Irwin Mitchell has expanded its business legal services (BLS) division with a hat-trick of lateral hires, including Pinsent Masons litigation head Nigel Kissack.

Kissack, who moves to Irwin Mitchell as national head of commercial litigation, is joined by Squire Sanders intellectual property partner Alex Newman and former Brown Rudnick lawyer Kirsten Doherty, who moves as a consultant.

The moves are the latest in a string of hires for the firm's BLS team in 2013 to 10.

Kissack, who moves to Irwin Mitchell's London base in early November, will be responsible for the firm's five-office national commercial litigation team.

Having previously headed Pinsents' litigation practice for 15 years until leaving the firm in May, Kissack specialises in resolving disputes for private and listed companies, across the manufacturing, technology, finance, retail and energy sectors.

Newman, who also joins in early November, will be based out of Irwin Mitchell's Leeds office, working alongside non-contentious IP partner Joanne Bone.

Having previously led Squire Sanders' IP practice in the North of England, Newman has a particular practice focus on the technology and engineering sectors, and advises clients on all IP-related contentious matters, including patent infringement and validity proceedings in the Patents Court.

Meanwhile, Doherty re-joins former Brown Rudnick colleague Georgie Collins, who moved as a partner to Irwin Mitchell in September.

Doherty was previously in-house trade mark counsel at Easy Group, where she was led the company's trade mark portfolio, working directly with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Irwin Mitchell's BLS division chief executive Niall Baker said: "They are lawyers of the highest calibre and, like all of our other recent hires, they share our vision and recognise the strong position we are in to take advantage of growth opportunities in the current legal market."