Dechert has boosted its Paris offering with the hire of highly-rated independent arbitration lawyer Pierre Mayer.

Mayer joined Dechert's 38-lawyer Paris office as a partner last week from his own independent firm, the Law Offices of Pierre Mayer. He advises on international trade disputes, as well as disputes involving joint ventures and industrial cooperation, technology transfer, distribution and construction.

Mayer spent around 20 years at Coudert Brothers before joining Clifford Chance as a consultant in early 2004.

Dechert's Paris dispute resolution practice head Xavier Nyssen said: "Pierre Mayer is recognised throughout the European legal community as a leading authority on private international law and arbitration. His extensive experience in resolving complex international disputes will be invaluable to our clients and our lawyers."

Nyssen was one of six partners who joined Dechert from Coudert at the end of 2005.

Mayer is the vice president of the French Private International Law Committee and is also past president of the Committee on International Commercial Arbitration of the International Law Association.

His appointment will bring the number of arbitration lawyers in Dechert's Paris office to six.