Shock departure of chief exec sparks shake-up at Radcliffes

Senior partner Robert Vallings confirmed that there would be a vote in September. In the meantime he will manage the firm.
The split comes less than two years after Radcliffes overhauled its management structure and introduced the chief executive role. It hired flamboyant non-lawyer Denham, giving him an ambitious remit to modernise and grow the practice.
But ultimately there were irreconcilable differences between Denham and some of Radcliffes' senior partners over the strategic direction of the firm.
Denham joined Radcliffes in January 2001, just after its merger with property, commercial and litigation practice Jay Benning & Peltz. Initially he worked in tandem with managing partner Richard Price, who then returned to fee-earning.
Under the new structure Denham was accountable for the implementation of strategy, which in theory meant that heads of department were working for Denham rather than Vallings.
While at Radcliffes Denham oversaw its merger with London healthcare practice Le Brasseur J Tickle. At the time of his departure, he was looking to introduce a performance-related remuneration system to the firm.
Denham is known for his radical approach to management. He was previously chief executive of Birmingham barristers set St Philip's, during which time he managed the restructuring of the chambers as a plc.