Aedamar Comiskey has entered the race to become the next senior partner at Linklaters, facing off against corporate heavyweight Charlie Jacobs (pictured) and Belgium-based Jean-Pierre Blumberg in the battle to succeed Robert Elliott.
The final shortlist means Elliott’s successor will come from the corporate group, with Blumberg co-heading the global group out of Antwerp and Comiskey a long time corporate partner with heavy management experience.
Comiskey’s decision to run for senior partner follows management conversations about the all-male line-up at the end of last year for the managing partner post. Banking chief Gideon Moore ultimately triumphed in that race, pipping disputes head Michael Bennett, Asia head Marc Harvey and three other men to the post.
She is one of Linklaters most senior lawyers and following Simon Davies’ shock resignation to depart the managing partner job a year early to join Lloyds Bank she was elected by the partnership board to deputise in his absence.
Comiskey previously sat on the firm’s partnership election committee for four years and had a three-year stint as co-head of Linklaters’ retail sector group. She is a non-executive director at FTSE oil and gas company James Fisher and Sons.
However, Jacobs already has huge backing for the job and is widely tipped as the favourite. He controls major client relationships, including mining and commodities giant Glencore, which he advised on its $12bn London floatation in 2011 in what was one of the biggest IPOs ever to hit the London market. One of Linklaters’ few standout names in City M&A work, he was recently instructed by brewer SABMiller on its mammoth $72bn takeover by drinks rival AB InBev.
One senior Linklaters partner recently told Legal Business: ‘It’s been difficult finding people to run against Charlie.’
Elliott said: ‘In Jean-Pierre, Aedamar and Charlie we have an extremely talented, widely respected and diverse group of senior partner candidates who have every ability to excel in the role.’
tom.moore@legalease.co.uk