Globally, our site spotlights 54 legal professionals in its 2022 partner cohort.
The global law firm announced the promotion of 54 lawyers to partner and director positions, effective January 1, 2022, in various locations worldwide. The promotions cover 11 practice areas, with the majority being in litigation and disputes (18 lawyers), corporate, M&A and securities (10), and banking and finance (9).
Dimitri Millas was promoted to banking and finance in Houston, United States. Véronique Barry was promoted to corporate, M&A and securities in Québec, Canada. Scott Boucher was promoted to litigation and disputes in Vancouver, Canada. Blake Redwine was promoted to corporate, M&A and securities in Dallas, United States. Jenna Anne de Jong was promoted to litigation and disputes in Ottawa, Canada. Robin Acworth was promoted to corporate, M&A and securities in Calgary, Canada. Victoria Corder was promoted to litigation and disputes in New York, United States. Rebecca Abou-Chedid was promoted to projects in Washington, DC, United States. Fahad Siddiqui was promoted to litigation and disputes in Toronto, Canada. Matthew Choi was promoted to banking and finance in Vancouver, Canada. Matthew Buckle was promoted to litigation and disputes in London, United Kingdom. Brian Milne was promoted to tax in Calgary, Canada. Veit Sahlfeld was promoted to banking and finance in Hamburg. Joshua Sprague was promoted to real estate in Ottawa, Canada. Jonathan Lafrance was promoted to tax in Montréal, Canada. Denton Nichols was promoted to litigation and disputes in Houston, United States. Helen Fairhead was promoted to antitrust and competition in London, United Kingdom. Kimberly Cheeseman was promoted to employment and labor in Houston, United States. Bernd Dreier was promoted to corporate, M&A and securities in Munich. Tim Stewart was promoted to banking and finance in Toronto, Canada. Alex Zekkos was promoted to banking and finance in London, United Kingdom. James Lockwood was promoted to litigation and disputes in London, United Kingdom. Joseph Drapalski was promoted to litigation and disputes in Los Angeles, United States. Alberta Yan was promoted to corporate, M&A and securities in New York, United States. Paul Cartwright received a promotion to director (instead of partner) in litigation and disputes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Fiona Henderson was promoted to banking and finance in New York, United States. Brian Chau was promoted to intellectual property in Toronto, Canada. Daniel Ng was promoted to litigation and disputes in Hong Kong.
Women continue to make notable leadership advancements in global law firms, with 23 of the promoted lawyers being women, representing 43% of the total. While exact 2022 statistical data on partner and director promotions by gender is not found in these results, available information indicates ongoing progress and recognition of women leaders in global law firms, alongside concerted efforts to accelerate gender diversity and equality.
The firm's clients praise the promoted lawyers for their industry knowledge, business acumen, and innovative solutions. Gerry Pecht, the Global Chief Executive of the firm, congratulated the promoted lawyers on their well-deserved promotions. The promoted lawyers include Rachel Chan (corporate, M&A and securities in Hong Kong), Louisa Roe (real estate in London, United Kingdom), Rafe Schaefer (litigation and disputes in Houston, United States), Zayba Drabu (litigation and disputes in London, United Kingdom), Nikita Stepin (intellectual property in Montréal, Canada), Marianne McMahon (general counsel in London, United Kingdom), Nick Sinclair (banking and finance in Perth, Australia), Anna Rudawski (information governance, privacy and cybersecurity in New York, United States), Harriet Oldmeadow (litigation and disputes in Sydney, Australia), Laura Kiwelu (projects in London, United Kingdom), Annabelle Wheeler (litigation and disputes in Munich/London), Alison FitzGerald (litigation and disputes in Ottawa, Canada), Jennifer McPherson (corporate, M&A and securities in Calgary, Canada), Rebecca Winthrop (bankruptcy, financial restructuring and insolvency in Los Angeles, United States), Brigitte LeBlanc-Lapointe (corporate, M&A and securities in Ottawa, Canada), Nicolas Sirtoli (corporate, M&A and securities in London, United Kingdom), Darren Smith (intellectual property in Houston, United States), Geraldine Young (litigation and disputes in Houston, United States), Justin Coddington (tax in Houston, United States), Caroline Jodoin (employment and labor in Montréal, Canada).
Global legal organizations are actively promoting gender equality initiatives, such as Women in the Profession Committees focused on advancing women lawyers’ careers and leadership. Additionally, advocacy groups like Equality Now work globally to improve legal gender equality, recognizing that systemic change benefits the legal profession and society at large.
Careers in finance have seen a surge with the promotion of Matthew Choi to banking and finance in Vancouver, Canada. In the same breath, corporate M&A and securities have witnessed a significant boost with the promotion of Blake Redwine in Dallas, United States and Robin Acworth in Calgary, Canada.
