International law firm McDermott Will & Emery has appointed new management for its London practice.

Chicago-headquartered McDermott Will & Emery has appointed private client lawyer Andrew Vergunst to head up its London office.

Vergunst joined the firm’s London office in 2009 from Maitland, where he held roles including group director, law partner and head of the private client department. He brings particular experience in international and cross-border trust, tax, estate and strategic planning for high net worth individuals, multinational families and their businesses, executives and entrepreneurs. He has advised on integrated international tax planning and structuring, as well as migration planning, with a focus on the UK, the US and South Africa.

He replaces Hugh Nineham who will be retiring at the end of March after eight years at the firm.

“We are delighted to welcome Andrew into his new role as London office head,” said the firm's co-chair, Jeffrey Stone. “He will play a leading role both locally and globally as McDermott’s London office works to expand its services for clients, be they multinational companies, rising entrepreneurial firms, capital providers, financial institutions or the world’s wealthiest individuals and families."

Meanwhile, Mark Davis, McDermott’s corporate partner in London, has been appointed as head of the firm’s London corporate advisory practice group. He has experience in private equity and other merger and acquisition transactions and has represented several buyout funds in Europe and the US as well as global corporates on complex cross-border deals.