WFW suitor Chadbourne re-elects managing partner

US firm Chadbourne & Parke has re-elected its managing partner Charles O’Neill for another three year term.

The news follows this week’s revelation by The Lawyer that New York-headquartered Chadbourne has been holding exploratory merger talks with Watson Farley & Williams (see The Lawyer, 18 June).

O’Neill, who has been leading those talks from the US side, told The Lawyer that his priorites would be “continued growth for the firm and continued improvement in the way we serve our clients”.

O’Neill, a commercial litigation partner, is now entering his fourth term as managing partner, having served since 1998. The firm has no term limits and O’Neill’s election was not contested.

At the same time, 356-lawyer Chadbourne has re-elected two board members, head of corporate Allen Miller and global head of project finance Chaim Wachsberger, to its five person management committee, which oversees the day-to-day running of the firm.

Chadbourne’s turnover stood at $254m (£129m) at the end of 2006, having grown its turnover by just over 10 per cent on the preceding year’s revenues. It currently has 40 lawyers in London and another 12 offices, including nine overseas.