Kirkland & Ellis is set to launch its second continental Europe base in Paris, with the hire of a pair of Linklaters partners in the French capital.

Linklaters Paris corporate partners Vincent Ponsonnaille and Laurent Victor-Michel are joining the US firm, and will set up the new office after the launch is approved by the Paris Bar Association.

Kirkland's only other office in continental Europe is in Munich, which opened in 2005.

Ponsonaille has been at Linklaters for 17 years, making partner in 2006. Victor-Michel, meanwhile, has been at the magic circle for 13 years and was made up to partner last year.

Key work the duo have handled for Linklaters in recent months has included advising cosmetics company L'Oreal on the sale of the Body Shop to Natura, and acting for private equity house Apax Partners MidMarket on its acquisition of Cipres Assurances from TA Associates.

Kirkland's Munich office currently has 15 partners, after M&A and private equity lawyer Thomas Krawitz was made up earlier this month in the US firm's largest ever global promotions round.

The US firm has been rebuilding the office after the departure of a seven-partner team to Sidley Austin in early 2017, recruiting private equity partner Volkmar Bruckner from Weil Gotshal & Manges last year.

Kirkland dethroned Latham & Watkins as the world's largest law firm by revenue in 2017 after taking in $3.165bn, and has been picking off some of the top corporate and private equity partners around the world, including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer heavyweight David Higgins.

Linklaters, which has 30 partners in Paris, declined to comment.