Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has continued to build its US practice after a string of partner hires last year with the appointment of Simpson Thacher litigation partner Linda Martin.

Martin, who will join the US civil litigation practice at Freshfields on 8 September, has acted for banks including J.P. Morgan and UBS on commercial disputes, as well as civil litigation matters within the insurance, energy, technology, consumer products and healthcare industries.

Freshfields US dispute resolution group will now comprise 15 partners, including Martin, and over 70 associates.

The firm launched its US civil litigation and white collar practices as part of this group five years ago.

Adam Siegel, regional managing partner for the US at Freshfields, said Martin's hire was a "key milestone in building out Freshfields' ability to assist international and domestic clients with their most significant opportunities and challenges in US courts".

Martin's appointment comes on the back of six partner hires over the last 10 months, all of which were focused in the firm's transactional practices.

In September, the firm brought over a three partner capital markets team from Fried Frank, comprised of senior partner Valerie Ford Jacob and partners Michael Levitt and Paul Tropp.

The same month, Freshfields signed Mitchell Presser (ex-Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz) and James Douglas (ex-Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom) to fill the newly created management positions of US M&A head and leveraged finance head respectively.

Former Shearman & Sterling partner Peter Lyons also arrived to serve as co-head of the firm's global public M&A group, before the firm hired Kirkland & Ellis employment partner Howard Klein in February this year to bolster the services it can provide on corporate transactions.