Freshfields leads promos with 14 new partners

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has promoted a total of 14 to its partnership, a significant drop from the 25 who were made up in last year’s round.

Just two of the new partners are based in the firm’s London office, with its international network once again receiving the majority of the promotions.

As has been the norm in recent years the corporate practice saw the bulk of the promotions, receiving nine out of the 14 new partners.

This is the third year running that the department has received nine new partners although, with the total number of promotions rising from 22 in 2007 to 25 in 2008 and dropping to 14 this year, the proportion has changed significantly.

Internationally, this year’s promotions round has focused on Europe although the firm’s China practice did receive two new partners, one apiece in Hong Kong and Beijing. Two people have also been made up in Dubai although Reza Mohtashami, who has joined the dispute resolution partnership, will be based between Paris and Dubai.

Germany fared well again with the Frankfurt office gaining three new partners, the highest number of any single office. Amsterdam and London gained two new partners each.

While Freshfields has made up 11 fewer people than it did last year, it has traditionally been relatively conservative when it comes to making up new partners. Over the last five years its largest round was in 2008 and its smallest, in 2006, saw just 10 join the partnership.

This year’s new partners, who take up their roles on 1 May, are:

Antitrust, Competition and Trade
Michael Han, Beijing
Corporate
Jennifer Bethlehem, London
Wessel Heukamp, Frankfurt
Grace Huang, Hong Kong
Patrick Ko, Dubai
Sebastian Lawson, CEE
Charles-Antoine Leunen, Brussels
Piers Prichard Jones, London
Harald Spruit, Amsterdam
Arend von Riegen, Frankfurt
Dispute Resolution
Reza Mohtashami, Paris/Dubai
Finance
Alexander Glos, Frankfurt
Ana López, Madrid
IP/IT
Rutger Kleemans, Amsterdam