Globally, our site showcases 54 legal professionals in the 2022 list of partners.
Global Law Firm Announces Partner and Director Promotions
A leading global law firm has announced the promotion of 54 lawyers to partner and director positions across various practice areas and locations, effective January 1, 2022. This move is a testament to the firm's commitment to recognising and rewarding exceptional talent within its ranks.
Promotion to partner or director requires a strong combination of a Personal Case and a Business Case. The Personal Case involves demonstrating cultural fit, trustworthiness, and a partner-level mindset, as well as commitment to the firm's long-term success. The Business Case requires measurable contributions such as client development, revenue generation, and overall firm growth potential [1][4]. Current partners, often practice group leads or office managing partners, play a critical role in nominating candidates for the partnership admissions process.
The firm has structured, measurable career progressions in place, ensuring transparency and consistent evaluation across practice areas and locations. However, informal assessments and internal politics still play a significant part in partner selections. There may be variability in communication and timing of requirements for promotion dossiers, sometimes requiring quick turnaround on submission of business cases [2][4].
Regarding gender diversity in these promotions, the data about promotions from global law firms does not include specific recent statistics or comprehensive insights on gender representation among promoted partners. However, evidence of some gender diversity can be seen in certain firms, as indicated by the individual named partners of both genders in regional firms such as Mayora & Mayora [3]. Without broader data, it is not possible to provide a detailed or generalized view of gender diversity in partner promotions across global law firms.
The promotions cover 11 practice areas, with the litigation and disputes practice area leading the way with 18 lawyers promoted. The corporate, M&A and securities practice area follows closely with 10 promotions. Other practice areas with notable promotions include banking and finance (9), intellectual property (4), employment and labor (3), tax (3), real estate (2), projects (2), antitrust and competition (1), bankruptcy, financial restructuring and insolvency (1), and information governance, privacy and cybersecurity (1) [5].
Notable promotions include Victoria Corder in the litigation and disputes practice area, based in New York, and Marianne McMahon as general counsel, based in London. In the banking and finance practice area, Alex Zekkos was promoted in London, and Justin Coddington was promoted in the tax practice area, based in Houston. Other notable promotions include Helen Fairhead in the antitrust and competition practice area, based in London, and Geraldine Young in the litigation and disputes practice area, based in Houston [6].
In Canada, a significant number of lawyers were promoted in various practice areas, including Robin Acworth, Veronique Barry, Scott Boucher, Brian Chau, Matthew Choi, Jenna Anne de Jong, Russell Dufault, Alison FitzGerald, Caroline Jodoin, Jonathan Lafrance, Brigitte LeBlanc-Lapointe, Jennifer McPherson, Brian Milne, Fahad Siddiqui, Joshua Sprague, Nikita Stepin, Tim Stewart [7].
In Australia, Kate Green, Harriet Oldmeadow, and Nick Sinclair received promotions in litigation and disputes, banking and finance respectively. In the United States, Rebecca Abou-Chedid was promoted in the projects practice area, based in Washington, D.C., and Daniel Ng was promoted in the litigation and disputes practice area, based in Hong Kong [8].
The promotions also include lawyers from other locations such as Louisa Roe, promoted in the real estate practice area, based in London, and Veit Sahlfeld, promoted in the banking and finance practice area, based in Hamburg [9].
Twenty-three of the promoted lawyers are women, accounting for 43 percent of the total. This representation is a positive step towards achieving gender balance at the partnership level, although ongoing challenges in this area are commonly noted in industry reports and legal publications [5].
Gerry Pecht, Global Chief Executive of the law firm, praised the promoted lawyers for their industry knowledge, business acumen, and innovative solutions. He expressed his confidence in their ability to contribute significantly to the firm's continued success [10].
References:
[1] Global Law Firm's Partner Promotion Process
[2] Informal Assessments in Partner Promotions
[3] Gender Diversity in Partner Promotions at Mayora & Mayora
[4] Partner Promotion Timelines and Requirements
[5] Challenges in Achieving Gender Balance at Partnership Level
[6] Promoted Lawyers and Their Practice Areas
[7] Canadian Promotions
[8] Australian and US Promotions
[9] Promotions Outside the US and Canada
[10] Gerry Pecht's Statement on Partner Promotions
These promotions indicate a significant move in the finance business, as nine lawyers are promoted in the banking and finance practice area, demonstrating the firm's commitment to growth in financial careers. The personal and business cases were crucial for success in the promotions process, highlighting the importance of both individual and financial contribution to the firm's success.
