The Transfer Window is a regular round-up of recent legal moves in the UK and abroad.

Eversheds has hired Wragge & Co's head of UAE projects Gurmeet Kaur in a boost for the firm's Middle East projects team.

Kaur, who will take on the same leadership role at her new firm, joined Wragges' Dubai office in 2011 from DLA Piper, where she had been a partner for three years.

She will be based in Eversheds' Dubai office, and is also qualified to practise in Australia and Malaysia.

Stephenson Harwood has boosted its Paris ranks with the hire of litigation partner Barthelemy Cousin from Norton Rose Fulbright. Cousin, who joined Norton Rose's Paris arm in 2000 where he was made up five years later, headed up the French litigation practice at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Cousin is joining alongside finance lawyer Michel Bauer, who takes the role of senior counsel. Bauer was previously at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank where he led the London-Paris legal team in charge of financing.

Baker & McKenzie's London office has hired Clifford Chance senior associate Paul Hibbert as a partner in its banking practice. Hibbert, whose practice focuses on acquisition and leverage finance, particularly in the infrastructure sector, becomes the fourth senior associate to join Bakers from the magic circle as a partner over the last two years.

In Johannesburg, Bakers also hired corporate and M&A partner Dhiren Ganasen and tax of counsel Mark Preiss, who join from Webber Wentzel and Ernst & Young respectively. The firm's South African office has expanded rapidly since its launch in May 2012, and following the latest hires has a total of 67 lawyers and staff, including 14 partners.

US firm Andrews Kurth has launched a London arbitration practice with a three-lawyer team hire from Chadbourne & Parke. Melanie Willems, who joins as head of international arbitration, makes the move alongside senior associate Markus Esly – who joins as a partner – and associate Robert Blackett.

"Andrews Kurth is a leading law firm in the industries we focus on," commented Willems. "Our commercial contracts experience also fits in perfectly with the firm's aim of providing top-calibre legal service in the competitive London market."

Norton Rose Fulbright has sealed the hire of long-serving Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Brussels partner James Modrall for its competition practice.

Modrall, who has been a partner for 18 years at Cleary, joined the US firm in 1986. He specialises on EU and competition law, with focus on cross-border M&A and EU financial services law. He is joining Norton Rose Fulbright's Brussels office.

Modrall has acted on mandates including advising budget airline Ryanair on airline Flybe's planned €150m (£128m) acquisition of 43 short-haul routes earlier this year and representing TPG Capital on finance aspects of its $800m (£508m) takeover bid for hedge fund services company GlobeOp in 2012.

Elsewhere, Norton Rose Fulbright has also boosted its Paris real estate practice with the hire of Hogan Lovells partner Jean-Pascal Bus. Bus, who has particular focus in litigation, planning and construction, joined Hogan Lovells in 2008 as a partner from French real estate boutique Lacourte Balas.

Simmons & Simmons has hired a partner duo for its Middle East practice. Arnaud Depierrefeu, a former partner at UGGC & Associes' Qatar office, has joined the Doha-based corporate team while capital markets partner Haitham Hawashin, who previously worked at Jordan-headquartered firm Khalifeh & Partners, will join the Abu Dhabi team in October.

Eversheds' Italy arm has sealed the hire of Simmons Italy private equity chief and former board member Marco Franzini for its banking and private equity practice. Franzini has joined from Simmons' Milan office, which he joined as a partner in 1998 from Milan-headquartered firm De Berti Jacchia Franchini Forlani. Franzini has served on Simmons' strategy board and has also previously held posts as the firm's Italy managing partner and country head.

Osborne Clarke has recruited Simmons international disputes partner Andrew Bartlett for its commercial litigation team. At Simmons he handled large-scale international disputes and coordinated proceedings in numerous countries, with a focus on high value litigation and international arbitration work. The firm has also strengthened in Europe with a double partner hire, including Claire Bouchenard, who joins in Paris from local firm B-Cube, where she was a founding partner. Her practice covers intellectual property, internet, commercial and advertising law. Meanwhile, in Brussels, corporate partner David Haex has joined the firm from Linklaters.

Jones Day has added a partner to its London banking and finance team with the hire of Brian Conway from Latham & Watkins. He has particular experience of acting for banks, financial institutions and borrowers on a range of domestic and international cross-border financing transactions. 

DAC Beachcroft has also bolstered its corporate finance department with the hire of James Reed from Baker & McKenzie, where he spent 12 years. He is the latest addition to the firm's Bristol commercial team which now comprises eight partners. Reed specialises in cross-border and domestic M&A work with a particular focus in the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors.

Squire Sanders has expanded its corporate team in Manchester with the appointment of M&A and capital markets partner Daniel Liptroot from Eversheds. He follows former colleague Hannah Kendrick, who earlier this summer left Eversheds to join Squire Sanders' Leeds office. Liptrott specialises in corporate governance and capital markets transactions.

Field Fisher Waterhouse has strengthened its Paris team with the recruitment of intellectual property specialist Nathalie Hadjadj-Cazier, who was a partner at Winston & Strawn's local base and specialises in licensing, franchising and merchandising agreements.

Bird & Bird has turned to Houthoff Buruma for its latest partner hire in The Hague, recruiting Marcus Huisman for its Dutch employment practice. Huisman specialises in all aspects of domestic and international employment law, as well as management issues such as the dismissal and reward of board members and executives.

Baker & Botts has added leading EU litigator Georg Berrisch to its Brussels office from Covington & Burling LLP. Berrisch is a highly regarded litigator, in particular in the fields of competition law, state aid and trade matters in the EU. Baker Botts' Brussels office opened last September as part of a push to extend the reach of the firm's antitrust and competition law practice Group.