Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) real estate partner Candice Blackwood is joining Nabarro after 15 years in her former firm's partnership.

Blackwood joined BLP's commercial real estate practice as partner in 1999 from Chancery Lane property firm Maxwell Batley, which now operates as Maxwell Winward. She will join Nabarro's City office today (1 May).

Her practice focuses on the healthcare sector. She has regularly acted on repeat UK transactions and inward investment from US real estate investment trusts (REITs) as well as on mandates relating to institutional investment, urban regeneration and development projects.

Nabarro senior partner Graham Stedman (pictured) said: "[Candice's] appointment is a boost for the transactional side of our healthcare sector group. Her skills will complement those of colleagues in corporate, competition and our professional and clinical risk teams."

Blackwood's departure is the latest in a string of partner exits from BLP. Real estate finance partners Jo Solomon and Andrew Flemming left last month for Hogan Lovells, while a partner trio including head of real estate finance Laurence Rogers and commercial real estate partner Richard Hopkinson-Woolley resigned from the firm to join DLA Piper in February.

The news comes as former BLP finance head Matthew Kellett prepares to join accounting giant EY in September, where he will lead the legal arm of the financial services division. He left BLP in October.

Several other partners in the finance practice have left the firm recently, including head of restructuring and insolvency Ben Larkin, who quit BLP in February for Jones Day.