US firm McGuireWoods has expanded its London debt finance practice with the hire of former King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) UK partner Lorraine Vaz.

Vaz was a partner at KWM at the time of the collapse of the European arm of the firm at the start of this year.

She joined KWM's City office in 2015 from Clifford Chance, where she was a director. Her practice covers domestic and cross-border financings, from large to mid-market leveraged and acquisition finance deals. She also advises on public bid finance, workouts, restructurings and funds finance.

Vaz is the second lateral partner to join McGuireWoods' London office this month.

Last week, corporate partner Jeremy Davis joined the firm from K&L Gates. He had been a partner at the US firm's London office for 12 years and his practice includes cross-border M&A work involving US investment in Europe. He advises clients across a number of industries, including metals, packaging, manufacturing and information technology.

Including the latest hires, McGuireWoods now has 16 partners in its City office.

The firm's debt finance head Raj Natarajan said: "Lorraine's wealth of knowledge of London leveraged finance markets opens a world of opportunity for McGuireWoods to satisfy the continuing movement toward US-style leveraged finance in the United Kingdom."