This inaugural group of partners came from 15 different offices across 11 countries
Global law firms Allen & Overy (A&O) and Shearman & Sterling (Shearman) have announced the first partner promotions for their soon-to-be merged entity, A&O Shearman.
Scheduled to merge on May 1 officially, the combined firm has elected a total of 40 partners, with 32 from A&O and eight from Shearman, reflecting their respective firm sizes and geographic presence.
This inaugural group of partners came from 15 different offices across 11 countries. The promotions include 13 in the United States, nine in the United Kingdom, 13 across Continental Europe, one in the Middle East, and four in Asia.
Khalid Garousha, interim managing partner at A&O, expressed enthusiasm about the new additions, "We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of lawyers to the A&O Shearman partnership. I am also pleased that 42 percent of those promoted across both firms are women, aligning with our goal of enhancing diversity."
Adam Hakki, senior partner at Shearman, also praised the newly promoted partners, stating, "They each have an outstanding track record of delivering for our clients and the firm, and they are a fitting group to be the first new partner class of A&O Shearman. The diversity, geographical breadth and range of expertise of these outstanding professionals demonstrates the quality and depth of the combined firm around the world.”
The new partners from Allen & Overy include:
United States: Lena Kiely, Puja Patel, Derek Poon, Michael Sykes, Gideon Wiginton (New York and Washington D.C.)
United Kingdom: Tim Bates, Imogen Carr, Vanessa Morgan, Rebecca Noble, Rachel O'Reilly, Kate Pumfrey, Alex Shandro, Jason Symington, David Weaver (London)
Continental Europe: Axel de Backer (Brussels), Luke Whibley (Amsterdam), Laurie-Anne Ancenys, Charles del Valle, Anne-Caroline Payelle (Paris), Catharina Glugla (Düsseldorf), Rauni Ahammer (Munich), Tim Drach, David Schmid, Sebastian Schulz (Frankfurt), Baptiste Aubry, Franz Kerger (Luxembourg), Ishtar Sancho (Madrid)
The Middle East: Arash Koozehkanani (Dubai)
Asia: Mohammad Andrew (Jakarta), Matthew Del Rosso, Jessica Lee, Ayesha Thapar (Singapore)
Shearman & Sterling's newly elected partners are Melisa Brower, Jonathan Cheng, Joshua Ebersole, Jai Garg, Christopher Glenn, Leila Siddiky (New York), Brian Hauser (Washington D.C.), Michelle Kwan (Austin)
“These partners will bring a wealth of expertise to our soon-to-be merged firm, providing exceptional service to our clients in the world’s most dynamic markets,” Garousha said.
