Baker McKenzie promotes two London partners in leaner global round

Baker McKenzie has promoted two London lawyers to partner, down from seven last year, as part of a global round of 47 partner promotions. The size of the round is nearly half of the firm’s 2023 partner class.

The promotions span 30 offices, with the majority receiving just one or two new partners.

In London, Ben Ko has been promoted in dispute resolution and Ben Saraci in mergers and acquisitions, effective 1 July 2026.

The firm’s transactional practice accounted for the largest share of promotions globally, followed by dispute resolution and commercial and tax.

Alongside 44 lateral partner hires during FY2026, Baker McKenzie added a total of 91 partners globally.

A steady downturn

Baker McKenzie promoted 47 lawyers this year, down from 59 partner promotions last year.  The firm promoted 66 partners in 2024 and 89 partners in 2023.

This year’s promotions are the first announced under global chair Sunny Mann, who took over the role in October 2025.

Mann said the promotions reflected the firm's focus on remaining a "high-performing, inclusive firm" capable of serving multinational clients on complex cross-border matters.