Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has made a rare partner hire in London with the appointment of Skadden Arps Meagher & Flom litigation and arbitration specialist Penny Madden.

Madden, an English-qualified solicitor who was made up to partner at Skadden last year, focuses on telecoms, international trade and insurance disputes.

Following her promotion, she had been expected to relocate to one of Skadden's Asian offices.

Before her time at Skadden, she also practiced at Clifford Chance and Shearman & Sterling. She has experience of representing and advising European companies in regulatory and internal investigations, as well as anti-corruption legislation.

Gibson Dunn chairman and managing partner Ken Doran called Madden "a dynamic lawyer with a proven record of success for her clients".

"Our disputes practice is thriving in London and elsewhere, and we are focused on expanding our capacity, especially in international arbitrations," he added.

The hire for Gibson Dunn follows the US firm's April recruitment of Ali Nikpay, the former head of the cartel and criminal enforcement division at the Office of Fair Trading, who joined with of counsel Deidre Taylor.

Philip Rocher, senior partner of the London dispute resolution group, said Madden's regulatory and investigations experience fitted the "areas [which] have been a significant driver of our recent growth".

In the last year, Rocher led a London disputes team advising UBS on its settlement with the Financial Services Authority over allegations the Swiss bank tried to manipulate Libor rates.

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