Freshfields appoints new London corporate managing partner

International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Rawlinson as the firm’s new departmental managing partner (DMP) for its London corporate practice with effect from 1 April.

He succeeds Tim Jones who was appointed chair of the London Management Group in December 2007.

As well as leading the firm’s London corporate practice and, as recently announced, the firm’s trainee recruitment activities, Mark will remain very actively involved in transactional work . 

Commenting on Mark’s appointment, Tim Jones, chair of the London Management Group, said: ‘Mark is ideally suited to this role thanks to his formidable track record in the transactional marketplace, a strong client focus and significant management experience. Matching individual strengths to interests, he will be structuring the role in a new way that spreads leadership and administrative responsibilities across a broader group. This will allow Mark to retain a strong focus on transactions.’

Commenting on his new role, Mark said: ‘Although we are facing a challenging market, I believe we are the strongest corporate team in the City. I want to create a wider leadership group with more partners having a sense of responsibility for driving our practice forward. This will also help me lead from the front while continuing my involvement with clients and in deals, rather than being stuck behind a desk worrying about budgets.’

The centrepiece of the new corporate structure will be the Business Management Committee which will include the current team chairs, representatives of key areas of the firm’s practice and some sector group leaders for sectors with a particular London relevance.

Edward Braham will take responsibility for developing the corporate business plan and strategy. Martin Taylor will help oversee the department’s financial performance and its business and support services while Julian Long will be responsible for HR activities including associate appraisals and mentoring and the support of new joiners.

The new corporate structure will also involve the creation of a new “operations officer” role, which will initially be filled by Richard Thexton, an associate in the corporate practice. If this new role proves successful, it could be an interesting way for some associates to spend part of their career with the firm, adding to their legal expertise by broadening their management experience.

Profile:

Mark has been a partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for 17 years and specialises in mergers and acquisitions, particularly in competitive or contested situations. Among other transactions, Mark advised P&O on the competing bids by Dubai Ports World and Port of Singapore Authority in 2006 and Manchester United in their prolonged defence against the Glazer family bid in 2005. In 2007 he advised EMI on the takeover offer by Terra Firma and was part of the team advising ICI on the Akzo Nobel bid.

Mark was born in 1957 and educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He is ranked in the first tier of M&A lawyers by Chambers and other directories.