Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has named current London corporate head and Freshfields lifer Julian Long as its new London managing partner, taking over from incumbent Mark Rawlinson, who is returning to client work.
Long, an M&A partner, has earned his stripes having been at Freshfields for his entire career, making partner in 1995 and being promoted to head of London corporate in June 2011. His former roles include sector group leader for the consumer, health and retail group.
Long will continue some client work in the complex domestic and cross-border M&A space but will stand down from his current role as head of the London corporate department in ‘due course’. The London head appointment is a three-year term.
Freshfields senior partner Will Lawes said: ‘We are hugely grateful to Mark for all that he has done as London managing partner. Under his stewardship, London has performed extremely well in challenging markets. On the people side, he has been an excellent champion of our people engagement initiatives and taken a major role in driving forward our very important inclusion and diversity agenda. We are lucky to have him now concentrating fully on his client work as the transactional markets recover.
‘We are fortunate to have a strong successor in Julian. The London corporate practice has continued to perform well under his wise leadership. His outstanding client relationship and people skills will help us to get the most out of the excellent capabilities of the London office.’
Long added: ‘At a time when our clients face so many challenges, and at the same time significant opportunities, I genuinely believe that we can support them with a remarkable level of consistency and breadth of client offering across our London office. We will continue to listen to and learn from our clients to ensure that we are providing the services that they most value.’
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
See Life during law: Mark Rawlinson for an in depth interview with Rawlinson
