Dentons has recruited Pinsent Masons corporate partner Stephen Levy to boost its burgeoning private equity practice.

Levy has acted for private equity clients such as H.I.G. Capital, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Montagu Private Equity and Anchorage.

He has also represented corporate clients such as real estate company Peel Group and smart energy metering company Landis+Gyr.

Levy joined Pinsents in 2006 from legacy Hammonds where he was the firm's Manchester head of corporate.

He trained with Nabarro in London before joining legacy Hammonds in 1994.

Jeremy Cohen, Dentons' UK, Middle East and Africa chief executive, said expanding the firm's corporate team was "one of its key priorities for the region".

He added: "In the UK we are consistently rated in the top tier for mid-cap M&A and over the last three years we have grown a private equity practice that has started to achieve some notable successes."

Other recent corporate hires for Dentons include partner Martin Mankabady who joined from Clyde & Co in November 2015 and former BLP corporate head David Collins who joined the firm in December to lead its UK corporate practice.

Levy is the latest corporate partner to leave Pinsents in the last few months following Paul Amiss who joined Winston & Strawn in London and former Allen & Overy partner Louise Wolfson who left the firm in December.