Longstanding leader Crossley set to retire at year end
Frontrunners have emerged in the contest to become the new Europe and Middle East managing partner at Squire Patton Boggs, after longstanding leader Peter Crossley confirmed his retirement in September.
Two senior partners have been touted internally and externally as favourites for the role: London managing partner Robert Weekes and EMEA global corporate chair Jane Haxby.
A Squires spokesperson confirmed the election process had begun in September, but candidates had not been internally announced at press time. An appointment is expected to be completed as soon as Crossley’s term officially ends in December.
Weekes was made managing partner of legacy Hammonds’ London office in 2008. The disputes partner is a specialist fraud litigator, having joined as a partner in 2001 from Wilde & Partners.
One Squires partner said Weekes was the frontrunner. ‘He has a groundswell of confidence among the partners in his skills. He’s very successful professionally and in terms of management. He’s a big biller here and that carries a lot of respect; he’s not just a manager.’
Haxby, meanwhile, has spent 23 years at the firm, leading the Manchester office from 2010 to 2013. However, while popular in Hammonds’ legacy national UK offices, one former partner said her support in the region had lessened slightly since taking the firm-wide corporate role.
Crossley is noted for guiding Hammonds through its merger with US practice Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in 2011 and helping steer the firm through its merger with influential Washington DC lobbying shop Patton Boggs in 2014. A further merger with California disputes boutique Carroll, Burdick & McDonough in March this year added 50 lawyers, creating a 1,500-lawyer firm with around 500 partners.
Under Crossley’s watch, Hammonds moved from a national UK firm to a top-40 Global 100 firm with revenues of $929.1m. Squires chair and global chief executive Mark Ruehlmann said: ‘Our firm has grown significantly over the years and is able to provide a more comprehensive level of high-end global service than at any period in our long history. This is in no small part due to Peter’s commitment and steadfast leadership.’
However, several partners at the firm have told Legal Business that profitability is a central challenge facing the new leadership, with the firm currently running a profit margin of just 13%. Profit per equity partner globally was flat this year at $843,000.
matthew.field@legalease.co.uk