Baker McKenzie news, updates and analysis | Page 9 of 16

With Paul Rawlinson vacating the London managing partner post at Baker & McKenzie in October after winning the race to become the next global chairman, partner Alex Chadwick is set to take charge of the firm’s largest office.

Chadwick, who currently heads Baker & McKenzie’s London tax practice, has been appointed London managing partner for a three-year term. He will begin the role on 1 September, overseeing around 390 lawyers operating in London.

The London managing partner role carries considerable weight at Baker & McKenzie, with Rawlinson having used this platform to launch his successful bid to become chair while his London predecessor, Gary Senior, went on to become chair of the EMEA region. Rawlinson replaces Eduardo Leite, who has been global chair since 2010.

Chadwick (pictured) is a Baker & McKenzie lifer, having joined as a trainee in 1990 before making partner in 1999. He said: ‘Following the result of the recent referendum, I look forward to ensuring that the London office continues to advise and guide our clients through what will be challenging and exciting unchartered waters.’

Despite a poor global performance last year, London revenue at Baker & McKenzie rose 9% in the 12 months to 30 June 2015 to £145m. The £12m increase was the City office’s biggest jump revenue in the last five years, with performance flat in 2013 and 2014. During that period, the firm’s global revenue dropped 4% to $2.43bn while profits fell 12% to $799m.

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk

Baker & McKenzie has appointed its first British chairman with London head Paul Rawlinson winning an election to replace current chair Eduardo Leite.

Joining the firm in 1986, Rawlinson (pictured) made partner in 1996 and has served as London head for the past three years. The IP lawyer currently sits on Baker & McKenzie’s policy committee and has previously led the firm’s global IP practice group for six years from 2004 to 2010.

Rawlinson won the role, edging out competition from Latin America chair Claudia Prado, EMEA chair Gary Senior and former Paris managing partner Eric Lasry who also put their names up for the top job.

Rawlinson, Senior’s successor as London managing partner, played a key role in executing the FTSE strategy after building a strong relationships with the likes of Unilever and British American Tobacco. Baker & McKenzie said a sucessor to the London office head role would be appointed in September.

The global chair elect said: ‘I look forward to building on the great work of Eduardo and his predecessors to continue to reinforce Baker & McKenzie’s position as the premier global law firm.’

Rawlinson will take up the role on October 23 following the firm’s annual meeting in Barcelona, replacing Eduardo Leite who was elected to the role in 2010. When his previous term ended in 2014, Leite had the option to stay on as global chair for between two and four years as there was no opposition. Leite is to step down by the end of October after the first year of his extension saw revenues down 4% to $2.43bn and profits sink 12% to $799m.

However under Rawlinson’s management, London revenue at the firm rose 9% in the same period to £145m, as the firm’s City headcount remained flat.

madeleine.farman@legalease.co.uk

With Eduardo Leite set to step down as Baker & McKenzie‘s global chair at the end of October after six years at the helm, Latin America chair Claudia Prado, London managing partner Paul Rawlinson, EMEA chair Gary Senior and former Paris managing partner Eric Lasry have thrown their hats in the ring to take the top job at the firm.

Leite, who was elected to the role in 2010, had the option to stay on as global chair for between two and four years when no opposition emerged for the global chair role when his previous term expired in 2014. However, he is to step down by the end of October after the first year of his extension saw revenues down 4% to $2.43bn and profits sink 12% to $799m. With last year’s performance, which covered the 12 months up to the 30 June, largely blamed on currency movements and the US dollar having strengthened further against most currencies during the first eight months of its current financial year, some Bakers partners are expecting another year of falling revenues before Leite departs.

Prado, who is very highly regarded internally, is the first woman in the running for global chair at Bakers since Christine Lagarde, who led the firm for five years from 1999. With Leite the first chair of an international law firm to hail from Brazil, Prado would make herself the second if she were to succeed her compatriot at Baker & McKenzie. Prado joined Brazilian law firm Trench, Rossi e Watanabe in 1985 and became a partner seven years later. (Bakers has a cooperation agreement in place with Trench, Rossi e Watanabe.)

Senior, arguably the most experienced of the four, became EMEA chair in 2014 after a decade long stint as London managing partner. He is respected for his role in building up the firm’s relationships with FTSE clients during his time as London managing partner but is seen as a continuation of what has gone before.

Rawlinson, Senior’s successor as London managing partner, played a key role in executing the FTSE strategy after building a strong relationships with the likes of Unilever and British American Tobacco.

The race to succeed Leite is the second global chair election entered by Lasry after running against the Brazilian in 2010. The former managing partner of the Paris office, Lasry is a member of the firm’s executive committee and chairman of the European Regional Council.

Leite said: ‘We have a fantastic and diverse pool of candidates for our next chairman, which is the result of careful succession planning, something we have done well at Baker & McKenzie. It’s an internal process and when we are ready to formally announce the successful nominee we will communicate externally. This should be by the time of our October annual partnership meeting. Until then we will not be commenting further.’

tom.moore@legalease.co.uk