Kirkland & Ellis Hong Kong finance partner Ashley Young will move to London to work alongside the firm’s latest star hire – Weil Gotshal & Manges’ banking head Stephen Lucas.

Young, who was previously a junior partner at Allen & Overy but understood to have been promoted to the equity when hired by Kirkland in August 2011, will be joining forces with Lucas – one of the City’s top-ranked banking partners – to boost Kirkland’s leveraged finance practice in the City.