After having unexpectedly stepped down from his role as Olswang’s chief executive in October last year amid differences with other partners, David Stewart (pictured) has re-emerged away from the City as a partner at Turks and Caicos firm Griffiths & Partners.
Stewart joins as the offshore firm’s fifth lawyer. The outfit, which is led by Conrad Griffiths QC, covers banking, finance and regulatory, corporate, litigation, real estate trusts and private client services.
The move has seen Stewart return to Turks and Caicos Islands, where he worked as an attorney at Miller Simons O’Sullivan from September 1990 to May 1992, before he left to join the City litigation group at legacy SJ Berwin where he made partner. Stewart joined Olswang in 1997, becoming managing partner ten years later till 2010 when he took up the chief executive role at the media leader. However, halfway through his term, he unexpectedly stepped down from the role and resigned within the same month of October.
It is still unclear as to exactly why Stewart decided to step down, but it is understood there was a difference in views between Stewart and other partners on strategy, upgrading elements of the firm, office expansions and firm spending.
Olswang recently elected intellectual property partner Paul Stevens as leader of the firm, taking over from Michael Burdon who was handed the role on an interim basis.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
For more on Olswang’s leadership see: Evasive Action – Can Olswang live up to its own ambitions?
