Contenders pledge 'no dirty tricks' in battle to lead A&O

The four candidates who are competing in February to lead Allen & Overy (A&O) have promised a clean fight.

The managing partner and senior partner roles are the prizes up for grabs and the contenders have made a gentlemen's agreement that there should be no dirty tricks.

One explained: "The four of us are all really good friends."

Running for the managing partner position, which David Morley will vacate on 30 April, are Belgium managing partner and co-head of corporate Wim Dejonghe and London-based finance partner Boyan Wells.

Dejonghe has long been expected to stand, but he will face stiff competition from Wells, who sits on the global management board and was head of the global international capital markets group for more than eight years.

The second contest will be for senior partner Guy Beringer's chair, also vacant from 30 April. The vote, the results of which are due by the end of February, will see Morley run against Richard Cranfield, who heads A&O's global corporate practice.