Morgan Lewis has hired a two-partner private investment funds team from US top 50 rival Morrison & Foerster in London.

The arrival of rated practitioners Oliver Rochman and Rob Mailer and two associates will add weight to Morgan Lewis’s international funds practice, which boasts 150 lawyers.

The pair originally worked together as partners at top UK private equity and funds firm SJ Berwin  — which was swallowed up by King & Wood Mallesons in 2013 — before going their separate ways and then reuniting at MoFo in January 2017.

Rochman advises both sponsors and investors on private equity funds, private debt funds, funds of funds and venture capital funds; Mailer focuses on private investment fund formation and fundraising and has a particular expertise in new technologies such as artificial intelligence and fintech.

Timothy Levin, head of Morgan Lewis’s global investment management practice, said: “Their diverse experience and market perspective presents increased opportunities for our sponsor-side and investor clients, where we continue to see an appetite for US-based clients to make inroads into other markets and London-based clients competing in the global funds markets.”

London managing partner Frances Murphy added: “In addition to their strong fund formation practice, they provide expanded institutional investor representation in London, which aligns well with our leading practice representing the world’s most significant sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and other asset managers.”

In February last year, Morgan Lewis opened in Abu Dhabi office after hiring an eight-lawyer team from Squire Patton Boggs, led by private investment funds specialist Bill Nash.

Alongside its 17 US offices, its international network also extends to Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

In January, MoFo unveiled a strong set of financial results for its London arm with revenue up by nearly 25% to $49.3m (£38.6m).