Clifford Chance has hired Christopher Walton, a securities lawyer at the New York office of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, and is transferring him to London to provide combined UK and US advice for European deals.

Walton's arrival swells the number of Clifford Chance's US securities partners to 22. The firm is keen to capture US legal work in London for debt and equity offerings, which has traditionally been held by the London offices of US law firms.