Reed Smith has made up new four partners in its London office as part of a 25-strong global promotions round.

The City promotions, which took effect on 1 January, are spread across the US firm's London litigation, finance and shipping practices.

Of the new partners, William Howards and Rosanne Kay are both litigators, focusing on shipping and EMEA disputes respectively. Panos Katsambas, meanwhile, joins the firm's finance practice and focuses on hedge funds and other private investment vehicles, while Marcus Dodds, who joins the firm's shipping practice in London, specialises in offshore matters.

Of the global promotions, 14 are resident in the firm's US offices, while the remaining 11 are spread across the firm's offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Commenting on the promotions, global managing partner Greg Jordan said: "All of these highly capable women and men are representative of Reed Smith's commitment to exceptional client service, intellectual and legal integrity, and public service around the globe.

"We welcome them as partners and look forward with optimism to their future contributions to our firm and the greater legal and business community."

The total number of promotions marks an increase on last year's figure, when 18 new partners were made up, with the firm's London office receiving just one of the new appointments.