Aline Poncelet, HFW

HFW has boosted its European transactional team with the appointment of leading French corporate M&A partner Aline Poncelet to its Paris office.

Poncelet joins the firm from Paul Hastings where she had been a partner since 2004, having joined the firm via its acquisition of French legacy firm Moquet Borde.

Prior to that, Poncelet had been at Moquet Borde since 1985 and was made up to partner in 1993.

Poncelet is also the current chairperson of the French Capital Market Lawyers Association and the French Women's Interest Group of the International Bar Association, according to her former firm's profile.

A spokesperson for Paul Hastings said: "We wish her well."

Her appointment is the second transactional partner hire for HFW in as many weeks, following that of aviation finance partner Asheesh Das in the firm's London office.

Earlier this year, HFW opened a Monaco office with the hire of a seven-lawyer team from Ince & Co.

Its most recent hire is the latest in a series of moves in the French capital.

Yesterday, U.S. firm Gibson Dunn hired a three-lawyer team from Ashurst to its base in the city, while Shearman & Sterling picked up a partner from Mayer Brown.