Three partners have left DWF, with two joining in-house teams and the third switching to CMS Cameron McKenna.

The exits come as DWF has appointed a regulatory partner in London.

Banking and finance partner Ian Ilersic left the firm earlier this month to become a vice president of legal at Deutsche Bank.

His departure comes alongside that of Guy Jackson, a partner in DWF's corporate practice, who has joined Clipper Logistics as its general counsel and company secretary.

The firm has also seen partner Ian McCann, its head of construction in Scotland, quit for rival CMS Cameron McKenna as a partner in the construction practice.

Andrew Leaitherland, managing partner and chief executive of DWF, said he "looked forward" to continuing to work with Ilersic at Deutsche Bank "whom DWF knows well" as well as Jackson and McCann.

Meanwhile, the firm has appointed insurance regulatory partner Jeremy Irving, who has joined the firm from Eversheds.

Irving said: "With a clear vision and strong sector focus, the firm will be a great fit for my practice and I look forward to bringing my expertise to the team to help further develop our offering to clients."

The firm has set its sights on expanding its headcount in London to 600, nearly double its current level, by 2017.

Announcing the target in May last year Leaitherland said: "We are significantly expanding in London, deepening and broadening our talent base in the City to meet growing client demand for both our commercial and insurance services."