Travers Smith has announced its 2025 partner promotions with nine lawyers making the cut, a notable increase from last year when six lawyers were made up.
The firm’s tax and financial services & markets practices have each seen two additions, with the other promotions shared between finance; funds; technology & commercial transactions; corporate M&A and ECM; and private equity and financial sponsors.
The total of nine is above average for the firm – in the last five years, Travers has only bettered the number in 2022 when a firm record 11 lawyers were made up.
Two women are among the cohort, equating to 22% – the lowest female percentage in at least five years, and a long chalk from 2017 when the firm announced an all-female partner promotion round.
It’s worth noting, however, that Travers has made notable strides on gender equality within the partnership. Women now account for more than 30% of the partners, around double the 15% seen a decade ago.
Travers has been active in the recruitment market of late, adding restructuring and insolvency partner Mandip Englund from Fried Frank; private equity partner Jeremy Dennison, who rejoined the firm following a seven-year stint as GC of Livingbridge; infrastructure finance partner Ryan Ayrton from Watson Farley & Williams, and experienced funds lawyer John Daghlian, who joined as a senior consultant having left Akin in 2023.
It has not been all one-way traffic, however, with funds partner Joel Grossmark leaving to join CVC as a managing director after less than a year at the firm.
Managing partner Edmund Reed said the promotions are evidence of the firm’s plan ‘to invest in strategic areas which we believe are key to the firm’s continuing success’.
‘Each of our new partners will develop our offering in those areas to help deliver exceptional service to our clients,’ he added, ‘I look forward to watching their successful careers develop as partners.’
Other recent developments for Travers include the opening of a competition-focused office in Brussels in March this year, a move that coincided with the shuttering of its Paris base.
Travers partner promotions in full
- James Barnard, financial services & markets
- Adam Burk, finance
- Jaryd Davidson, private equity & financial sponsors
- Elissavet Grout, tax
- Nick Glynn, financial services & markets
- Tom Margesson, tax
- Michael O’Brien Kelly, funds
- Richard Offord, technology & commercial transactions
- Ella Sharpley, corporate M&A and ECM
