Dechert international trade co-chair Miriam Gonzalez is leaving the firm as her husband Nick Clegg, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, takes a top role with Facebook in the US.

Gonzalez joined Dechert's London office from DLA Piper in 2011 and took the helm of the firm's EU trade and EU government affairs practice. At the time, Clegg was Deputy Prime Minister in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Clegg, who lost his seat in parliament in the 2017 general election, has been appointed as Facebook's head of global communications and policy, and his family will move to Silicon Valley in January.

Gonzalez, a seasoned trade negotiator who served as the lead EU negotiator for the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) telecoms agreement and also handled WTO negotiations on e-commerce, energy, postal and construction services, has also served as co-chair of Dechert's international trade and government regulation practice.

Her role in the practice's leadership became complicated in May when Dechert brought in Hughes Hubbard & Reed IT practice chairwoman Amanda DeBusk to become the new chairwoman of the practice. A Dechert representative explained at the time that while Gonzalez and Washington lawyers Jeremy Zucker were co-chairs focused on the EU and the US respectively, DeBusk would be the global chairwoman.

Dechert has offices in Silicon Valley and San Francisco that would have served as potential landing places for Gonzalez, but instead she has elected to leave the firm.

"Miriam has made a significant contribution to the firm and we wish her and her family all the very best for her new life in the US," said Camille Abousleiman, chairman of Dechert's London management committee.

Gonzalez was on a flight returning to the UK on Friday and was unable to respond to an inquiry about her next professional move.