McDermott Will & Emery has hired Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) structured finance partner Rachel Kelly for its UK corporate and transactional practice.

Kelly, who is joining McDermott alongside counsel Kerry Pettigrew, is the first partner to leave the London office of legacy Bryan Cave since the firm's merger with UK opposite Berwin Leighton Paisner went live in April.

She focuses on securitisations, with particular specialism in commercial and residential real estate and infrastructure, and also advises on restructurings and other debt capital markets matters.

Prior to joining Bryan Cave in London in 2015, Kelly was head of capital markets at Macfarlanes and, before that, was a partner in Clifford Chance's structured debt group for 14 years.

Jeffrey Steiner, global head of McDermott's real estate finance group, said: "Rachel brings a level of experience and sophistication that will further enhance the team's ability to support clients in highly complex transactions. Rachel's arrival and the overall expansion of the team makes us uniquely positioned to service the growing market demand at the intersection of real estate and finance in London and around the globe."

Kelly added: "The firm's impressive background in representing clients in a wide variety of transactions, including securitisations, CLOs and real estate finance, coupled with the dynamic development of its London office, was a big draw in my decision to join McDermott."

A BCLP spokesperson said: "We thank Rachel for her work and wish her all the best for the future."

Kelly's hire comes after McDermott hired  three London real estate partners from DLA Piper in April, just weeks after recruiting 20 partners from the firm's US offices.

The City trio – Laurence Rogers, Neville Wright and Tom Calnan – specialise in real estate finance, real estate corporate tax and commercial real estate respectively. Their hires came after McDermott recruited about 50 lawyers from DLA, including partners, associates and counsel, in a move expected to add about $100m to its top line.