Stephenson Harwood has recruited a trio of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) corporate partners, including former UK private equity co-head Jonathan Pittal.

Pittal is joining the UK firm's corporate team alongside corporate finance partner Warren Allan and private equity partner Gabriel Boghossian.

Allan trained and qualified at legacy SJ Berwin, making partner in 2012, while Boghossian joined from Macfarlanes earlier this year, where he was a senior solicitor.

Stephenson Harwood head of corporate Andrew Edge said: "The recruitment of Jonathan, Warren and Gabriel provides a significant expansion of our existing corporate offering – this addition of a highly experienced private equity team complements and builds upon our existing practices."

Pittal was one of the four senior London partners who resigned from KWM in October, prompting the firm's European arm to halt a planned £14m recapitalisation programme.

He quit along with UK investments funds head Michael Halford and corporate partner Andrew Wingfield, with former managing partner Rob Day also indicating his intention to resign at that time.

Day and Wingfield have subsequently joined Proskauer Rose, while Halford is joining Goodwin Procter alongside four other funds partners.

Earlier today (5 January), it emerged that Baker McKenzie has hired a seven-lawyer team from KWM including corporate partner Will Holder and employment head Carl Richards. Additionally, Debevoise & Plimpton announced that it had hired private equity specialist Simon Witney, a former SJ Berwin partner who has been a consultant at KWM since 2013, while Fieldfisher has taken on London technology partner James Walsh.

Other firms to have picked up partners include DLA Piper, Greenberg Traurig, Macfarlanes, K&L Gates, Winston & Strawn, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Reed Smith, Addleshaw Goddard, Covington & Burling, Keystone Law, Proskauer and Goodwin Procter.

KWM's European arm filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator with the High Court in December, a move which gives until Monday (9 January) to appoint administrators or to file another intention to appoint administrators.