The London office of US firm Haynes and Boone has recruited a two-partner international disputes team from legacy Andrews Kurth Kenyon following its April merger with Hunton & Williams. The four-lawyer team, led by Andrews Kurth’s former London managing partner and head of international arbitration Melanie Willems, joined Haynes and Boone's 15-partner London base on Monday (25 June). Willems is accompanied by arbitration partner, Markus Esly, counsel Robert Blackett and associate Ryan Deane, alongside two support staff. The team has a longstanding history together, having moved from US firm Howrey to Chadbourne & Parke eight years ago, before joining Andrews Kurth in 2013. Haynes and Boone launched in London via a merger with UK firm Curtis Davis Garrard in 2016, and now has around 30 lawyers in the capital. Managing partner Tim Powers said: "Many of our clients seek to resolve their cross-borders disputes before London courts or in major international arbitral forums. We are now able to offer our clients even more robust commercial dispute resolution capabilities in nearly every major financial centre around the world.” The newly merged Hunton Andrews Kurth, meanwhile, has an eight-partner City base which is now headed by former Hunton London managing partner Aaron Simpson, who took up the role last April. Following earlier unsuccessful talks with Addleshaw Goddard, Hunton agreed its merger with Andrews Kurth in early February, a deal which went live this April, creating a 1,000-lawyer firm with offices in 15 US cities and another five international bases.