Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld announced Friday that a leading appellate attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office has joined as senior counsel in the firm’s Supreme Court and appellate practice.

Aileen McGrath will start her role as senior counsel Feb. 16. She will be based in San Francisco. In 2012, McGrath became deputy city attorney for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, and most recently served as the city’s co-chief of appellate litigation. She has also served as a staff attorney to California Supreme Court Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar.