Legal Business Blogs

Cleary ends City partner promotion drought by making up one in finance

One London lawyer has finally been made up at global firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, as the firm promotes eight this year. The firm’s US contingent has made up the rest of its global partnership round.

After two years without a promotion, this year Cleary has elected to promote one in the City. Its new London partner brings up the promotion round by one following last year’s boost of seven.

Finance lawyer Jim Ho will become a partner on January 1, 2017. Currently advising a large CIS metals and mining company on its $5.7bn debt financings, Ho has previously guided UC RUSAL in its $5.15bn restructuring and the Truvo Group in its completed global restructuring. Ho has also advised Hellenic Republic on a number of complex transactions, including its €7.16bn bridge loan from the EU under the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism and its €206bn bond exchange that formed a key component of the country’s EU assistance package.

Across Cleary, four have been made up in the firm’s New York headquarters while three will join the Washington DC office. The promotions bring the firm’s total partner headcount to 195. According to the Global 100, Cleary’s headcount in the City fell by 3% in 2015 to 117 fee earners. However over a five year track the firm’s headcount in London has lifted by 26%.

Other US firms to release their partner promotions this year include White & Case which bolstered its partnership by 40 this year, an increase of 23% on last year’s numbers with eight made up in the City. Kirkland & Ellis also announced it had made six up to partner in London in an 81-strong global partner promotion round while Ropes & Gray promoted two in its partner round of 11 this year.

madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk

The full list of promotions:

Nowell Bamberger, disputes, Washington

Daniel Culley, antitrust,  Washington

David Herrington, litigation,  New York

Jim Ho, finance,  London

Aaron Meyers, M&A,  New York

Kenneth Reinker, antitrust,  Washington

Daniel Reynolds, real estate, New York

Kimberly Spoerri, M&A, New York