New structure for Holman Fenwick as it seeks image change

Holman Fenwick & Willan has appointed Greg Gray as the first managing partner in its history as part of an overhaul of the firm’s structure.
At the same time, senior partner Robert Wilson has been replaced by Roderick O’Sullivan.
New managing partner Gray will replace the existing management committee. He is responsible for forming a board with practice group heads. He said: "The changes reflect the partners' strong backing for a management structure that embraces best current practice. I believe that the reorganisation will enable us to respond more efficiently to the challenges of managing a multi-million pound international business."
The changes coincide with a grassroots reorganisation of Holman Fenwick’s departments so that lawyers now form part of specific groups such as energy and trade rather than being bracketed within numbered groupings.
Holmans is also taking positive steps to alter its image as a specialist shipping and insurance firm. It says that it is focusing more on energy and trade, banking and insolvency, while retaining its shipping work, which represents half of the firm's turnover.
Meanwhile, corporate restructuring and insolvency specialist Richard Baines will join Holman Fenwick on 1 May from Osborne Clarke, while three longstanding partners are retiring. They are Mike Stevens, Michael Donithorn and Keith Michel, although the latter will remain as a consultant.
Four Holman Fenwick lawyers will join the partnership on 1 May following a recent election. They are shipping experts Dimitri Vassos and Andrew Chamberlain, energy and trade lawyer Damien Honey and insurance practitioner Simon Sloane.