Norton Rose Fulbright has named legacy Fulbright & Jaworski litigator Linda Addison as its new US managing partner.

The appointment means that Houston partner Gerard Pecht will step into Addison's shoes as global head of disputes.

Addison (pictured) stepped in as head of the firm's US operations on an interim basis last December, when her predecessor Kenneth Stewart took a medical leave of absence.

She was voted in by the US partnership after an election last month. Her term will end on 31 December 2016.

Stewart has since returned to the firm to take up a newly created position as non-executive US chair, which will see him focus on client programmes and community relations.

Stewart replaced long-serving legacy Fulbright chair Steven Pfeiffer at the beginning of last year. He became Norton Rose Fulbright's first US managing partner last June, when Norton Rose's merger with the Houston-headquartered firm went live.

Addison, who has been a partner at legacy Fulbright since 1984, will remain a member of the firm's global executive committee. She was named as the global head of dispute resolution and litigation last May.

Global CEO Peter Martyr said: "Linda will continue to provide outstanding direction in this important leadership position. She has played a critical role in the establishment of Norton Rose Fulbright as a worldwide leader in today's competitive legal marketplace."

Pecht heads up the firm's US securities litigation, investigations and SEC enforcement group. It is not clear if the firm has lined up a replacement for him in that role.

Last month South Africa chairman Sbu Gule was formally named as the new global chairman of the firm for a one-year term. The agreement to name a South African partner as chair was part of the merger deal between Norton Rose and legacy Deneys Reitz when the firms combined in 2011.

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