International law firm Reed Smith has hired four new partners to its energy, trade and commodities (ETC) group in London.

Keith Hartley and Peter Cassidy will join the company in mid-July, and Vincent Rowan and Gordon Bell will join in Q3 or Q4 of this year.

The four new partners all move from partner positions at legal firm Pincent Masons and have a range of experience to draw upon from a number of international energy and infrastructure projects.

Hartley has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating major energy infrastructure contracts, particularly in gas, nuclear and renewable power.

Cassidy, who has specialised in engineering and construction law since 1985, works on the contractor side of the oil and gas, petrochemicals and power sectors, while Rowan focuses on the developer side of similar sectors, as well as an expertise in transport.

Bell is an international arbitration specialist.

GTR speaks to Kyri Evagora, partner and head of Reed Smith’s ETC group, about the market influences that are driving the law firm’s growth: “Hiring as we have been is partly reactionary and partly in anticipation of what is to come as, essentially, interest continues to be relatively high in energy markets and that’s driving demand and growth [of Reed Smith]. I think that the need to develop renewable energy and energy resources at a global level is also a factor in Reed Smith’s growth, as we have the international footprint to serve our clients.”

Speaking specifically about the new hires, Evagora adds: “The appointment of four partners with such depth of experience as project counsel will significantly enhance the support we are able to provide to our producer and trading company clients around the world. We welcome Keith and Peter to the firm and look forward to the arrival of Vincent and Gordon later this year.”

Once all the new hires are in place, Reed Smith will boast 13 London-based partners in its ETC group, cementing its position as one of the largest law firms in the world.