Reed Smith has launched a shipping practice in New York with the hire of Holland & Knight partner Lars Forsberg.

Forsberg, who was formerly based in Holland & Knight's New York office, joined Reed Smith earlier this month.

He specialises in admiralty law, litigation and dispute resolution, with a particular focus on purchase and sale matters for commercial vessels and large private yachts.

Meanwhile, David Myers has returned to Reed Smith's City shipping practice as counsel after leaving in 1994 to join London shipping firm Jackson Parton, where he stayed until 2000.

He later became a judge of the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, before returning to private practice in 2008.

Reed Smith global shipping group head Nick Shaw (pictured) said: "On the shipping side we tend to grow relatively slowly as we need to make sure that we hire the right people with the right culture, and Lars and David both fall clearly within that culture.

"We wish to use the Reed Smith platform of offices to grow our US practice, including the West Coast of the US."

Reed Smith has made a number of hires this year, most recently boosting its City energy practice with the hire of four partners from Pinsent Masons in July.