Herbies raids Citibank for finance partner

Herbert Smith has ramped up its finance practice by ­recruiting ­securitisation partner Michael Poulton from Citibank.

Poulton has been an investment banker at Citi since 2005, ­having joined from Clifford Chance, where he was an associate.

At Herbert Smith he will focus on securitisation and structured finance work alongside ­partner Peter Epp, who joined the firm in April from White & Case.

Head of finance Jason Fox said Poulton’s hire would provide the practice with a “distinctive skill set”, adding: “An increasing number of our clients are requiring structured finance expertise from their lawyers, and many of our ­transactions now incorporate elements of structured finance.”