Simon Ridpath

Charles Russell Speechlys

Simon Ridpath is a breath of fresh air at Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS). After training at a small Bedford firm, doing everything from insolvency to pre-publication libel reading at the local paper, Ridpath joined legacy Speechly Bircham in 2007 and in July 2019 was elected the first new managing partner since the 2014 merger of Speechly Bircham and Charles Russell.

Ridpath’s energies are currently focused on making the firm more than the sum of its parts. Having carried out a major client listening project during the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2022 he will be articulating CRS’s positioning as a private capital-focused firm in all its forms, from fund formation to real estate to art investment for private funds, family offices and entrepreneurs.

This year the partnership will review its remuneration structure and use its £31m cash pile to help bolster its international offering. To bring in the talent, Ridpath aims to make CRS feel like the right destination for ambitious lawyers; 2022 will see a renewed vigour in the way the firm presents itself to the market. Expect fireworks.