Linklaters has hired a four-lawyer investment funds team to its New York office, following a defection of lawyers earlier this year.

The Magic Circle firm has hired two special counsel from U.S. firm Schulte Roth & Zabel as partners, along with a senior associate and associate.

Jason Behrens and David Miller both joined Schulte Roth & Zabel in 2012. Behrens spent two years as general counsel at investment platform ACE Portal between 2013-15, according to his LinkedIn page.

The team hire follows the loss of a team of Linklaters investment funds lawyers including team leader Lorna Bowen in April, who joined Debevoise & Plimpton.

Linklaters has also expanded its U.S. presence with a series of lateral partner hires in Washington in recent months, most recently bringing on bankruptcy partner Amy Edgy from Jones Day and financial regulatory partner Jerome Roche from Mayer Brown.

Earlier this year, Legal Week revealed that Linklaters will move from its New York office space next year, reducing its space slightly. The firm will move a stone's throw from its current 107,000 square foot office at 1345 Sixth Avenue, its home since 1998, to a 91,168 square foot base over four floors in the AXA Financial Center at 1290 Sixth Avenue.

The Magic Circle firm is also currently considering the future of its iconic London home at One Silk Street. The lease on that property runs out in 2026.