Morgan Lewis & Bockius on Tuesday announced the addition of litigator Stephen Hall as a partner in the firm's Boston office.

Hall, who for the past four years had been a partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, focuses his practice on representing companies in a variety of regulated industries, including biotech, technology, finance, manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences.

In an interview Tuesday, Hall said what drove him toward Morgan Lewis, in part, was the firm's dedication to the life sciences, especially within the Boston office, reflecting the fact that that city is emerging as a tech-focused jurisdiction.

"Having my practice starting in Boston, I had a lot of opportunities to work with those companies here," Hall said.

"What I've been really seeing a lot of is there's an uptick in product-liability suits against tech companies," Hall continued. "What we're learning is they don't have a history with those types of claims and that the traditional strategies don't necessarily play out."

Hall said Morgan Lewis is poised to help provide "distinct and creative strategies" to help clients in the tech and life sciences sectors.

Morgan Lewis chair Jami McKeon, in a statement, said that the Boston office is a growing jurisdiction for life-sciences litigation, corporate and regulatory services and that the firm is pleased that Hall has decided to join.

"Stephen brings additional depth and capacity to our litigation team in that industry, and will enhance our ability to help our clients succeed in an increasingly competitive and regulated environment," McKeon said in her statement.

Hall specializes in defending companies in commercial and business disputes, as well as in product liability and mass tort litigation. He also has worked in white-collar defense, insurance-recovery disputes and employment discrimination.

"Stephen's proven track record across a vast array of disputes and regulatory compliance matters and investigations provides our clients with the decisive legal experience they need," Troy S. Brown, leader of Morgan Lewis's global litigation practice, said in a statement.

Hall said he looks forward to sitting down with his fellow partners to devise strategies to help companies "best navigate these land mines and protect these business interests."

Aside from Orrick, Hall's past professional experience also includes serving as a partner at Holland & Knight and as an associate with McCarter & English. He also currently serves as a board member with Lawyers for Civil Rights and is past president of the Boston Bar Foundation, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Morgan Lewis said it has deepened its global litigation bench during the past year, bringing aboard more than a dozen partners in various practice areas including white collar litigation and government investigations, securities enforcement, class action, intellectual property, financial services and product liability.

One recent partner hire was Marina Aronchik, who joined the firm's Chicago office and focuses her practice in the technology and commercial transactions space. Aronchick arrived at Morgan Lewis earlier this month from a 15-year career at Mayer Brown.