British sports carmaker Aston Martin has scooped up a Mercedes-Benz executive as its first U.S.-based general counsel—a move that reflects the increased importance of the American market for the company as it attempts to boost global sales from 6,000 to 10,000 vehicles per year.

Audra Dial announced her appointment as general counsel for North America and South America on LinkedIn Thursday. The Atlanta-area executive comes to Aston Martin from Sandy Springs, Georgia-based Mercedes-Benz USA, where she was associate general counsel for litigation for nearly three years. Before that, she was a trade secrets and patent litigator for Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton for nearly 20 years.