Birch, who joins from Allen & Overy, where he practiced for more than 13 years, is a US qualified commodities finance lawyer. His practice largely focuses on physical commodities, specifically structured equity and commodity finance transactions, in particular those with a physical commodity component. These include hedging, structured products and financial indices.

Birch is known for his expertise in advising on highly structured and complex transactions, including inventory and storage monetization transactions and other structured commodity transactions, such as pre-pay structures as well as margin loans and collar financing.

Senior Associate Elizabeth Stroud will also join the Energy and Natural Resources Group from Allen & Overy.

Praj Samant, chair of Reed Smith’s Energy and Natural Resources Group, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Daniel to the firm. He is a very talented lawyer with a standout reputation in the energy and commodities sector. His expertise will be an invaluable addition to our market leading commodities team.”

Andrew Jenkinson, London office managing partner, said: “Daniel is an excellent addition to our finance offering and to the Energy and Natural Resources group are looking forward to welcoming him to the London office.”

Birch said: “I am extremely excited to join Reed Smith, a firm with a strong global platform and collaborative culture. I look forward to expanding my commodities finance practice and supporting the growth of the firm’s energy offering.”

Reed Smith’s multidisciplinary Energy and Natural Resources Group comprises around 160 lawyers worldwide, combining regulatory, transactional, financial, environmental health and safety, projects and construction, and litigation disciplines.