Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is aiming to expand its US disputes practice and ramp up its use of project management under the leadership of new UK and US practice chief Damien Byrne Hill.

Banking litigation chief Byrne Hill, who will succeed senior partner contender Mark Shillito as head of UK and US disputes on 1 May, said the firm's US offering – which launched in 2012 with the hire of a six-partner disputes team from Chadbourne & Parke – "needs to be bigger".

The New York base now has 31 fee earners, including 11 partners, with the majority focusing on disputes work, and Byrne Hill pinpoints the office's launch areas as those which need to grow.

"We need to build on the three planks of the office we originally set up – arbitration, corporate crime and investigations, and the US aspect of international litigation. We have excellent partners in each of those areas but we need to keep going. It needs to be bigger," he said.

The New York base has just gone through a leadership change, with former Chadbourne litigation head Tom Riley handing over the reins to US head of investigations and financial services litigation Scott Balber. Riley is remaining at the firm and will return to full-time fee earning.

In the UK, while the firm has no immediate plans to significantly increase disputes headcount, Byrne Hill said there are a number of specific sectors the firm is keeping a close eye on. In particular, he highlighted tax litigation, public law, corporate crime and investigations and financial services regulation as areas that are becoming increasingly busy and may require investment.

Byrne Hill said the firm is also looking to make more use of project management, an area in which HSF has been building up its capabilities since the 2015 hire of a team of specialists from Berwin Leighton Paisner.

The firm now has 21-strong team of project managers, who are currently deployed across its disputes, corporate, finance, real estate and projects practices, and Byrne Hill expects to make more use of such techniques in disputes, arbitration and investigations.

He explained: "Our key objectives are to roll out project management across more areas and work out ways to use the data we have to improve our clients' experience.

"Litigation is, by its nature, very difficult to be precise about. Clients always want as much clarity on their cases as possible – with the right tools and project management capabilities they can get information in a way that is easier to understand and can help them make better decisions."

While Byrne Hill acknowledged that there is "a change in perspective" to being in charge of a practice compared to running a group, as a firm lifer and in his 18th year as a partner, he is confident in the practice he is inheriting and how it can achieve its vision.

Fellow HSF lifer Mark Shillito, who led the UK and US disputes team for more than 10 years, has stepped forward to contest the senior partner role held by corporate partner James Palmer, and is currently pitching his leadership vision to partners. In the interim period, he will retain his role as global head of intellectual property.

Byrne Hill is positive about market prospects, and the opportunity for HSF to further strengthen its market standing as a top disputes firm. "In the current market, it is a continual battle to ensure one retains one's position at the top of the tree," he said. "My goal is to see HSF continued to be recognised as the world leader in litigation."