Davis Polk & Wardwell announced Friday that it has hired Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer capital markets partner Simon Witty and will launch an English law practice out of its London office.

Davis Polk managing partner Thomas Reid says the firm decided to finally launch an English law practice in London because of “the recognition that we have to offer clients, and to be neutral among the major legal systems of the world — being U.S., English and Hong Kong law.” Davis Polk, he adds, is already offering English law capabilities elsewhere, so it makes sense to do so in the U.K.