St Phillips chief exec stands down

Birmingham-based set St Phillips is to lose its chief executive Jonathan Fox at the end of this year for personal reasons.

The set has not as yet found Fox's replacement, but it has more than 50 candidates for the post already, with the application deadline closing at the end of this month.

One senior barrister at St Phillips said the set was sad that Fox is leaving but understands fully the reasons behind his decision.

"Jonathan has had a major impact on chambers and has taken us forward in many areas, always with calmness and a smile," said the barrister. "While we shall miss him, it's absolutely obvious that he's destined for the top."

Fox, who joined chambers two years ago, is to relocate to London to be with his wife Kelly Fox, a litigation associate at DLA Piper, and his baby daughter.

Fox said he is sad to be leaving St Phillips as he enjoyed his time at the set, but explained that he will leave it in good shape.

"St Phillips has progressed so much in the two years I've been at chambers. So much so that they've reached the target that I was projecting for next year, which is fantastic," said Fox. While Fox was at the helm St Phillips saw its turnover grow in his first year by 25 per cent to £25m, while last year it increased by more than a third, with the set making £33.5m in revenue.

This growth saw the set jump from eighth to third in The Lawyer's bar top 30.