Addleshaw Goddard has appointed former DLA Piper partner Paul Hirst as its new head of transport.

Hirst, who  joined DLA from Simmons and Simmons in 2003, was head of the DLA's rail and public transport practice.

His 16 years' experience in transport law include advising the Olympic Delivery Authority on its £1.2 billion Olympic Transport Plan and, most recently, leading the DLA team that advised the Department for Transport's Rail Executive on the award of its Great Anglia franchise.

Hirst could start at Addleshaws as early as August, joining as a partner based in the firm's Leeds office.

Hirst's appointment will bolster Addleshaws' growing infrastructure, projects and energy team, which hired two partners, Angus Rollo and Guy Winter, both from Shepherd and Wedderburn, in July last year. Paul Dight, another member of the team, made partner in March's promotions round.

Earlier this week, the firm revealed a net profit drop of 11% for the 2013-14 financial year, a result that prompted a raft of changes to its executive and governance boards.