For many law firms, the end of the year marks elections for various leadership positions. This year has been no exception, with DLA Piper, Osborne Clarke, TLT and Goodwin all voting in new management.
DLA has turned to IP litigator Ruth Hoy as its new office managing partner in London, taking over from London leadership stalwart Tom Heylen, who will move into the new role of UK client and sectors partner.
Hoy, a partner since 2008, has impressive pedigree, having led the UK IP practice since 2012 and co-chaired the global fashion and retail practice since 2019. She will continue her client work alongside leading the London office, which focuses on brand management matters in the media, sport, fashion and retail contexts.
There have also been changes in DLA’s corporate department. Veteran M&A partner Bob Bishop has been succeeded as global corporate co-chair by Germany partner Benjamin Parameswaran. Operating across the Hamburg and Cologne outposts, Parameswaran has already proven himself a leader within the firm, having acted as country managing partner in Germany for the last eight years.
For Bishop, stepping away from the role brings to an end an eight-year tenure at the corporate helm. In 2018, Bishop stood in DLA’s senior partner elections, ultimately being bested by London transactional peer Andrew Darwin.
‘When you grow as quickly as we have in London, it’s even more important to ensure that we don’t forget the importance of our culture and the importance of creating a diverse firm.’
Ajay Pathak, Goodwin
At Goodwin, Ajay Pathak (pictured) was named as the successor to Paul Lyons as co-chair of the London office.
A 2017 arrival from King & Wood Mallesons, Pathak focuses on private investment funds, and has played a key role in the development of the firm’s City funds group since his arrival.
Pathak will operate alongside existing co-chair Gemma Roberts, who assumed the position in 2021. The pair will hope to continue the rapid growth the firm has seen in recent years; revenue generated by the City office soared an eye-catching 63% in 2021/22 to $161.8m.
Pathak takes over the role as the firm prepares for its move into a larger City office next year. He said: ‘We now have over 200 lawyers compared to just shy of 40 when I joined in 2017. That growth has been very focused around five key client industries, namely life sciences, technology, private equity, real estate and financial services, and the convergence between them. This strategy has allowed us to better serve our clients globally and puts us in a strong position as we look forward to the next chapter for the London office.’
According to Pathak, one of his top priorities over the coming year will be maintaining a strong firm culture following the office’s recent growth: ‘We have a real emphasis on people and culture. When you grow as quickly as we have in London, it’s even more important to ensure that we don’t forget the importance of our culture and the importance of creating a diverse firm.
‘We’re living in a new world now of hybrid working, which is clearly a positive in many ways, but is another reason why we need to maintain our focus on our relationships with our people, and indeed our clients,’ Pathak concluded.
Change was also afoot at Osborne Clarke, as corporate partner Conrad Davies was chosen as the successor to the illustrious Ray Berg as UK managing partner. Set to assume the role on 1 January 2023, Davies also serves as international head of urban dynamics, having joined from Jones Day in 2005.
Speaking to Legal Business, Davies said: ‘My key aim is to continue the business in Ray’s image, by keeping up our people commitments around pay and benefits to ensure Osborne Clarke is a firm people are proud to be part of.
‘The way Ray connected with our people over the years has been absolutely fabulous. But he did it his way, and I will do things my way. He represented a great bunch of people behind him, and they are still here, so my job is to continue the great work of representing their interests.’
Berg has left big shoes to fill. During his eight-year term in the role, he garnered respect and admiration from both within and outside the firm. This culminated in being named Management Partner of the Year at this year’s Legal Business Awards, just weeks before stepping down.
However, not all firms opted for a change in direction. Travers Smith prioritised continuity by re-electing Kathleen Russ for a second term as senior partner, which will begin on 1 July 2023.
Initially appointed to the position in 2019 succeeding Chris Hale, Russ led the tax team for a decade until 2017, and has overseen a mixed period for the City stalwart. For the 2021/22 financial year, it recorded a slowdown in revenue and a 9% drop in profit per equity partner from £1.22m to £1.105m.
Despite these muted financials, Travers has maintained its reputation for handling high-calibre work. For the second year in a row, the firm picked up two wins at this year’s LB Awards – Private Equity Team of the Year and the highly-coveted Commercial Litigation Team of the Year.
Outside the City, TLT has chosen pensions head Sasha Butterworth as its new senior partner from the start of 2023. Replacing Andrew Glynn, who leaves the role after seven years, Butterworth will chair both the remuneration and promotions committees.
‘We have had our first cohort of legal apprenticeship and graduate legal apprenticeship candidates begin their programmes; my secretary is one of them.’
Sasha Butterworth, TLT
Butterworth told LB: ‘People are at the core of everything we do. One of our initiatives is TLT World, which means that people can work where they want and how they want, as long as they are meeting client needs. We have some people in the office all the time, some who work completely from home, and some who do a mixture of both. We are completely committed to that model going forward, and I am just looking to continue the great work done by my predecessor Andrew Glynn.
‘We have also started to integrate the new routes to solicitor qualification. We have had our first cohort of legal apprenticeship and graduate legal apprenticeship candidates begin their programmes; my secretary is one of them. I’m sad to lose her, but it shows how great she is! The legal solicitor apprenticeship is now open to external candidates, and the graduate solicitor apprenticeship is only open to internal candidates for the moment.’
Finally, the changes in leadership may be set to continue, with Clifford Chance preparing for its own leadership contest, as Jeroen Ouwehand looks to secure a second term as senior partner.
Two other partners have emerged as challengers for the position. Edmund Boyo is focused on structured finance, and has been a member of the Dubai office since his relocation from Frankfurt in 2017. European equity capital markets lead Adrian Cartwright has also thrown his hat in the ring, having been a fixture of the London office since joining from Linklaters in 1999. Whoever is elected will take office in January 2023.
Ouwehand will feel he has a strong case for re-election. Since assuming the role at the beginning of 2019, he has taken a leading role in shaping the firm’s ESG agenda, which has included putting together an inaugural ESG taskforce and establishing a global code of conduct which lays out the firm’s expectation of its partners when it comes to ESG and sustainability issues.