New Camerons boss vows to snare US allies

CMS Cameron McKenna’s new managing partner is targeting US firms to bring under the CMS banner when he takes over in May.

Camerons may have re­trenched this year to a purely European focus, but Duncan Weston, who is set to succeed Dick Tyler, has pledged to lead the firm through a new phase of aggressive growth.

Weston hopes that with greater integration between the nine CMS firms, the alliance can enter new markets by leveraging off its brand. As well as the US, the emerging markets of Turkey and China are on his hitlist.

Weston told The Lawyer: “The vision is to take our firm to the next level, as a more integrated, client-focused organisation, leading the way in Europe.”

The nine CMS firms vote in January on the extent of further integration.

Weston vowed to boost Camerons’ UK presence, both in terms of numbers of lawyers and reputation, with the aim of making the firm “a market leader through targeted growth in the UK”. He added that he aims to “raise the profile of CMS, both internally and externally to enhance our brand value”.

Under Weston’s watch as managing partner of Central and Eastern Europe operations, Camerons’ regional offices have doubled in size and tripled in turnover – a result Weston wants to emulate in the UK.