurance team after striking a deal with Mills & Reeve to take the nine-strong Birmingham-based practice.

The team, which is made up of partner Alan Jacobs, associate Felicity Ho, solicitor Jagjit Virdi, plus three other fee-earners and support staff, will make the move to Mills & Reeve's Colmore Row office on 1 July.

As well as Jacobs and the nine employees, the deal also includes the handover of its client book.

Late last year DLA announced it was looking to move out of the defendant insurance market following a profitability review and in February transferred its Manchester and Sheffield teams to Hill Dickinson.

It had been mooted that the remaining Birmingham arm would be run independently by Jacobs through a new start-up, however, Mills & Reeve and DLA signed terms last week.

The deal takes the number of partners at Mills & Reeve's Birmingham office to 23, with 112 partners firmwide.

Head of Mills & Reeve's insurance sector Neil Davis said: "Alan's team have an impressive list of insurance and corporate clients, all of which fit well within our existing strategy for the development of a diversified and corporate focussed insurance offering, across a national footprint.

"Our strategy is to grow our business in line with our sector commitments, including insurance and corporate services, while maintaining our reputation for outstanding client service. The fact that Alan's clients have enthusiastically supported this move speaks volumes for the regard in which his team are held."

The move follows the 1 June merger with Manchester firm George Davis which saw Mills & Reeve add six partners and create a £77m firm.