Linklaters has hired Baker & McKenzie's global head of white collar crime for its New York office. 

Douglas Tween, who also led Bakers' New York litigation practice, will join the magic circle firm as a partner in its competition practice and will lead its US cartel and government investigations practice.

His addition will bring Linklaters' New York office to 22 partners. He will be the firm's third US-based competition partner, alongside Thomas McGrath in New York and Jeffrey Schmidt in Washington DC. 

Tween is a trial lawyer who focuses on competition, white collar crime, regulatory investigations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, civil litigation and class actions.

Prior to joining Bakers in 2005, Tween spent 15 years at the US Department of Justice (DOJ) where he was a lawyer in the DOJ's antitrust division's New York field office.

He is currently chair of the compliance and ethics committee of the American Bar Association's antitrust section and is a past chair of the cartel and criminal practice committee.

Jonas Koponen, head of Linklaters' global competition practice, said: "Doug will strengthen our US practice and further differentiate our global competition practice as one of the few that can genuinely provide top-level cartel advice in all major jurisdictions."

Linklaters has remained relatively quiet in the US recruitment market of late. In May 2014 it hired Weil Gotshal & Manges lawyer Michael Kam as a senior counsel and head of its US executive compensation and ERISA group.

In contrast, magic circle rival Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has been on a hiring spree in the US in the last couple of years.

Recent US hires for Freshfields include Simpson Thacher & Bartlett litigation partner Linda Martin in June and Kirkland & Ellis employment partner Howard Klein in February.