Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed partner Andrew Hart as its global head of dispute resolution, and Sarah Parkes as head of the London dispute resolution group. In the US, Freshfields appointed a United States head of international arbitration for the first time, choosing New York partner Noiana Marigo for the post.

Focus and experience

Mr Hart takes over from David Scott, who has just completed his four-year term in the role and will be continuing his client work. Sarah Parkes has been appointed to provide additional focus for the London practice group. Mr Hart, who has been a partner with Freshfields since 1997, has been in the litigation field for many years, scoring notable trial successes for Deloitte, Rothschild and Deutsche Bank. He has spent significant periods of time assisting building up the US litigation team. Ms Parkes has been a partner in the firm’s dispute resolution group since 2008 and specialises in complex financial services litigation, investigation and regulatory enforcement proceedings. Senior partner Edward Braham said ‘Andrew and Sarah bring a wealth of experience to leading our dispute resolution team. Our market leading team delivers unparalleled services to clients across the globe effectively managing risks to get the outcomes they want on their most complex matters.’

Americas growth

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed a Latin American specialist as the first head of the US international arbitration group, as it eyes further expansion of the practice. Ms Marigo has been with the firm for over 16 years, and was promoted to partner and joint head of the Latin American practice group in May 2014. Nigel Blackaby, the firm’s global co-head of international arbitration, stated, ‘as our arbitration group continued to expand globally, it became clear that we needed a proven leader with exceptional energy and vision who could focus solely on our strategic growth within the Americas. Having worked with Noiana for over 15 years, I knew she was the right person.’