CEE gains most from CMS Cameron McKenna promotions

CMS Cameron McKenna has turned eastwards in its annual round of promotions, with more than half of new partners made up in Central and Eastern Europe.

In total there were 11 promotions, slightly up on last year's figure of 10. Of these, six were in Eastern Europe, four were in London and one was in the Bristol office.

The new partners will join the non-equity tier, introduced at the beginning of 2007, and will have the opportunity to join the equity after three years.

Managing partner Dick Tyler said: "The promotions are a sign that we have a very good group of people coming through and that we have got confidence about how we are going to build the business going forward."

It was the second straight year of growth for the firm's partnership. Camerons made up just three partners in 2006.
The six promotions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) mark a shift in focus for the firm, which made up half that number in the region last year.

Under the leadership of regional head Duncan Weston, the CEE practice has become one of the most profitable components of the firm. Weston takes over as firmwide managing partner in May.

The real estate practice saw the most promotions, with three new partners made up in Warsaw, Prague and Bristol, compared to none in 2007.

Corporate managed just two, down from three the previous year. There were also promotions in the TMT, banking and finance, energy and projects, litigation and commercial groups.

The new partners are:

Martin Brown (London - Banking and International Finance)
David Cranfield (Moscow - Corporate)
John Fitzpatrick (Bucharest - Corporate)
Vivek Gambhir (London - Energy and Projects)
Tomasz Kurek (Warsaw - Real Estate)
Iveta Placha (Prague - Real Estate)
Omar Qureshi (London - Litigation)
Gabriel Sidere (Bucharest - Commercial)
Ian Stevens (London - TMT)
Adrian Wright (Bristol - Real Estate)
Leonid Zubarev (Moscow - Commercial)

Click here to see The Lawyer Partnership 2008 Blog