Gide Loyrette Nouel, the French law firm, has hired four partners from US rival Sidley Austin Brown & Wood to set up a London office to focus on structured finance and capital markets.

The firm has recruited Christopher Mead and Scott Cameron, New York qualified lawyers, and Colin Mercer and Michael Doran, UK solicitors. It has also sent Arnaud Duhamel, a partner in its Paris office, to London.