US firm Vedder Price has raided Norton Rose Fulbright to hire its aviation chief Neil Poland.

Banking partner Poland will join Vedder Price's highly regarded transportation finance practice in London as a partner next month.

Poland joined legacy Norton Rose's London practice in 1999 from Slaughter and May, where he was an associate. He was made up as partner two years later.

He specialises in asset and structured finance, particularly in the aviation and rail sectors. He has acted on mandates including advising a line-up of banks on British Airways' (BA) $1.7bn (£820m) debt facility agreement in 2007, opposite Slaughters.

The firm, which also has offices in Chicago, Washington, San Francisco and New York, focuses on corporate, litigation and employment and is considered a leader in transport finance work.

Meanwhile, Norton Rose has appointed Munich-based banking and finance partner Ralf Springer to lead the aviation group, while London-based asset finance partner Duncan Batchelor will take up the newly created role of deputy head of aviation.

Before joining Norton Rose as a partner in 2002 Springer was the general counsel for one of German finance company KGAL.

Last year the firm's global aviation practice advised on deals including easyJet's Airbus order and Malaysia Airlines' £302 million bond issue.