Norton Rose has hired five partners from independent French firm Sokolow Dunaud Mercadier & Carreras as the London firm moves to bolster its Paris arm.

The 11-lawyer team, which is being headed by name partner Jean-Francois Mercadier, specialises in corporate finance and M&A. The other partners are Herve Castelnau, Pascale Gallien, Alain Malek and Alexandre Brabant, who all start with the UK firm on 5 January, 2004.