Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is to lose another high profile City partner, with highly-rated disputes partner Ted Greeno to leave the firm.

Greeno, who has experience of commercial litigation and arbitration in sectors including oil, gas and power, is joining the London arm of US litigation specialists Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

Confirmation of his departure ends weeks of speculation about Greeno, who is understood to have spoken to several US firms.

Greeno's appointment will take the number of partners at the litigation-focused US firm's UK arm to 11, following last year's double hire of Allen & Overy partners Anthony Sinclair and Stephen Jagusch. Revenues have also risen significantly with the London arm seeing turnover jump by 20% to £27.5m in 2012.

His departure marks the latest in a string of exits from Herbert Smith's City practice, including a number of disputes partners.

Last month Latham & Watkins sealed the hire of corporate fraud partner Simon Bushell, who co-chairs HSF's London corporate fraud and asset-tracing practice as well as leading the firm's crisis management practice.

Meanwhile in January it emerged that financial regulatory partner Nikunj Kiri was leaving to join Linklaters, where he will work alongside fellow HSF partner and former Financial Services Authority market integrity group head Martyn Hopper.

Other high-profile departures from Herbert Smith to US firms in recent months include senior litigation partner Kevin Lloyd, who is set to join Debevoise & Plimpton, and corporate partner Will Pearce, who is departing for Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Legal Week also reported earlier this month that former finance head Jason Fox is to join the London arm of Houston's Bracewell & Giuliani as local senior partner.

It is not clear when any of the departing partners will join their new firms as legacy Herbert Smith has historically held some of its departing partners to close to their full notice periods. The firm recently cut its notice period back from 12 months to six as a result of its tie-up with Australia's Freehills, which went live in October.

It is understood that there was some opposition to the tie-up within the litigation practice, with at least one partner believed to have circulated a memo explaining his opposition to the union.

 Herbert Smith said in a statement: "Ted has been with the firm for nearly 30 years and we are sorry to see him go. We would like to thank Ted for his significant contribution to the development of our leading litigation practice and wish him all the best for the future."

Recent exits from Herbert Smith

March 2013 – Finance partner Jason Fox to Bracewell & Giuliani
Feb 2013 – Corporate fraud partner Simon Bushell to Latham & Watkins
Jan 2013 – Financial regulatory partner Nikunj Kiri to Linklaters
Dec 2012 – Litigation partner Kevin Lloyd to Debevoise & Plimpton
Nov 2012 – Corporate partner Will Pearce to Davis Polk & Wardwell
Sep 2012 – Contentious regulatory partner Martyn Hopper to Linklaters