Freshfields reshuffle puts Salz in top post

ANTHONY Salz, the high profile head of Freshfields' corporate department, is to become the City firm's new senior partner.

Salz takes over from John Grieves, who is due to retire. Grieves has been a partner at the firm since 1964 and held the top job for the last five years.

The firm says that the senior partner appointment procedure "allows for an election where there are a number of candidates," but declines to add whether an election took place on this occasion.

Salz, who joined the firm in 1975, is well-known in the mega-merger field and has been involved in leading transactions such as the Reed International merger with Elsevier, where he acted for Reed. He appeared as a witness in the Guinness trial in 1990.

In a three-handed reshuffle at the top of the firm, Salz is joined by Alan Peck, who moves from managing partner to become chief executive, and Ian Terry who becomes managing partner.