Mayer Brown has hired a further two partners in its London banking and finance group, with the recruitment of Berwin Leighton Paisner partner Trevor Wood and White & Case senior associate Mayank Gupta, who joins as partner.

The pair – who are expected to join by the end of the calendar year – bring Mayer Brown's senior lateral hire count to six in the last month, and follow the appointments of securitisation partners Richard Todd and David O'Connor from BLP and Allen & Overy respectively.

Wood, a finance and restructuring partner who previously worked at Jones Day and Clifford Chance, has extensive experience acting for senior and mezzanine finance providers and borrowers in emerging markets.

Mayank advises financial institutions and multinational companies on a variety of financing transactions, and has broad emerging markets experience, having advised on financing matters in the Middle East, Russia, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Despite moving to Mayer Brown from separate firms, the lawyers know one another well, having worked together when Gupta was on secondment to Deutsche Bank, a long-term client of Wood's.

"The emerging markets are a key focus for this firm," commented London banking and finance group head Dominic Griffiths, who said the hires were made as a direct response to client demand.

"I expect them both to work closely with our London capital markets, projects and derivatives lawyers specialising in emerging markets work as well as our corporate lawyers, particularly Rob Hamill and Greg Stonefield, who are active on Africa based mandates. They also bring in further leveraged lending and restructuring skills."

Others to have recently joined Mayer Brown include White & Case corporate and securities partner Greg Stonefield and SJ Berwin real estate partner Pat Jones.

Griffiths told Legal Week that the recent run of lateral hires was "largely coincidental", and that the firm had been speaking to a number of the recruits for a considerable time.

Wood's move also marks the latest in a string of partner departures from BLP since the firm posted a 40% dip in profits per equity partner (PEP) for 2012/13.

Other recent departures include corporate finance partner Michael Weir, who is following former global head of private equity Raymond McKeeve to Jones Day.

In September, commercial technology head Adam Rose and contentious tax chief Liesl Fichardt both left for Mishcon de Reya and Clifford Chance respectively.