DLA Piper has hired Eversheds Sutherland northwest head of private equity, Andrew Phillips, as a corporate partner in Manchester.

Phillips has spent just over a year at Eversheds Sutherland, having joined the firm in March last year to lead its northwest UK private equity team. He worked previously for Pinsent Masons for nine years, where he was made up to partner in 2015. The following year, he was named as one of Legal Week's up-and-coming corporate M&A stars.

DLA Piper northwest managing partner Liam Cowell said: "We remain focused on high-quality investment both through internal promotions and great hires like Andy. We have been aware of Andy's strong reputation for a number of years and very much look forward to him joining the team."

His hire is the latest in a series of additions to the firm's corporate practice. Last week, DLA hired Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's former global infrastructure and transport co-head Martin Nelson-Jones in London, who will join as a corporate partner.

Meanwhile, in May the firm launched a Dublin office with the hire of M&A partner David Carthy from William Fry.

However, the hires come amid a flurry of global partner departures from DLA Piper, including London private equity partner Anu Balasubramanian's exit to Paul Hastings in May.

In the US, the firm lost more than 20 partners to McDermott Will & Emery earlier this year, while the co-chair of the firm's US private equity practice, Steven Napolitano, is set to join Kirkland & Ellis alongside Chicago co-managing partner Brendan Head.

Eversheds Sutherland declined to comment.