Top 50 UK firms Watson, Farley & Williams (WFW) and RPC have unveiled their latest partner promotions, making up 13 and three lawyers respectively, as top 60 firm TLT and leading Irish firm McCann FitzGerald both announced today (7 May) that they have promoted four lawyers.
WFW’s 13 promotions – which is a significant increase on last year’s figure, when just four lawyers were made up – brings the total number of partners to 133.
The new partners have been promoted in eight of the firm’s 13 offices, with three apiece in London and Hamburg, two in New York, and one each in Athens, Bangkok, Paris, Rome and Milan.
Promotions were made across six practice areas including the 389-lawyer firm’s energy and projects group, real estate, corporate, maritime, finance and disputes.
Managing partner Lothar Wegener said: ‘I congratulate these 13 outstanding lawyers on their promotions to the WFW partnership. In addition to highlighting our confidence in these individuals as practitioners, collectively this group of new partners underscores the ongoing strength of the firm as a whole, and the confidence we have in our respective practices.’
Meanwhile, RPC promoted three new partners across its insurance and reinsurance disputes, insurance disputes (professional indemnity) and competition practices. Last year, the 311-lawyer firm made up just one lawyer.
‘When we appoint new partners at RPC we’re welcoming them as genuine owners of the business, with a real stake in our future success. That’s the reality of an all equity partnership. So, naturally, the bar is set that much higher,’ said RPC’s managing partner Jonathan Watmough.
Maintaining a steady hand is TLT, which promoted four of its associates to partnership – the same number as last year – across the 250-lawyer firm’s corporate, disputes and banking teams, within its Bristol and London offices.
The promotions take the firm’s total partner headcount to 96. In addition, TLT promoted 20 solicitors to associate, up from 2013 when that figure was just nine.
TLT’s senior partner Robert Bourns said: ‘These promotions, both at partner and associate level, recognise the drive by individuals to identify client need and deliver in a way that clients find supportive and valuable – getting the job done. Their commitment to understanding and matching the clients’ business needs and the whole firm’s legal expertise, together with their flexibility and responsiveness make the difference.’
All partner promotions went into effect on 1 May 2014.
Outside of the UK, leading Irish law firm McCann FitzGerald today announced the appointment of four new partners, with one in banking and financial services; two in dispute resolution and litigation; and one in real estate, bringing the total number of partners at the all-equity firm to 70.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
