Linklaters has boosted its New York capital markets practice with the hire of a team from Mayer Brown, led by partner Doug Donahue.

Donahue’s exit comes just over a year after he joined Mayer Brown from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, where he worked for 12 years. He will be joined by counsel William Liu and associate Raha Brown.

Donahue is an OTC derivatives lawyer who represents both buy and sell-side institutions, including dealers, banks, and hedge funds, in connection with the development, structuring, negotiation and documentation of a wide variety of financial products.

Linklaters capital markets head Michael Voisin said: “Doug has an excellent reputation in the New York market and is a welcome addition to the team. Linklaters has an established global capital markets practice, renowned for its derivatives law capabilities; Doug’s arrival significantly enhances our U.S. and global capabilities.”

This is the first high-profile hire for the firm since appointing corporate partner Tom Shropshire as head of the global US practice following the retirement of US head Scott Bowie halfway through his four year mandate.