Ropes & Gray London real estate partners Partha Pal and Carol Hopper have left the firm to join US rival Greenberg Traurig's base in the capital.

Pal and Hopper have both spent almost four years in Ropes' London real estate team, after joining from Chadbourne & Parke and Allen & Overy (A&O) respectively during 2015.

Pal focuses on the financing of real estate assets, and has led finance transactions in the UK and across Europe, as well as in South Korea, China and Hong Kong.

Hopper, meanwhile, advises funds, investors and other financial services providers on a range of domestic and international real estate transactions. Before joining Ropes, Hopper spent 28 years at A&O.

Greenberg has been expanding its London office in recent years, with the firm's 2017 limited liability partnership accounts revealing that average staff headcount in the City base had grown from 47 to 57 during the 12 months ending 31 March 2017.

In a joint statement, Greenberg real estate co-chairs Robert Ivanhoe, Corey Light and Richard Giusto said: "Our strategy for the growth of this team is based not on numbers but on quality and the ability to address client needs in a wide range of areas, from finance to tax and beyond.

"Partha and Carol have the background and reputation that meets that strategy. The fact that they have worked together further confirms their fit with our firm, where collaboration is a mainstay of the culture."

Legal Week reported in September that a number of exits from Ropes had come as part of a strategic shift for the firm as it looks to instil a more global focus in London.

A Ropes spokesperson said: "We thank them for their contribution and wish them all the best with their future careers."