Bill Tudor John signs up with Lehman Brothers

Allen & Overy's former senior partner has resurfaced at investment bank Lehman Brothers.

Bill Tudor John, who lost the position as A&O's senior partner to head of corporate Guy Beringer in November last year, will become managing director and chairman of the European commitment committee at Lehmans.

Tudor John left A&O after 33 years at the firm and will join the investment bank at the end of the month.

The European commitment committee is a body of seven individuals, including bankers, lawyers and credit controllers, which assesses transactions undertaken by the bank in terms of the risks they present.

Tudor John will report to Peter Sherratt, chief legal officer of Europe at Lehmans, who says: "The commitment committee captures the essence of good investment banking and is about maintaining the highest standards."

Sherratt, who was previously in charge of the committee, says that as his role expanded he needed someone to take responsibility for one of the more "prestigious" parts of the bank.

He adds: "The decision to break up the running of the commitment committee is because the investment bank franchise is expanding so rapidly. I realised that it was beginning to be a big job."

As part of his role, Tudor John will work on banking deals as a senior member of the transaction team, although Sherratt says Tudor John will not provide legal advice.

He adds that in those cases, Tudor John will not be part of the commitment committee to ensure complete objectivity.