Nabarro has promoted eight lawyers to its partnership, with the firm’s City office awarded the lion’s share.
The promotions, effective from 1 May 2013, are split across the construction, real estate, tax, corporate and disputes practices.
Five London lawyers were promoted in this latest round, namely construction lawyer Alistair McGrigor, real estate lawyer Chris Oakley, tax lawyer Kirsten Prichard Jones, disputes lawyer Andrew Taplin and real estate disputes lawyer Nick Wood.
In the Sheffield office the remaining three promotions were awarded to construction lawyer Fraser Askham, real estate lawyer Tanya Holt and corporate lawyer Gareth Saynor. No lawyers were promoted in the firm’s international offices in Brussels or Singapore.
The promotions were spread fairly evenly among practice areas, with both real estate and construction gaining two new partners apiece while tax, disputes, corporate and real estates disputes acquired one each.
The number of promotions are significantly up on this time last year, when only one employment lawyer, Tracey Marsden, was made up to partner in the Sheffield office.
Senior partner Graham Stedman said that the increase is down to how many lawyers have come of age through Nabarro’s talent development programme for senior associates.
‘The programme operates over the course of quite a few years and gives associates all round training and a taste of what it would be like to be a partner. How many partners we promote is all about timing.
‘Last year we had only one that reached that level of advancement whereas this year we had a lot more. The timing was right for these people,’ Stedman said.
The course – a joint venture with London Business School – was set up in December 2010 and is designed to create a wider pool of potential partnership candidates. Up to 15 lawyers undertake the course each year, focusing on areas such as strategic projects, practice development work and thought leadership.
‘It gives associates some taste for what it would be like to be a partner and it allows us to see if they match the criteria for the role,’ said Stedman.
francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk
