Salans has turned to the London office of Ropes & Gray for its new global chief operating officer.

Peter Griffith, who joined Salans' London office on 8 August, will be responsible for all the firm's global support services, including finance, IT, business development and marketing. He replaces Neil Woodcock, who retired earlier this year.

Griffith has more than 20 years' experiences in senior support roles for law firms, including Ashurst – where he worked for 13 years – and Ropes & Gray, where he was director of administration and helped set up the firm's UK operations.

Salans global managing partner Dariusz Oleszczuk commented: "I am delighted to welcome Peter to Salans and look forward to working with him. He brings with him a wealth of invaluable knowledge and experience."

The news comes after Salans last October re-elected Oleszczuk as global managing partner for his third consecutive term in the role. He has held the post since 2004 and has been a partner at Salans for almost 20 years.

The firm's strategy for the next three years includes a focus on emerging markets, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe.

Salans, which has a formal alliance with Pinsent Masons, has more than 750 fee earners operating out of 22 offices across 17 countries.