Chadbourne & Parke Moscow managing partner Andrei Baev has joined Reed Smith's London office, in the latest exit for the US firm ahead of its merger with Norton Rose Fulbright.

Energy partner Baev will be based in Reed Smith's London office, having split his time between Chadbourne's Moscow and London bases for two years since joining in 2015 from Berwin Leighton Paisner.

Baev's practice focuses on major projects in all areas of the oil and gas sector, including the financing of cross-border pipeline projects. He has experience working on major independent power, nuclear power, mining and telecoms projects.

Reed Smith energy and natural resources chair Prajakt Samant said: "Andrei will especially help connect our energy and natural resources practice with our financial industry group, our trade finance teams, our Kazakhstan office, and our rapidly expanding international arbitration practice."

Baev's departure from Chadbourne is the latest exit from the firm, which saw four partners leave its energy practice last month to launch offices in Dubai and Johannesburg for US rival Covington & Burling.

The partners are set to be followed to Covington by a sizeable team, with around 25 associates and counsel from Chadbourne's London, Johannesburg and Dubai offices in talks over moves.

Other departures in recent months include corporate and project finance partner Margarita Oliva Sainz de Aja, who joined Baker McKenzie in January; a three-partner arbitration team which left for Cooley last December; and bankruptcy partner Douglas Deutsch, who joined Clifford Chance last summer.

Reed Smith, meanwhile, has made a number of other significant recent hires, including a 50-strong team of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) lawyers across London, Paris and Germany, including 17 partners in January.