The international law firm has previously said it is aggressively expanding its private client business.

Christen Douglas has joined McDermott Will & Emery's private client group as a partner in New York.

Douglas was previously a senior associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman - also the former firm of McDermott's previous recruit, Ellen Harrison, in Washington, DC.

Douglas specializes in trust and estate planning, administration and litigation. She works with individuals and families, as well as individual and corporate fiduciaries in administering trusts and estates.

She started her legal career as a litigator in Los Angeles, CA.

Her litigation experience enables her to help clients avoid potential issues and ambiguities in their estate plans that might otherwise lead to costly litigation, McDermott said.