Ashurst has strengthened its intellectual property (IP) team with the hire of Clyde & Co's UK IP head David Wilkinson.

Wilkinson has spent nearly three years at Clydes after joining in 2015 from Guildford firm Stevens & Bolton, where he was also head of IP.

He is also a former Bristows partner, before which he was an associate at Dentons and Olswang, and his practice focuses on disputes and transactions in sectors such as media, IT, life sciences and telecoms.

Ashurst disputes head Simon Bromwich said: "The appointment of David is a key part of our strategy to develop the firm's IP practice, with a particular immediate focus in London. David's expertise in covering both contentious and non-contentious work in a broad range of areas is also a perfect complement to our existing international IP capabilities."

Global IP head Lisa Ritson added: "David is a fantastic addition to our IP team. His arrival will enable us to continue to build our reputation for acting for many of the world's leading IP proprietors across a range of sectors."

Other recent hires for Ashurst include former Herbert Smith Freehills arbitration partner Emmanuelle Cabrol who joined in Paris, and DLA Piper Frankfurt office managing partner Michael Holzhaeuser.

Other notable recent moves in the IP market include Simmons & Simmons' hire of CMS London partner Kevin Cordina, who joined the firm in January to launch a patent prosecution group.