Legal Business

Taylor Wessing finalises leadership overhaul as litigation chief succeeds veteran managing partner Eyles

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Leadership Taylor Wessing

Taylor Wessing has completed its management reshuffle with the election of the law firm’s litigation co-head Shane Gleghorn (pictured) to managing partner.

Gleghorn succeeds veteran managing partner Tim Eyles, who announced in December he would be stepping down days before the 1,000-lawyer firm elected Dominic FitzPatrick as its new senior partner, replacing Adam Marks after six years.

Eyles had been managing partner for nine years and was widely seen as effective at raising the top UK law firm’s profile and driving international expansion. Gleghorn’s election is effective from October on a three-year term.

Gleghorn joined the firm in 2006 and sits on its UK board. Eyles took Taylor Wessing’s helm in 2009 in the middle of a recession, and is credited with hugely expanding its international network and improving its brand. In the UK, the business grew 41% under Eyles’ watch, viewed as a credible performance for a top 50 practice, despite lagging the kind of expansion seen as broad peers such as Osborne Clarke and Fieldfisher.

Growth has also slowed lately. In the year to 30 April 2017, Taylor Wessing saw profit available for division among LLP members fall to £46.9m from £49.9m, despite a small 2% increase in turnover to £129.3m. The firm’s international businesses largely operate under separate profit centres.

Gleghorn’s appointment follows FitzPatrick’s election as senior partner, effective from December last year. Fitzpatrick is a private equity specialist and former head of the firm’s energy group, who has been a partner at the firm for 27 years.

hamish.mcnicol@legalbusiness.co.uk

For more commentary, see ‘Taylor Wessing faces some big decisions post-Eyles’ 

Legal Business

Trio of top-30 firms unveil new partners with Taylor Wessing and HFW boosting promotions rounds

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Partnership promotions DentonsHolman Fenwick WillanTaylor Wessing

LB100 top-30 firms Taylor Wessing, Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) and Dentons have all announced their Spring partner promotions covering the UK and beyond.

For Taylor Wessing, it is an increased UK round compared to last year when just one lawyer was made up to its London partnership. This year, the firm has promoted three lawyers to its partnership, with a further five being made up to senior counsel.

Among those being promoted is Katie Chandler, a dispute resolution lawyer who joined Taylor Wessing as a trainee in 2005. Chandler acts for clients spanning the retail, technology and life sciences sectors. Lerika Jourbet, who joined Taylor Wessing from Slaughter and May in 2013, has been promoted into the firm’s banking and finance practice. Edward Story, another Taylor Wessing lifer, has been elevated to partnership in the firm’s corporate division.

Taylor Wessing managing partner Tim Eyles commented: ‘Their original thinking and willingness always to challenge and be challenged are qualities we value just as highly as their technical skill and client relationships – and indeed which we think add to the latter.’

Despite the growth on last year’s partner promotions, the three elevated this year contrasts with the 16-strong UK round Taylor Wessing unveiled five years ago, although 15 of those came in non-UK offices.

Elsewhere, HFW has promoted eight new partners, but with just one in the UK. Alex Kemp, a litigator in the marine sector, is the sole lawyer promoted in London. Last year, the firm made up two lawyers in the capital.

The remaining seven new partners have been made up internationally, with three in Australia, two in Dubai and one each in Houston and Singapore.

Similarly, Dentons has recorded a slump in its London partner promotions, elevating five this year compared to seven in 2017. In a global round that saw the firm promote 36 new partners, Tessa Blank, Simon Elliot, Christopher Graf and Christopher Thomson were made up in London, while Jane Miles was promoted in Milton Keynes.

Early signs are mixed for partner promotions generally this year, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer announcing yesterday (4 April) it had promoted a modest five lawyers to its London partnership. However, Linklaters increased the size of its promotions round for the fifth year in a row, adding 27 lawyers to its partnership. Similarly, Slaughter and May saw a dip in the number of promotions, while Hogan Lovells and Pinsent Masons recorded increases.

tom.baker@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

For what they’re worth – Links, 2Birds and Pinsents among law firms disclosing chunky gender pay gaps

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Salaries Bird & BirdLinklatersPinsent MasonsTaylor Wessing

The UK’s top law firms have begun disclosing figures on gender pay gaps, with an initial round of numbers showing City giant Linklaters has the biggest gulf between male and female earnings.

The Magic Circle firm on Wednesday (7 February) published its figures for gender pay bands, as required under legislation introduced last year, which showed Linklaters paid its male staff members nearly 60% more in bonuses than women. The firm’s female employees were paid on average 23.2% less than male colleagues. The gap widened to 39.1% when the median figure was considered.

Linklaters’ figures were published as three more top 50 law firms today (8 February) unveiled equivalent numbers: Pinsent Masons, Taylor Wessing and Bird & Bird.

Taylor Wessing had the smallest gap, as the average hourly pay was 13.48% higher for men, rising to 32.1% on a median basis. In comparison, female staff at Bird & Bird earned on average 14.5% less per hour than their male counterparts, a figure that grows to 27.6% when earnings are ranked on a median basis.

The average pay gap at Pinsents was significantly higher at 22.4%, which the firm said was due to its regional office network resulting in lower rates for bottom-earners. However, the firm had the lowest median gender pay gap of the group at 22.4%.

CMS has already announced its figures, demonstrating that the average UK hourly earnings rate for women is 17.3% lower than men, while the median average hourly rate was 32.8% lower. CMS had the lowest mean average gap in terms of bonuses at 26.9%, while the firm’s median gap was at 30.4%.

Figures for the group were lower than the mean and median pay gap for the legal sector overall, which the Office for National Statistics estimates at 24% and 25.7% respectively.

The disclosures cover all business support staff and associates and demonstrate the position as of 5 April 2017. All UK companies with more than 250 staff are required to publish such figures by 4 April 2018.

All the law firms profess confidence that they are paying male and female employees the same for equivalent jobs. They gave broadly similar reasons for their gender pay gaps, pointing to the fact that there were more women in less well-paid roles and a higher number of part-time female lawyers.

At Linklaters, women made up 79.2% of staff in the lowest-earning quartile – which includes secretarial and junior business team positions. In this quartile, the pay gap was 5.96% in favour of women. But in the upper quartile of earners at the firm, women accounted for 44.9% and earned 6.5% less than men.

‘We are confident that we pay men and women fairly for equivalent roles,’ stated Linklaters in a formal announcement, adding that there was a ‘more significant gender imbalance within our lower pay quartile’. ‘This also feeds into our bonus figures because the bonus potential for our secretarial and junior business team roles is generally lower than for our legal and more senior business team roles.’

Bird & Bird – where bonuses paid to women were on average 33.5% lower than those paid to men – stressed that the bonus gap also reflected the higher number of part-time female employees. Only two men worked part-time at the firm last year, compared to 60 women. ‘Unlike the pay gap figures, which are based on hourly rates, the bonus figures are the actual sums paid. This means that those who work part-time or have been on maternity leave for part of the bonus year will have lower bonuses than men carrying out an equivalent role,’ said the firm.

Cynics will argue that law firms have ducked the key issue as they are not required to disclose the gap in earnings between male and female partners. And law firms being fond of preaching high standards while taking the low road of pragmatism are collectively taking it upon themselves to report as little as possible. The jaded may also note that years of publishing poor numbers on female partnership ratios has had little discernible impact on the advancement of women.

Marco.cillario@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

LLP latest: Taylor Wessing tightens its belt as Pinsent Masons gets expansive

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Financial results 2016/17 Pinsent MasonsTaylor Wessing

The latest round of LLP accounts show profit, management pay and remuneration for the highest earning member all fell at Taylor Wessing, while Pinsent Masons delivered strong growth across the board, pushing its top earner past the £1m mark.

Taylor Wessing’s accounts for the year to 30 April 2017 show that despite a small 2% increase in turnover to £129.3m, profit available for division among LLP members fell to $46.9m from $49.9m. Similarly, the sum awarded to the highest-paid member dropped 11% to £1,039,000 in the same period while pay for key management personnel fell to $5.8m from $6.1m.

Costs rose 6% to £81.6m over the period, offsetting the increase to turnover, and included an increase in staff costs to £45.9m from $44.3m. The number of members rose to 102 from 100, while fee earners increased by four to 292. The firm’s cash pile also fell 36% to £12.3m.

Meanwhile, Pinsent Mason’s first international LLP accounts since its overarching entity was created on 1 June 2016 show the highest-paid member took home 34% more last year, as turnover and profit both improved. Management also got a pay bump following what senior partner Richard Foley described a year of ‘sustained profitability, coupled with strategic investment into our business’.

Turnover at the firm rose 11% to £423.1m, helping profit rise to £134.9m from £117.5m despite an 9% increase in costs. Of the $287.2m in costs over the period, £182.9m related to staff, up 10%, and included a £14.6m increase to salaries over the year. The firm’s cash position also strengthened by nearly 42%, to £64.8m.

The accounts show the highest remuneration of a member was £1,086,951, up from £810,490, while pay for key management personnel rose 16% to £5.95m. The number of fee earners at the firm rose slightly to 1,368 from 1,357, while the total number of members – including equity and non-equity – rose to 357 from 349.

In a report accompanying the accounts, Pinsent Masons said Brexit has ‘increased uncertainty’ for the LLP, but that potential opportunities and risks are being considered and evaluated, which members believe the firm is well equipped to deal with.

Foley said highlights for the year included new offices in Düsseldorf and Johannesburg, as well as taking a minority stake in legal resourcing business Yuzu. ‘Since then we have continued to take steps to grow our business in-line with our vision to be recognised as international market leader in the global sectors in which we operate, as evidenced through further office openings in Madrid, Dublin and Perth.’

Hamish.mcnicol@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

Taylor Wessing elects new senior partner as season of change for firm continues

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Leadership Taylor Wessing

Days after veteran managing partner Tim Eyles announced he is stepping down next year, Taylor Wessing has elected Dominic FitzPatrick as its new senior partner, effective immediately.

Private equity specialist and a former head of the firm’s energy group, FitzPatrick replaces Adam Marks after six years.

A partner at the firm for 27 years, he will be chairing the supervisory council, crucially overseeing partners’ remuneration annually. One of his first tasks will be supervising the new managing partner contest, taking place next summer.

Speaking to Legal Business, FitzPatrick described his new role as having two aspects: ‘An ambassadorial role – representing the firm to clients and helping strengthen our relationship with them. And a more internal role – providing support to individual partners and make sure they work effectively as a team.’

He added that while being senior partner will have an impact on client work, ‘one of the attractions of this role for me personally, as opposed to the managing partner role, is the ability to carry on doing fee earning’. He expects the role to take up about a third of his time.

FitzPatrick’s predecessor Marks was first elected as senior partner in 2011 and re-appointed three years later following an uncontested election.

‘A lot of what senior partners do is behind the scenes,’ said FitzPatrick. ‘Adam [Marks] was very effective in keeping the partnership on track.’

News of FitzPatrick’s appointment comes a few days after Eyles confirmed he will not run in the for another term as managing partner in 2018, stepping down after nine years at the helm of the firm .

marco.cillario@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

Focus: A confident handover for its veteran MP but Taylor Wessing still faces some big decisions post-Eyles

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Leadership Taylor Wessing

With an three terms under his belt it was not a shock that Taylor Wessing’s UK managing partner Tim Eyles has ruled himself out of another run but the impending handover will still be a significant changing of the guard.

‘This is a firm where nine years is a very long time,’ says one partner. ‘Tim thought it was time for a new pair of hands on the job.’ Another adds: ‘Tim broke the mould in doing a third term. He has done a transformational job on the firm.’

The 61-year old confirmed the decision in an email to staff yesterday morning (6 December): ‘When standing for re-election in 2015 I explained to the partners that I would wish this to be my third and final term so it will not surprise you when I confirm now that I will indeed end my role as your MP when the current term expires.’

The corporate veteran took the firm’s helm in 2009 in the middle of a recession, taking charge in the wake of a 7% fall in revenues in its 2008/09 financial year. He was credited with hugely expanding the firm’s international network and giving it a (somewhat) clearer brand than was evident in the hesitant years after the 2002 union of Taylor Joynson Garrett and Germany’s Wessing & Berenberg-Gossler. Eyles also presided over the expansion of its non-IP disputes business and private client offering at home and abroad.

Taylor Wessing’s UK business grew by 41% under Eyles’ watch to £128.9m in 2016/17. There’s certainly worse performances in the top 50, though it is nowhere near the kind of super-charged pace seen at loosely comparable TMT-heavy operators like Osborne Clarke and Fieldfisher, or even more profitable deal machines like Travers Smith and Macfarlanes.

Growth has also slowed lately. UK revenue grew by a modest 2% in 2016/17, while PEP dropped 6% to £481,000. Global has turnover grown by 43% to £269.8m since 2008/09: the firm made an appearance in the Global 100 for a couple of years between 2014/15 and 2015/16 – although Eyles’ role in this is less substantive: internationally, the firm operates with separate profit pools in many jurisdictions.

The firm added eight offices in central and Eastern Europe in 2012 when it combined with Austrian practice enwc. It entered Singapore later that year operating as RHTLaw Taylor Wessing, and in 2014 opened two representative offices in Silicon Valley and New York.

In 2015 it merged in the Netherlands with Deterink, while 2016 saw it establish a presence in Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Globally it fields nearly 1,000 lawyers now across 33 offices.

Eyles was re-appointed as managing partner in 2012 and 2015 after standing unopposed. The clubbable leader remains a hugely popular figure at Taylor Wessing, admired for vision and panache. But it is hard to escape the feeling that his reputation rests as much on modestly brushing up operational rigour and making partners feel more comfortable in their own skin rather than a knock-out performance or bold decisions. You could argue that the firm remains awkwardly pitched between niche player and full-bodied institutional adviser. As such, the next managing partner will face some interesting decisions operating in an area of the market that is rapidly splitting into knockout winners and outright failures.

With partners indicating that the firm’s increasingly influential real estate group will have a name in the contest, department head Keith Barnett is a likely contender. However, another tipped name, well-regarded finance head Rodney Dukes, is now apparently unlikely to enter the contest at this stage of his career. Other influential figures include corporate partner James Robertson and patent veterans Simon Cohen and Nigel Stoate.

Perhaps the most interesting factor will be if talk of a symbolic shift to the next generation actually occurs, with some indications that a young name with fresh ideas might be in play. ‘It is not simply a question of handing over: this is a firm which demands and requires a lot of vision, strategic leadership and thought on how it is led,’ notes one partner. ‘Whoever comes in will require that right balance of strong leadership skills, ability to reflect and preserve what has gone very well and still take the firm to the next level. A fairly unique blend of skills.’

A more detailed list will emerge after Christmas, when the firm has a new senior partner replacing Adam Marks. Voting is under way this week and three candidates from the employment, corporate and restructuring groups are standing, with the winner set to be influential in the MP election.

Comments one Taylor Wessing partner: ‘There are a number of younger generation partners who might take that role. Whether there’s two/three or four/five candidates has not been discussed.’ A colleague concludes: ‘The fact that younger partners feel comfortable in a role like this reflects the fact that this is not a firm based on seniority.’

marco.cillario@legalbusiness.co.uk

For more on Taylor Wessing, see our recent analysis ‘No more Taylor Who?’ (£)

Legal Business

Revolving doors: International firms return to hiring season with multiple City and global recruits

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Strategic recruitment Berwin Leighton PaisnerBird & BirdDentonsOsborne ClarkePinsent MasonsSidley AustinTaylor Wessing

International law firms have returned from the summer break in acquisition mode, with Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bird & Bird, Taylor Wessing, Reed Smith and Pinsent Masons all hiring in London and Asia, while Sidley, Dentons and Osborne Clarke are expanding their continental European footprint.

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has this morning (11 September) announced the appointment of three new international disputes partners to further strengthen its litigation and corporate risk (LCR) practice.

George Burn joins BLP from Vinson & Elkins as head of international arbitration later this month, while Gavin Margetson, formerly of Herbert Smith Freehills, has been hired to lead the firm’s regional arbitration hub in Singapore. Based in London, Richard Chalk is an international disputes and investigations partner, who was previously at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London and Hong Kong.

BLP global head of LCR Nathan Willmott said these appointments are a direct result of a recent LCR strategy review. ‘The strategy review was an important milestone for us as a department. With so many of the team involved, it’s meant our future really is a collective effort. These hires all demonstrate our intent to get on with the job and start delivering on a global scale’.

Bird & Bird has added to its equity capital market capabilities with the hire of Clive Hopewell and Adam Carling from Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS).

Hopewell will lead the practice expansion in London, building on the Middle East contacts made while heading CRS’s operations in Bahrain. Speaking to Legal Business, he said: ‘Bird & Bird has a very substantial presence in Europe, Asia and Australia. The firm has an established office in Abu Dhabi and an established presence in Dubai. I’ll go there two or three times a year to help introduce them to clients.’

Carling has experience in Africa and has advised on mining deals on the continent. Neil Blundell, head of Bird & Bird’s London corporate group, said the hires would ‘further increase our reputation in the mining and oil and gas sectors’.

Meanwhile, Taylor Wessing turned to Paul Hastings to bring Mark Rajbenbach into its real estate team.

Keith Barnett, head of real estate at the firm – which now has more than 60 lawyers in its core London real estate group and more than 100 working on real estate across the London base – said the addition of Rajbenbach was ‘very exciting for our team, particularly in corporate real estate and the hotels area’.

Rajbenbach was at SJ Berwin & Co before joining Paul Hastings, and his clients have included Invesco Real Estate, Starwood Capital, Evans Randall, Hilton, London & Regional, Schroders and RRAM Energy.

Elsewhere, Reed Smith has hired Leith Moghli as a partner in its global private equity and investment funds practice in London. Moghli left Kirkland & Ellis in April, where he had been a salaried partner since October 2014 in the funds practice.

Pinsent Masons has appointed Chris Richardson to lead its new forensic accounting service (FAS). He joins the firm after 16 years in the fraud investigations team at EY.

In Brussels, Sidley Austin has hired Wim Nauwelaerts from Hunton & Williams. Nauwelaerts advises on EU and international data protection and privacy compliance, including preparation for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

He told Legal Business: ‘Sidley Austin is one of the prominent firms in Brussels and I am very excited about the prospect of expanding their global data protection practice.’

Also in Europe, Dentons strengthened its M&A and capital markets practices with the addition of Shaohui Zhang, who joins as head of the China desk in Luxembourg from Allen & Overy, and Antonella Brambilla in the corporate and M&A practice in Milan from local firm Chiomenti.

Dentons Italy managing partner Federico Sutti told Legal Business: ‘In Italy we see signs of recovery in equity capital markets. Antonella has the standing and the experience to allow Dentons to play a role in this in the near future.’

Finally, Osborne Clarke has announced the opening of a new office in Stockholm, led by Fredrik von Baumgarten and Henrik Bergström. Von Baumgarten joins from his own firm Baumgarten Byström Rooth & Partners and was previously a partner at Nordic firms Hannes Snellman and Vinge, while Bergström was previously at Bird & Bird.

Simon Beswick, international chief executive at Osborne Clarke, said: ‘Not only is Sweden the third most active M&A market in Europe and growing faster than most other European economies, it’s a key market for many of our core sector clients.’

The Sweden office means the firm now has 25 international bases in Europe and Asia.

marco.cillario@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

Financials 2017: Taylor Wessing UK PEP down while global profit approaches £100m

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Financial results 2016/17 Taylor Wessing

Taylor Wessing has released further details of its financial performance in 2016/17, showing the modest 1.8% increase in its UK revenue to £128.9m resulted in a drop in its UK profit per equity partner (PEP) to £481,000, down 6% from last year’s £512,000.

The firm, which changed to an all-equity partner structure in 2015, stressed that the PEP figure did not represent its top 10 bands, so could not be used for a like-to-like comparison with competitors with a different structure. The last time a top 10-band figure was released, in 2015/16, it was £770,000.

Taylor Wessing recorded a stronger global performance, with revenues at £269.8m, up 6% from £254.4m in 2015/16, and PEP at £405,000.

The UK profit for 2016/17 was £49.2m, while global net income stopped just short of the nine-digit figure, at £99.8m.

‘The opening of the year created a lot of political and economic uncertainty,’ UK managing partner Tim Eyles (pictured) told Legal Business, referring to the UK EU referendum vote on 23 June 2016.

The year was split in two halves, he added: ‘In the first half some clients in some sectors were cautious, in the second half there was much more activity, which more than compensated the pause due to Brexit.’

‘Given the circumstances, we are particularly happy with our performance.’

Corporate and disputes accounted for more than half of the firm’s revenue in 2016/17.

Eyles mentioned private wealth and technology as the firm’s most successful sectors within the corporate practice, which brought in 29% of the firm’s revenue.

Talking of the private wealth sector, which cuts across private client and corporate, he said that the firm acted for more than 50 families with assets worth more than $1bn and more than 300 individuals and families worth over $50m.

For the technology sector, in 2016 Taylor Wessing advised Outfit7, developer of the Talking Tom digital games, on the $1bn sale of the business to a consortium of Asian investors, United Luck.

‘A combination of sector expertise and geographic coverage was what distinguished this deal, which involved a number of different jurisdictions,’ said Eyles.

He added that the firm had invested considerably in tech during the year. This included developing IT and AI products to improve efficiency in the analysis of client exposure, due diligence and document automation as part of the TW:EXCEL programme, as well as tools for clients such as the TW:Cyber Response app, the interactive Global Data Protection Guide and Patent Litigation Map.

‘These products will make us more attractive and we hope they will transfer in greater revenue over time,’ Eyles concluded.

marco.cillario@legalbusiness.co.uk

Legal Business

Financials 2017: Taylor Wessing UK revenue up 2% amid brighter global £270m result

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Financial results 2016/17 Taylor Wessing

Taylor Wessing has posted a modest 1.8% increase in its UK revenue to £128.9m in 2016/2017, in contrast to a 4.4% rise the previous year. It was brighter news, however, for the firm’s global revenues which rose 6% to £269.8m, up from £254.5m in 2015.

Taylor Wessing accounted for the continued growth by highlighting its focus on the firm’s key technology media and communications practices, as well as its private wealth and life sciences teams.

The firm also counted its continued investment in technology as a basis for the rise, resulting from a number of products it launched in 2016. These included TW:EXCEL, driving IT and artificial intelligence products, and TW:Cyber Response, which helps companies effectively prepare for and respond to data breaches.

UK managing partner Tim Eyles (pictured) said that although this year’s UK result was slower than the previous year, and ‘not a headline grabber’, it remained strong: ‘Our priority remains preparing for the challenges and opportunities of the next decade.’

‘Investment in our people is central to our strategy and ongoing success. Ultimately, it’s a connection with great people that our clients care about,’ Eyles emphasised.

The results related to an international expansion spree last year, when Taylor Wessing opened four new offices spanning Riyadh and Jeddah, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The first three were formed through local firm associations.

Last May, the firm announced its local association with Alsulaim Alawaji & Partners Law in Saudi Arabia, and in July it launched in Hong Kong with an official association between a newly-established branch of Taylor Wessing and local firm HM Chan & Co.

In 2016, the firm advised Outfit7, the entertainment company behind the global phenomenon ‘Talking Tom and Friends’, on its $1bn sale of United Luck to a consortium of investors from Asia.

The firm also advised News Corporation on its recommended cash offer for talkSPORT for £220m last June.

Georgiana.tudor@legalease.co.uk

Legal Business

Travers Smith announces first ever all-female partner promotion round

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Partnership promotions RPCTaylor WessingTravers Smith

Travers Smith has unveiled its partner promotions for 2017, with four female associates making the cut. The number is slightly less than last year, when six associates (two of whom were women) were made up.

The new partners will assume their roles on July 1 2017, and all offer a different expertise. Heather Gagen has been made up in dispute resolution, possessing extensive experience as a commercial litigator. Gagen’s practice is broad and includes acting on shareholder claims and fraud cases.

Hannah Manning has been promoted to Travers’ tax department, specialising in tax on private equity transactions. Manning recently advised the management team of Source Holdings on its sale to investment managers Invesco UK.

Emma Havas will become a partner in the firm’s private equity practice. Havas advises clients such as Treehouse Group and Camden Ventures on matters such as group simplifications, management incentive plans and bolt-ons.

Travers’ real estate team has been broadened with the promotion of Emma Pereira. Pereira advises real estate funds on high-value investments and carries experience in the retail, student accommodation and logistics sectors.

Travers’ senior partner Chris Hale (pictured) commented: ‘We are excited not just to be able to promote these talented lawyers to the partnership, but to have our first ever female cohort of new partners. Each individual has demonstrated a strong track record of delivering an outstanding service to clients and we are confident they will each play an important part in the future success of both the teams in which they work and the firm as a whole.’

Elsewhere, Taylor Wessing also posted a slightly reduced promotion round as the firm made up ten partners, down on last year’s 15. RPC has promoted one more than last year, making up four partners to the firm’s London office.

tom.baker@legalease.co.uk