Internal promotions

Laterals

Intake as percentage of partnership 2005-06: 5

New female partners as percentage of intake 2005-06: 17

Equity structure: 506 equity partners, 0 non-equity partners

Practice area(s) most heavily promoted: Corporate

Freshfields has made up 60 partners in three years, plus eight lateral hires in the same period. As you might expect, the firm’s corporate department got the lion’s share of appointments, with a total of eight (including one lateral) in 2005-06, seven (including one lateral) in 2004-05 and seven (including two laterals) in 2003-04. All the corporate laterals have been in overseas jurisdictions, most recently Amsterdam in 2005-06.

However, London corporate has had a decreasing share of the partnership appointments. In 2003-04 it had two out of five internals, in 2004-05 two out of six internals, but in 2005-06 it managed only one out of seven internals. Indeed, it is notable that in this core area of the UK practice, London accounts for only five partners out of 18 promoted in the past three years.

London finance assistants fare better, but only just. In 2003-04 the firm made up seven in finance, of whom two were in London and there was one lateral hire – Chris Howard, a Linklaters assistant hired straight into partnership. In 2004-05 the finance group made up three, all of whom were in London, and in 2005- 06 it made up six, of whom only one was in London.

Litigation has had steady internal growth, with two in 2003-04, three in 2004-05 and two in 2005-06; London scores one internal litigation per year.

However, things have been far tougher in real estate and IP. Real estate saw just one partner promotion in three years, which was in London and in IP. Not one partner has been made up for three years

The promotions and hires have been spread evenly across the full range of practice areas.