Outgoing Linklaters senior partner Robert Elliott will stay on as a consultant at the firm when his term finishes at the end of the month, with a focus on the firm’s Asia offices.
The Magic Circle firm confirmed that Elliott (pictured), who has held the senior partner role since 2011 on a five year term, will remain at the firm to advise some of his major clients, including longstanding client Royal Bank of Scotland.
The partnership has been informed of Elliott’s move to a consultant role and Legal Business understands he will maintain a client facing job with a brief to work with the firm’s Asia offices.
During his time as senior partner Elliott steered the firm through several post-Lehman partnership restructurings conducted under former managing partner Simon Davies.
Elliott started his career at Wilde Sapte in 1976 making partner in 1981. He moved to Linklaters in 1990 as a well-respected banking and restructuring lawyer. Elliott later headed up the firm’s global banking practice, a role he handed down to now managing partner Gideon Moore in 2011.
Elected in the senior partner race in 2011 to succeed David Cheyne, Elliott saw off competition from then litigation head John Turnbull and Belgium-based Jean-Pierre Blumberg, who is now the firm’s global co-head of M&A.
Elliott is replaced as senior partner at the firm’s Silk Street headquarters by high-profile corporate partner Charlie Jacobs, who was elected in May following a run of major deals including acting for SABMiller on its $108bn takeover by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Jacobs takes up his new role formally in October.
The move to consultant follows a similar path to Elliott’s predecessor Cheyne, who held a consultant role at the firm after his term as senior partner ended in 2011.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are grateful for the great leadership and energy that Robert has demonstrated during his five year tenure as senior partner. Following the end of his term, we can confirm that Robert will remain associated with the firm working in a client advisory role, particularly in the areas of restructuring and insolvency, banking and corporate work, and will continue to represent the firm on various industry bodies.’
matthew.field@legalease.co.uk
