Bird & Bird has hired Stewarts Law heavyweight partner and head of employment Tim Spillane.

Spillane joined Stewarts in 2010 as a partner, having previously spent just under nine years at Simmons & Simmons.

He is highly rated in the practice area, specialising in advising senior executives in a range of industries on disputes including whistleblowing claims, unfair dismissal and breaches of contract.

He is set to join Bird & Bird in September. The firm's international employment co-head Ian Hunter said in a statement that Spillane is "extremely well regarded among colleagues and peers", adding: "I'm sure he will provide a real boost to our contentious employment offering."

Spillane is the second partner to leave Stewarts recently this year.

Securities litigation partner Andrew Hill left the firm in March to join disputes specialist Fox Williams.

The latest departure comes following a lacklustre set of financial results.

The firm reported a 10.8% increase in revenue to hit £69M but its profit per equity partner slumped 16% after a disappointing set of results last year.

Meanwhile, Bird & Bird has continued expanding in the U.K. and Europe, last month opening its first official base of operations, in Berlin.

That move followed Bird & Bird's largest-ever partner promotion round in May, in which it promoted 20 partners. In March, the firm's longstanding CEO David Kerr was re-elected by the partnership for another three years, which will take his period at the helm to 26 years.