Herbert Smith Freehills evens out international balance in latest partner promotion round

After two years of having the bulk of its promotions in the Asia-Pacific region, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has gone for a more geographically balanced round of partner promotions this year, making up ten lawyers in the UK and EMEA, and ten in Asia-Pacific.

Last year the firm promoted 21 lawyers, with a majority being made up in Asia-Pacific as the firm invested heavily in Tokyo.

This year, London was the big winner, receiving the most promotions with seven in the City. The bulk of these were made up in the corporate department, with Silke Goldberg, Stephen Newby, Caroline Rae and John Taylor all making the cut.

Six of this year’s partner promotions are women, down from nine last year. The firm has publicly committed to having a 25% female partnership by May 2017 and 30% by May 2019.

HSF joint chief executive Sonya Leydecker (pictured) said: ‘This round of promotions brings to the partnership another highly-talented group of new partners who are vital to the success of our business. Drawn from around our global network, they reflect our continued investment in developing our market-leading offering across geographies, products and sectors.’

Clifford Chance (CC) announced earlier today (21 April) that it will promote 24 new partners globally, with promotions across the US, Asia Pacific, continental Europe and nine in London, while Linklaters has ramped up its City promotions, making up ten in a round of 24.

HSF’s promotions take effect on 1 May 2016.

victoria.young@legalease.co.uk

The full list of partner promotions is as follows:

UK and EMEA

Silke Goldberg, corporate, London

Stephen Newby, corporate, London

Caroline Rae, corporate, London

John Taylor, corporate, London

John Corrie, disputes, London

Mike McClure, disputes, Dubai

Moritz Kunz, employment, Frankfurt

Laure Bonin, finance, Paris