UK-Germany face-off looms at Simmons as Dawkins abdicates
Simmons & Simmons managing partner Mark Dawkins will not be standing for re-election when his term comes to an end next April.
Mark Dawkins
As tipped by The Lawyer last month (1 November), the head of the firm’s international financial markets practice Jeremy Hoyland is understood to have put his name forward to run the firm. The Lawyer can reveal that he is expected to go head-to-head with Hans-Hermann Aldenhoff, who runs the German practice.
Dawkins, who was elected to a second three-year term as managing partner in 2005, has not put his name forward, despite encouragement from fellow partners to do so.
While Dawkins declined to comment, it is thought that the law firm chief, who used to run the financial markets practice, will either go back to client-facing work or run for senior partner when that post comes up for election next year.
Candidates for senior partner have yet to be announced, but incumbent David Dickinson is expected to retire when his term comes to an end next July.
Both Hoyland and Aldenhoff sit on the firm’s six-member international executive committee, and both hail from strategically important practices.
London-based partner Hoyland joined Simmons in 1989. He runs the firm’s financial institutions group, which accounts for the majority of Simmons’ £251m income.
Aldenhoff joined the firm’s Düsseldorf office as a partner in 2002 and has led Simmons’ two-office German practice, which the firm has identified as a target for further investment, since 2006.
Neither Hoyland nor Aldenhoff were available for comment.
Readers' comments (3)
hamish | 6-Dec-2010 12:49 pm
no surprise re-Dickinson he's been a distant SP for some time to say the least
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Anonymous | 7-Dec-2010 2:34 pm
Jeremy definitely carries a greater hunger than Mark and other publications mention Colin Passmore to replace David Dickinson. I gurantee you those two will raise simmons from the state that it's in now.
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Hamish@Guildhall | 8-Dec-2010 1:43 pm
I imagine some Simmons staffers may think this is me, as a rare former staffer called Hamish! It isn't.
My comment would be that Mark has been an exceptionally good MP, giving more to his firm in the role than many other MPs. There are few i can think of who more deserve a rest from its demands of the role than him. Saying that Colin or Mark would make a very able SP to replace David.
These comments on "distant" David and "meagre" Mark are wrong; as is the daft remark of "raising Simmons' state. From what I hear and see, this remains a firm who's state is enviably excellent. Give its leaders' some credit for this.
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