Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has hired construction head and arbitration specialist Hamish Lal from fellow US firm Jones Day.
Lal joined Jones Day as its construction practice leader in 2009 from Dundas & Wilson, where he was also head of its construction practice.
He started out his career as a barrister at 4 New Square, leaving the set for Dundas in 2006.
Lal focuses on international construction arbitration in the oil, gas nuclear, major projects and infrastructure sectors. While at Jones Day, he has been involved in multiple construction and infrastructure disputes in the EMEA region, including Qatar, Cairo and Iraq.
Akin Gump currently has over 40 partners based in London, after it added 22 Bingham McCutchen partners in the City, Frankfurt and Hong Kong.
The firm also recently promoted three London lawyers to partnership out of 12 worldwide, including one in litigation.