Simmons & Simmons and Bird & Bird have both announced their partnership promotion rounds for 2017, with both firms seeing an overall increase in numbers over last year’s figures.
Simmons made up 12 associates this year, nearly doubling last year’s number of seven. Effective 1 May 2017, Simmons has promoted in a variety of practice areas.
In IP, the firm has made up Andrew Hutchinson, Darren Meale and Mattie de Koning. Meale and Hutchinson will join the firm’s London IP practice while de Koning has been made up in Amsterdam. Lucian Firth and Catherine Weeks have both been promoted to the firm’s financial services department in London, with professional negligence specialist Felix Zimmerman joining Simmons’ commercial litigation team in the City.
Completing Simmons’ London line-up is Lawrence Brown and Eucharia Bragg. Bragg, who joined Simmons in 2004, has been made up in capital markets and Brown has been promoted in information, communications and technology.
Simmons senior partner Colin Passmore (pictured) commented: ‘I am really pleased to welcome this ambitious, committed and collegiate group of new partners. The firm and its clients will benefit from the expertise they offer across their specialisms as we continue to build on our strengths.’
Bird & Bird also increased its promotions, making up 16 this year, compared to last year’s nine. Of the new partners, 25% of them are female. All the promotions are effective from 1 May 2017, except Shing Lo, who was appointed in November last year.
Lo was promoted to Bird & Bird’s London corporate practice, and is joined in the City by Zoe Feller, Craig Giles, Ewan Grist, Bryony Hurst and Gabriel Voisin. Hurst has been promoted in dispute resolution, while Voisin has been made up in data protection. Feller is a new tax partner, while Giles has been promoted to Bird & Bird’s London commercial team. Grist has been made up in IP.
Bird & Bird chief executive David Kerr commented: ‘My congratulations to all our new partners. Each one of them has an important role to play in helping us achieve our vision of being the number one law firm acting for organisations being changed by technology and the digital world.’
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk
Simmons & Simmons partner promotions in full:
Eucharia Bragg, capital markets, London
Lawrence Brown, information, communications and technology, London
Lucian Firth, financial services, London
Andrew Hutchinson, IP, London
Mattie de Koning, IP, Amsterdam
Darren Meale, IP, London
Raza Rizvi, corporate and commercial, Dubai
Jingyuan Shi, corporate and commercial, Hong Kong
Juan Sosa Pons-Sorolla, tax, Madrid
Matthias Wagner, real estate, Frankfurt
Catherine Weeks, financial services, London
Felix Zimmerman, commercial litigation, London
Bird & Bird partner promotions in full:
Gabriel Voisin, data protection, London
Bryony Hurst, dispute resolution, London
Ewan Grist, IP, London
Craig Giles, commercial, London
Shing Lo, corporate, London
Zoe Feller, tax, London
Matthias Spilker, commercial, Germany
Christopher Maierhoefer, IP, Germany
Lennart Schuessler, data protection/IT, Germany
Kai Kerger, corporate, Germany
Janneke Kohlen, commercial, Netherlands
Paul Waszink, commercial, Netherlands
Miguel Pastur, employment, Spain
Jose Luis Lorente, financial services, Spain
Troy Gurnett, IP, Australia
Mikko Ahonen, corporate, Finland
