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Latham & Watkins has hired Clifford Chance's (CC) head of infrastructure M&A Brendan Moylan.

London-based Moylan, who joined CC as an associate in 1999, was made up to partner at the magic circle firm in 2005 and specialises in domestic and cross-border M&A for private equity clients.

With a particular focus on infrastructure funds and power transactions, Moylan last year led CC's team advising Global Infrastructure Partners on its acquisition of Singapore-based Equis Energy for $5bn (£3.9bn) – one of the biggest ever acquisitions in the renewable energy sector.

Latham has been aggressively recruiting across London and continental Europe in recent months, picking up a number of partners from magic circle firms.

Earlier this summer, it picked up Madrid real estate partner Rafael Molina and London financial regulation partner Carl Fernandes from Linklaters. In March, it boosted its Duesseldorf base with the addition of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer M&A partner Tobias Larisch.

The US firm has hired a number of partners from CC in recent years, hiring global private equity head David Walker in 2013, who was followed by fellow private equity partner Tom Evans six months later, and then PE partner and Africa co-head Kem Ihenacho.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the magic circle firm's global co-head of private equity Oliver Felsenstein and PE partner Burc Hesse left to join Latham in Frankfurt, as partners in the corporate department in 2015.

In addition to its magic circle hires, Latham also hired restructuring duo Yen Sum and Jennifer Brennan from US rival Sidley Austin earlier this summer.

For CC, Moylan's move represents the second partner exit from the firm's City base in 2018. White-collar crime partner Judith Seddon joined Ropes & Gray in January as co-head of the US firm's London international risk practice.

CC said: "We would like to thank Brendan for his contribution to the firm and wish him well for the future."

Latham declined to comment.