Dewey & LeBoeuf has named litigator Peter Sharp as the head of its London office.

Sharp's appointment marks the first time the firm has had a office head in the City since the 2007 merger of Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae.

The firm took the decision to discard the local managing partner role in 2007 following a post-merger review carried out by management consultancy McKinsey. The London heads at the two firms – Sharp at LeBoeuf and Dewey's Fred Gander – returned to full-time fee earning in the wake of the merger.

Since 2007, firmwide chair Steve Davis has split his time between London and New York to oversee the integration of the two firms and implement the combined firm's initial three-year plan, which is now in its final 12 months.

In his new role, Sharp (pictured) will chair the London policy committee while remaining as co-head of restructuring and insolvency along with partners Camille Abousleiman and Bruce Johnston. He also intends to continue fee earning.

In a memo to all staff, Davis said: "We are now in the final year of our original three-year plan of merger integration. Since October 2007, we have made considerable progress in working together as a single global firm. In order to work in an even more effective and integrated way, we are planning for a more co-ordinated approach to business development activity across practices, sectors and regions."

At the same time Dewey has also created two new senior management roles, with Washington-based litigator Ralph Ferrara and New York corporate partner Mort Pierce appointed as firmwide vice chairs.