Litigation chief wins top job at Simmons

Passmore, who is head of litigation at the top 10 firm, will take the post at the end of June when incumbent David Dickinson steps down.

As revealed by The Lawyer five weeks ago (28 March), six candidates put their names forward for the job . Following hustings on 31 March the ballot was opened.

After the first round of voting litigation partner Philip Vaughan, corporate partner Charles Mayo, ­corporate partner and Paris head Thierry Gontard and energy partner Patrick ­Wallace were all eliminated. The second round commenced on 21 April.

Passmore, who is understood to be keen to broaden the firm’s international reach, will join new managing partner Jeremy Hoyland on the management team.

In a statement Passmore said: ”I am looking forward to driving the firm forward, building on its successes and reinforcing our reputation for first-class client service. In doing this, I look forward to working closely with Jeremy Hoyland and the board.”

Passmore joined the firm in 1986 and became a ­partner in 1990. He has spent long periods in the firm’s overseas offices, notably Hong Kong from 1986 to 1991 and Abu Dhabi in the 1990s.