DLA Piper has set out its new US leadership team, with the appointments coming as joint chief executive and managing partner Nigel Knowles takes up another term at the helm of the firm.

Knowles (pictured) took up his latest leadership term at DLA on 1 January after standing uncontested at the end of 2011. He has been running the firm since 1996.

Knowles said: "We aim to be the leading global business law firm and support our clients across the globe and I am proud to be leading this endeavour for the next three years.

"We have a clear picture of what it takes to be the leading global business law firm and, together, our senior management team will implement the firm's strategic framework and continue on strengthening our practice areas."

Meanwhile, in the US, DLA has announced that Roger Meltzer, chair of the corporate and finance practice, and Cameron Rains, co-chair of the global corporate practice, will become US co-chairs for a four-year term starting on 1 January.

In addition, Terence O'Malley, DLA's existing US managing partner, has taken up a one-year additional role as a US co-chair alongside global co-chair Frank Burch and joint chief executive Lee Miller. Burch, Miller and O'Malley will then serve as co-chairs emeriti for two years from 1 January, 2013.

The firm's new US leadership team will work closely with former Linklaters managing partner Tony Angel, who was brought in by DLA before Christmas as global co-chair alongside Burch and senior partner of the international LLP, which houses all of DLA Piper's operations outside the US.

Burch commented: "We are thrilled that Roger and Jay will succeed us as US co-chairs and that Terry's great service to the firm will be recognised by his role as co-chair for the balance of our term.

"Lee and I look forward to working with this team on the continued implementation of our strategy to be the world's leading global business law firm."

Legal Week reported in November that Knowles was set to win another term at the helm after no-one put themselves forward to replace him. Partners have said that his position had been strengthened by the arrival of Angel, who has a brief to help integrate the US and International partnerships.

Since becoming managing partner in 1996 Knowles has taken the firm from a regional UK law firm to a global player with turnover of more than £1bn. He has overseen the firm's UK and international expansion, including the 2005 mergers with US firms Piper Rudnick and Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, as well as this year's merger with Australian ally DLA Phillips Fox.