King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin (KWM) litigator Nick Brocklesby has joined Reed Smith in a boost for its City office.

Brocklesby joined legacy SJ Berwin in 2005 from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he was a senior associate. He was made up as partner in 2008. His departure date is not yet known.

He has recently taken roles on mandates including acting for Morgan Stanley in relation to proceedings brought against the financial services firm by Tael One Partners, and representing Apple in its high-profile litigation against The Beatles in relation to iTunes Music Store.

Brocklesby will rejoin City commercial disputes partner Tim Beale at Reed Smith. Beale left SJ Berwin in 2012, the same year as fellow disputes partner Justin Michaelson, who went on to join Fried Frank's London partnership.

The firm's litigation group suffered the departure of litigation partner Giovanna Kwong to Stephenson Harwood in Hong Kong last December.

Legacy SJ Berwin in the meantime made a move to boost its City litigation team last September with the hire of Dentons arbitration partner Paul Stothard, who had formerly headed up Dentons' Middle East dispute resolution practice for four years until 2012.

The news comes as the firm has also been witnessing a spate of departures from its private equity practice in recent months, including corporate finance partner Ed Harris, who joined Hogan Lovells in February alongside senior associate Leanne Moezi, and partner Nicholas Plant, who joined Dentons last year to head up its UKMEA private equity offering.