Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is set to launch a Houston office with the hire of a team from specialist litigation boutique Gerger & Clarke.

David Gerger, one of the firm's founders, is to take the position of managing partner with colleague Shaun Clarke joining Quinn Emanuel as special counsel.

The office will also see the addition of David Isaak, Dane Ball and Samy Khail from Gerger & Clarke, all as of counsel.

"Houston is a booming market. As an international litigation firm we felt we needed a presence there," said firm Managing Partner John Quinn (pictured).

"However, we wanted to make sure we had the right focus and the right people. We found that in David and his team."

Gerger, who specialises in white collar practice, has worked on a number of high profile matters including the BP deep water horizon oil spill, and has represented the CFO of Enron.

"I was perfectly happy with my litigation boutique. However, when Quinn Emanuel approached me, it instantly made sense," said Gerger.

The office will be the firm's seventh US base, bringing its global total to 17 following a spate of office openings over the last year, including Hong Kong, Sydney, and most recently Brussels.

The litigation-focused firm now has more than 650 lawyers worldwide.