As revealed on www.thelawyer.com/lawyernews, his coincides with a grass roots reorganisation of the firm’s departments in an attempt to dispel its image as a shipping practice.
Previously, departments were split into commercial one, two and three, non-contentious, international, admiralty and insurance and reinsurance. They have been replaced by trade and energy, commercial, international, shipping and insurance.
Shipping remains the largest department, generating 50 per cent of turnover, followed by insurance at 25 per cent. Commercial, including insolvency disputes, fraud and asset recovery, generates 10 per cent, with the trade and energy group contributing the remaining 15 per cent.
New managing partner Greg Gray will replace the existing management committee, and he is now responsible for forming a board with practice group heads. He told The Lawyer: “The changes reflect the partners’ strong backing for a management structure that embraces best current practice. I believe the reorganisation will enable us to respond more efficiently to the challenges of managing a multimillion-pound international business.”
Corporate restructuring and insolvency specialist Richard Baines will join Holman as a partner on 1 May from Osborne Clarke, while three longstanding partners – Mike Stevens, Michael Donithorn and Keith Michel – are retiring, although the latter will remain as a consultant.
Four Holman lawyers will join the partnership on 1 May. They are shipping experts Dimitri Vassos and Andrew Chamberlain, energy and trade lawyer Damien Honey and insurance lawyer Simon Sloane.
