Sidley Austin has recruited Pillarstone general counsel and ex-Kirkland partner Mark Knight to restock its City restructuring practice after the exits of partners Yen Sum and Jennifer Brennan to Latham & Watkins last summer.

Knight, who previously spent eight years as a partner in Kirkland's European restructuring practice, joined investment platform Pillarstone as its first-ever GC in March 2017.

The platform, which was set up by US private equity giant KKR in 2015, focuses on turning around underperforming and non-core European bank assets, and Knight spent time there on secondment from Kirkland before joining full-time.

The hire of Knight comes after restructuring duo Sum and Brennan left Sidley last August after an 18-month stint at the firm. The pair, who joined Sidley from Linklaters in early 2017, are now working together at Latham.

Other recent hires for Sidley Austin in London include private equity duo Wim De Vlieger and Till Lefranc, who joined the US firm's City office as partners from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett late last year.

Sidley's London office recently underwent a change in management, with London corporate co-head Thomas Thesing taking over from Matthew Dening, who has since returned to his former firm Baker McKenzie.