Willkie Farr & Gallagher has snared Kirkland & Ellis private equity partners Matthew Dean and Claire McDaid  as the firm makes its long-expected push in the London leveraged buyout market.

Dean, whose recent clients include Bain Capital, Summit Partners, CapVest, MezzVest and HIG Capital, is New York qualified, and focuses mainly on fund formations, leveraged buyouts, financings and venture capital investments.