The Lawyer Career Report

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Simmons & Simmons

Internal promotions

Overall	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
	9	11	12

2005-06: Finance 4, corporate 4, IP 1, litigation 1, employment 1, tax 1
2004-05: Corporate 4, employment 3, finance 2, litigation 1, IP 1
2003-04: Finance 2, corporate criminal defence 1, employment 3, corporate 1, litigation 1, IP 1 1

Laterals

Overall	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
	9	8	10

2005-06: Banking 5, corporate 3, IP 1, environment 1
2004-05: Corporate 3, real estate 1, IP 1, finance and banking 2, IT 1
2003-04: Finance and banking 5, corporate 3, litigation 1

Intake as percentage of partnership 2005-06: 11

New female partners as percentage of intake 2005-06: 14

Firms recruited from: DLA Piper

Equity structure: 146 equity partners, 59 non-equity partners

Practice area(s) most heavily promoted: Corporate, finance

Simmons & Simmons has appointed 59 partners during the past three years, of whom 32 were promotions and 27 were lateral hires. Of the 32 internal promotions, six have been women.
Banking and finance has been the key growth area, particularly in London - although mainly through lateral hires. In 2005-06 alone, five banking and finance partners were recruited from outside firms.
Litigation has lagged behind in terms of growth. In three years only one London-based litigator has been hired to partnership. In 2005-06 the only litigator to be promoted to partnership was Hong Kong-based. Real estate has also been trampled in the banking and finance stampede, with just one lateral hire since May 2003. Not one real estate associate has been promoted in three years.
The flagship employment department has had a good track record with at least one internal promotion per year for the past three years. 2003-04 and 2004-05 were bumper years for the employment practice, with three associates made up each year.