Two in the City have made the cut as Boston-based Ropes & Gray has promoted a modest 11 to partner in its 2016 round. The number of promotions in London match last year’s figures, but overall promotions are down 35% from 17.
Tax lawyer Andrew Howard and real estate lawyer David Seymour will be made up to partner on November 1 bringing the City office’s partner headcount up to 35.
Howard advises on transactions involving investment funds, including private equity, finance, securitization, special situations, real estate and fund formation and counsels clients on cross-border and international tax matters while Seymour has spent his career representing investors and lenders on a variety of real estate transactions across the risk spectrum.
The bulk of promotions were made up in the US with Boston receiving four, New York gaining two while Washington DC and Silicon Valley saw one partner made up each. There was one promotion in Asia with private equity lawyer Vincent Ip gaining partner status in the firm’s Hong Kong office.
The firm’s London office has bulked up its offering this year with the arrival of rising star Helen Croke from Travers Smith. Croke joined veteran Phil Sanderson who moved to the Legal Business Global 100 top 20 firm in 2014. It was announced earlier this month the firm had hired leading finance lawyer Malcolm Hitching who joins from Herbert Smith Freehills.
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 global partner promotion round.The firm has made up two fewer in the City than last year, when it made up eight in London of a total of 90 promotions.
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk
Promotions in full:
Andrew Howard, tax, London
David Seymour, real estate, London
Megan Baca, technology and IP, Silicon Valley
Zachary Blume, capital markets, Boston
Nikhil Bodade, private equity, New York
Charles Boer, private equity, Boston
Kellie Combs, life sciences, Washington DC
Andrew Devore, insolvency, Boston
Brett Friedman, health care, New York
Vincent Ip, private equity, Hong Kong
Patricia Lynch, structured finance, Boston
