Ashursts concentrates power in fewer hands

Ashurst Morris Crisp has reviewed its management structure to create a streamlined and more democratic partnership board.

Ashursts has a rather cumbersome 12-person partnership board. Senior partner Geoffrey Green said the firm "wants [it] to get significantly smaller".
It is made up partly of directly elected partners and partly of partners who represent constituent areas of Ashursts. Green said the firm is now likely to move to a wholly-elected body.

Earlier this year, in the wake of the failed Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson merger talks, Ashursts also decided to enshrine the firm's much-loved lockstep system, which proved to be a key stumbling block to the Anglo-US deal.

Partners are now preparing to vote for new managing and senior partners. Managing partner Justin Spendlove's term was theoretically up in September, but the election battle has been delayed.
Green said: "We would take the view that if you've got other things going on, then we wouldn't say there's a particular line in the sand."

Green's own term ends in December.