Clyde senior partner to step down early to re-focus

Clyde senior partner to step down early to re-focus

The managing partner of Clyde & Co is to step down from his role halfway through his elected term.

Simon Konsta will hand over to London-based partner and co-head of the global arbitration practice Peter Hirst in October 2019.

After a decade of management roles at the firm, Konsta will re-focus his talents on some specific areas.

“There are many ways to contribute and make a difference to the prosperity and health of a firm of our size and this will allow me more time to support our market-leading global insurance practices, to focus on our global professional liability practices and to further build my fee earning practice. With the firm having achieved another year of double-digit growth, it is my view that now is an appropriate time to hand over to a successor," Konsta explained.

The firm has announced its 21st consecutive year of revenue growth with pre-audit firmwide fee income up 11% to GBP611m for the year ended 30 April 2019 compared to the previous year.

For the first time, half of the firm’s revenue has come from outside the UK with the Americas contributing 23% as the firm’s fastest-growing region.

Peter Hirst, who has been with the firm since 2001,  will take over as senior partner from the end of October and says that he is honoured to be succeeding Konsta and has a clear vision for the task ahead.

“Spending more time with our clients, listening to them and understanding how we can better serve their needs will be my principal objective as Senior Partner,” he said.

Mun Yeow, a member of the APAC and global Management Boards paid tribute to Simon Konsta.

“The Management Board is grateful to Simon for his service as Senior Partner over the last three years, during which time the firm has made significant progress towards its objectives. The Board is looking forward to working with Peter as we embark on the next phase of the firm’s development,” she said.

DWF hires senior hire to drive managed services business

Global legal services business DWF has hired an experienced leader from banking group RBS to lead its Managed Services business.

Mark St John Qualter joins as CEO of the Managed Services division after 18 years at RBS where he held several roles, most recently head of artificial intelligence for the bank's Commercial and Private Banking business.

His DWF focus will be to lead the development and delivery of the firm’s strategy to build a global Managed Services platform.

"Further developing our Managed Services capability is a strategic priority for our business. We believe that our ability to serve clients through our Complex, Managed and Connected delivery platforms differentiates us in the market. It also responds to the increasing trend among large multinational businesses to simplify their global supplier base of outsourced legal and connected services.”

The firm is also expanding its capabilities through acquisition including the former legal services business of K&L Gates Jamka in Poland; and a tie-up with a leading Spanish firm.

Biotech issuance is a big deal for Eversheds Sutherland

A cross-jurisdictional team from Eversheds Sutherland has advised on Hong Kong’s latest biotech issuance.

Lawyers from Eversheds Sutherland Hong Kong and Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP advised China International Capital Corporation on the IPO of Chinese biotechnology company Mabpharm Limited which raised approximately HK$1.2 billion at the IPO.

The Eversheds Sutherland Hong Kong team was led by capital markets partner Amy Yu, assisted by Senior associate Crystal Kwok, Associates Anthony Lam and Jasmine Xu together with Clive Lam (Senior paralegal), Christina Wang and Clio Li (paralegals); while the Eversheds Sutherland US team was led by partners Herbert J. Short Jr. and Darryl Smith.

This is Eversheds Sutherland’s first listing of a biotech company under Chapter 18A of the Listing Rules, which is the biggest overhaul of the Hong Kong’s stock exchange Listing Rules and procedures in three decades,” explained Ms. Yu.

Other legal advisers on the deal were Cleary Gottleib, Walkers, Commerce & Finance Law Offices and Zhong Lun Law Firm.