Herbert Smith has appointed Paris litigation head Denis Chemla to the new role of disputes chief for Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Chemla took up the role on 1 May this year after the firm's litigation conference in Paris at the end of last month. There is no fixed term for the position.

The appointment has been made in light of a wider strategy for the firm's disputes practice that will see individual offices work more closely together to share clients around the world.

Chemla has been at Herbert Smith since 1996 and was made up to partner in 1998.

Global dispute resolution head Sonya Leydecker (pictured) said: "Our litigation practice across Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa has expanded in recent years, such that it justifies separate leadership.

"Denis' role will be to take full advantage of the complex cross-border work in the region which arises out of our global network. The new structure will encourage closer co-operation across our network, including our alliance firms, and with the practice in Asia and London."

Chemla specialises in product liability, banking and securities litigation, and white-collar crime. His new role excludes international arbitration, which is jointly headed globally by City partner Paula Hodges and Paris partner Charles Kaplan.

The move follows the appointment of a secretary general to manage the relationship between Herbert Smith and its alliance partners Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe in a bid to improve integration between the three firms.

Stibbe's Brussels managing partner Olivier Clevenbergh is set to take up the new role on 1 July for a three-year term.