Ropes & Gray continues to promote London partners two-by-two, adding another duo in finance this year as part of a global promotions round of 12. The number of City promotions equals those made in the previous two years, while the overall total is up by one from 11 in 2016.
Derivatives and structured finance specialist Anna Lawry and leveraged finance lawyer Alex Robb will be made up on 1 November. Lawry joined Ropes in 2014 as counsel in its hedge funds group. She advises on derivatives in financing and corporate transactions, as well as regulatory developments affecting derivatives. Before joining Ropes, Lawry was an associate at Slaughter and May for 14 years.
Robb joined the firm’s finance group as counsel in 2013 and advises on domestic and international acquisition and corporate financing, as well as restructuring.
He has acted for investment and commercial banks, private credit funds, private equity sponsors and plcs. Before joining Ropes, Robb was a senior associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for four and a half years.
Two lawyers being made up in finance in London is notable given the firm lost two finance partners, Mark Wesseldine and Fergus Wheeler, to King & Spalding this summer.
Elsewhere, the lion’s share of those promoted were in the US, with Boston receiving three and New York and Washington DC gaining two and one respectively. Silicon Valley saw one new partner made up, while another will operate from both the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices.
The Hong Kong office had two promoted, compared with one in last year’s round.
The promotions come as City partner Michelle Moran leaves Ropes to join K&L Gates as a partner in its investment management, hedge funds and alternative investments practice.
Moran had been an investment management partner in Ropes’ London office for four years after joining from Dechert.
nathalie.tidman@legalease.co.uk
For more on Ropes & Gray’s City practice read: ‘One man band: Can Ropes & Gray maintain the momentum without Allen?’
The full list of promotions:
Anna Lawry, derivatives and structured finance, London
Alex Robb, leveraged finance, London
Alison George, real estate, Boston
Kevin Jarboe, finance, Boston
Amy Roy, securities litigation, Boston
Joshua Lichtenstein, tax and benefits, New York
Bob Rivollier, private equity, New York
Adam Stella, executive compensation, Washington DC
James Davis, intellectual property litigation, Silicon Valley
Eric Issadore, private equity, San Francisco and Silicon Valley
Geoffrey Atkins, litigation, Hong Kong
David Zhang, government enforcement, Hong Kong
