Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has hired its second London partner in a fortnight, with the recruitment of Proskauer's English law finance head Michael Crobsy.

Crosby, who will head up Orrick's English law banking and finance practice group, follows the hire of Edwards Wildman corporate and venture capital partner Shawn Atkinson earlier this month.

A former Addleshaw Goddard partner, Crosby joined Proskauer in 2008 and has built a practice focused on advising alternative credit funds, hedge funds and private equity sponsors and banks in leveraged financings across Europe.

His mandate at Orrick is understood to be concentrated on building the London office's relationships with alternative credit providers, a number of which he already shares from his career at Orrick.

"As well as having the skills to do the documentation on these deals, you need to be able to advise when the situations turn distressed, and have someone who's been in these stressed situations", one Orrick source told Legal Week.

At his new firm, Crosby will work closely with another recent addition to the London office, Stephen Phillips, who became co-head of Orrick's European restructuring team when he joined from White & Case earlier this year.

Crosby's start date has not yet been confirmed, and it is understood he is being held to a period of gardening leave.

"Michael has built an excellent reputation through his work on behalf of Europe-focused private debt and alternative credit funds," said Orrick's banking and finance head Bill Haft.

"He will be a tremendous asset to our cross-border teams, including our project finance and emerging markets practices in Europe, Africa and beyond."

Atkinson, who has not yet moved across to Orrick, was co-chair of Edwards Wildman's venture capital group, as well as the firm's cross-border and central and Eastern Europe Group.