Maurice Allen, Ropes & Gray‘s UK office founder and senior partner is to retire at the end of this year. An internal memo announcing Allen’s intention to retire was sent out around the firm’s office today (1 November).
There are currently no plans to replace him in role of senior partner, created in July 2014 when the dual role of co-managing partner shared by Allen and Mike Goetz was split. A spokesman for Ropes said Allen will remain a consultant at the firm.
Allen (pictured) is a seasoned finance lawyer, working at Coward Chance, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and White & Case before joining Ropes & Gray with Goetz to spearhead the launch of the firm’s London office in 2009.
His clients have included borrowers such as Liberty Global, Ahold and Bain Capital; and lenders such as Avenue, Highbridge, Ares, Sankaty, Partners Group, CVC Credit, MV Credit and AMB. Bank clients have included Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.
Speaking to Legal Business in 2013, Allen said: ‘I was very lucky that Ropes & Gray came along, otherwise I could have reached a low point at Freshfields. But no more moving now – this will be my last home.’
Legal Business‘ 2015 US Law Firm of the Year, Ropes & Gray, saw its London headcount jump 37% in 2015, underlining the firm’s City ambitions. Last year it signed a deal to move to larger offices in London, nearly doubling its current space in line with its ambition to have 150 lawyers in the UK by 2017.
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk
Read more in: ‘Life During Law – Maurice Allen’
