McGuireWoods has recruited the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) chief criminal counsel David Kirk, in the latest example of law firms hiring lawyers with high-level experience of leading government prosecutions.

Kirk will join the US firm's government, regulatory and criminal investigations practice at the start of 2014, and advise clients on regulatory and compliance matters, as well as criminal investigations.

After joining the legacy Financial Services Authority in 2009, Kirk managed criminal investigations and prosecutions and acted as a liaison with enforcement authorities in Europe and the US.