Pinsent Masons has made up two thirds of its 18-strong partner promotions round in its City office, while Weightmans promoted three in Liverpool this year.
Alongside its 12 partners in London, Pinsents has promoted its first partner in Paris. Dual-qualified in France and the US, Annabelle Richard specialises in e-commerce, online gaming and gambling, data protection and cyber security.
The firm’s five other promotions will be based in offices around the UK. The firm’s promotions have been made across a range of practice areas including property, financial services and energy.
As Pinsents continues to work to improve its gender balance, a notable eight of its partner promotions this year were female, bringing its female partnership to 23%. The figure moves the firm closer to its target to ensure 25% of its partnership and senior leadership team is female by 2018.
With 18 promotions, the firm has made up substantially fewer partners than last year, when it made up a record 29 partners mostly across energy, financial services, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing and technology sectors.
Pinsents senior partner Richard Foley said the firm’s promotion round reflects the quality of people within Pinsents and its commitment to ensuring that talent can flourish irrespective of gender.
He added: ‘All of those who have been promoted have got there on merit, having demonstrated an ability to provide high quality legal advice delivered in the context of the sector in which the client operates. A number have also shown a willingness to innovate with and for our clients to provide market-changing solutions.’
Meanwhile, Weightmans made up its three partnership appointments at its headquarters in Liverpool, with commercial disputes team member Sarah Conroy, real estate lawyer Chris Grady and motor associate Liam McGuire all making the grade.
The firm also moved London healthcare partner Rachel Kneale and Pete Wake from local government in Liverpool to its equity partnership.
Weightmans managing partner John Schorah said the promotions were ‘well deserved’: ‘We have talented and dedicated people across every area of the business and we are delighted to recognise their contribution. Our clients are a priority, so it’s important for us to continue to grow and invest in the diverse mix of skills within our teams, to enable us to provide the best possible service.’
madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk
Pinsents partner promotions in full:
Tobin Ashby, financial services, UK
Marcus Bate, property, UK
Phillip Birchall, property, UK
Ian Birdsey, TMT, UK
Nicholas Carlin, energy, UK
Jae Fassam, pensions, UK
Anne-Marie Friel, infrastructure, UK
Frances Mallender, financial services, UK
Angus McFadyen, TMT, UK
Adrian Murray, life sciences, UK
Anne-Marie Ottaway, litigation & regulatory, UK
Steven Porter, tax, UK
Caroline Ramsay, competition, UK
Annabelle Richard, TMT, France
Lucy Shurwood, financial services, UK
Francis Tyrrell, infrastructure, UK
Navjeet Virk, energy, UK
Sarah Whitty, financial services, UK
Weightmans partner promotions in full:
Partnership
Sarah Conroy, CDR team, Liverpool
Chris Grady, real estate, Liverpool
Liam McGuire, motor, Liverpool
Equity partnership
Pete Wake, local government, Liverpool
Rachel Kneale, healthcare, London