David L. Balser, one of the leading trial lawyers in the southeast United States, and Lawrence A. Slovensky, a prominent litigator, have joined the business litigation practice of King & Spalding as partners in the Atlanta, Ga., office, the firm announced today. Their arrival continues the strategic global expansion of the firm’s litigation practice, bringing the total number of lateral litigation partners who have joined the firm in the past 24 months to 21. The two lawyers join King & Spalding from McKenna Long & Aldridge, where they were partners.

Leading international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is to add two partners to its London funds practice.

Pillsbury today announced that intellectual property (IP) litigators Callie Bjurstrom and Peter Hahn have joined its Intellectual Property practice section as partners in San Diego. Formerly partners at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, the lawyers add considerable IP litigation and related business experience to Pillsbury. Specifically, Bjurstrom and Hahn’s backgrounds span key industries and disciplines including international technology law and global business, electronic gaming, consumer products and branding, IP portfolio management and complex litigation.

Shearman & Sterling is representing Sany Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of Shanghai-listed Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., in its acquisition of German mechanical engineering group Putzmeister. Sany, together with the Chinese private equity company CITIC PE Advisors, Ltd., which will hold a minority participation of 10 percent, acquired all shares in Putzmeister Holding GmbH. Former owners of the Putzmeister Holding GmbH are Karl Schlecht Gemeinnützige Stiftung and Karl Schlecht Familienstiftung. The acquisition, one of the largest acquisitions by a Chinese investor in Germany, is subject to the approval by the competent supervisory and regulatory authorities.