Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has made up 20 partners globally in its 2016 promotions round, including 10 in Asia-Pacific and seven in London.
In 2015 HSF promoted 21 partners worldwide, with 11 in Asia-Pacific and nine in London.
Of the Asia-Pacific promotions this year six are based in Australia, while the firm’s Beijing, Jakarta, Seoul and Singapore offices each gain one new partner.
The number of promotions in Continental Europe is double that of last year. In 2015 Madrid-based Pablo Garcia-Nieto was the only new European partner, while this year Paris finance lawyer Laure Bonin and Frankfurt employment specialist Moritz Kunz are both promoted.
A total of six of the new partners (30 per cent) are female.
HSF’s corporate practice received the most new partners, with London gaining four corporate partners and Asia-Pacific four. The firm promoted five finance lawyers, including one real estate finance specialist and a project finance lawyer.
Litigation, with three partners, employment, with two, and real estate and projects, with one apiece, made up the round.
Of the new UK-based partners, five trained at the firm, as did Dubai-based English solicitor Mike McClure. Corporate lawyer John Taylor joined HSF in March 2014 from Berwin Leighton Paisner, having trained at Dickson Minto. Meanwhile real estate finance specialist Robert Carr, who is a Scottish solicitor, trained at legacy McGrigors and joined HSF on qualification in 2006.
Joint CEO Mark Rigotti said the number of female promotions underlined the firm’s committment to working towards its target of a 30 per cent female partnership by 2019.
The promotions in full
UK
- Silke Goldberg – corporate, London
- Stephen Newby – corporate, London
- Caroline Rae – corporate, London
- John Taylor – corporate, London
- John Corrie – disputes, London
- Robert Carr – real estate finance, London
- Shona Grey – real estate, London
EMEA
- Mike McClure – disputes, Dubai
- Moritz Kunz – employment, pensions and incentives, Frankfurt
- Laure Bonin – finance, Paris
Asia-Pacific
- Nick Baker – corporate, Melbourne
- Dongho Lee – corporate, Seoul
- Vik Tang – corporate, Jakarta
- Zhong Wang – corporate, Beijing
- Brad Strahorn – disputes, Sydney
- Rohan Doyle – employment, pensions and incentives, Brisbane
- Katie Gray – finance, Singapore
- Laura Sheridan Mouton – finance, Sydney
- Kristen Percy – projects, Sydney
- Chris Skordas – project finance, Melbourne