Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has added a partner from Latham & Watkins to its New York base.

Employment partner Lori D Goodman joins the Magic Circle firm's executive compensation and employee benefits practice, and will focus on compensation and benefits aspects of M&A, private equity, disclosure, and corporate governance, according to a statement by the firm.

Freshfields' new hire follows the loss of corporate partner Samuel Newhouse last week who went in the opposite direction, joining Latham's London office.

Goodman's hire goes some way to filling the void left by Dechert-bound employee benefits and executive compensation partner Howard Klein in January.

The move comes amid a wider effort at the Magic Circle firm to make itself more competitive in an increasingly heated U.S. market. Late last year, the firm hired highly regarded M&A partner Ethan Klingsberg from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, alongside partners Meredith Kotler, Pam Marcogliese and Paul Tiger.

Of the latest hire, senior partner Edward Braham said in a statement: "Our focus on being the premier corporate governance advisor globally, as well as our volume of US M&A work, demands the thoughtful US compensation and benefits advice that Lori is now positioned to provide to our clients."